Jesus practiced servant leadership better than anyone. To me, there is no greater demonstration of His commitment to service than when He, the King of kings, was willing to wash the feet of His followers (see John 13:1-17).

There are many ways to “wash the feet” of those you lead. It can be something as fundamental as feeling equally or more excited when someone else on your team succeeds than when you are complimented for a job well done. It’s not having to talk so much about yourself, but inviting others to talk about themselves. It’s having others feel better about themselves when they are around you.

Jesus was willing to invest in people others would have dismissed. Consider the first time Jesus met Simon Peter. In John 1, after they were introduced, Jesus said to Simon, “I’m going to call you Peter.” Simon means “small”; Peter means “rock.”

The Lord was saying, “Peter, you’re the kind of person I want to build My church on.” Changing that apostle’s name from “small” to “rock,” Jesus raised Peter’s confidence and began building a servant who would become a world changer.

It blows my mind to contemplate Jesus as all-knowing and how that divine knowledge interacts with His love for and relationship with each of us. Jesus knew Peter would deny Him. But Jesus saw Peter from day one for who Peter could be, not just who he was in that moment. It was as if the Lord saw Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost, and operated on that vision rather than on the basis of Peter denying Him.

Jesus modeled trusteeship rather than ownership in His leadership. People who lead with this mind-set regard themselves as trustees of their positions for the good of their respective circles of influence, rather than as owners for their own real or symbolic benefit.

Regardless of the externals of our positions, as followers of Christ, we are all stewards of the gospel and our calling to connect the lost with that good news and point them to the Savior.

Jesus exercised leadership over life’s circumstances. He took what others might perceive as distractions or interruptions and recognized divine appointments. When the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years touched His garment, Jesus stopped to heal her, even though He was headed elsewhere (Mark 5:25-34). Interruptions can lead to divine appointments.

Jesus fed His own spiritual well-being, recognizing that He had to remain in touch with His Father if He was to carry out His Father’s plans for ministering to others. Jesus constantly slipped away to spend time with God.

I carry a deep burden for the spiritual well-being of our ministers. I was recently talking to a minister who is in our restoration program, and asked him how he was doing. He replied, “I’ve never felt this healthy spiritually!” Although I was excited for him and was encouraged by his comment, I asked myself why he couldn’t feel spiritually healthy while in the ministry.

Finally, Jesus finished well, and He had a succession plan. Any questions whether His ministry was effective? It is still at work today in the worldwide body of Christ. The key to that continuity was Jesus’ ability to lead even as He was planning to transfer that leadership to others in order to propel His ministry forward. He told the disciples He would not always be with them, but that through the power of the Holy Spirit they could function as His successors (John 16:5-15).

Integrity doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean consecration.

If servant leadership is the umbrella description of Jesus’ leadership style, it is also valuable to look at key character traits Jesus lived out to perfection as our model God-follower.

Jesus maintained healthy spirituality. His heart belonged completely to His Father. “The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9, NASB). That is the essence of spirituality, complete identification with our Heavenly Father.

Integrity is better defined by actions than just words. As it relates to spiritual leadership, integrity is not so much something we do, as it is who we are. Integrity is all about personal wholeness versus fragmentation. Integrity doesn’t involve divided loyalties or interests. Integrity doesn’t allow our lips to violate our hearts. Integrity doesn’t allow popularity to override principle. Integrity doesn’t break promises that are made. Integrity doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean consecration.

Jesus is our model for spirituality. He is our model for integrity.

And, at every point in His life, He is our model for humility. It requires unflagging diligence to walk in spiritual confidence while simultaneously nurturing a humble heart. Yet, humility is a spiritual discipline that, when practiced, guarantees that God will show up in a powerful way.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). What a promise! I also return regularly to Psalm 25:9: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

Why is Christlike character important? Making Jesus’ character your own will impact your ministry in three key ways.

You need character for the sake of your reputation. Ministries that are respected are led by ministers who can be trusted.

1 Timothy 3:7

“He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” Nothing will ruin your reputation faster, and more permanently, than a breach of ethical integrity.

Proverbs 22:1 (NLT)

“Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.”

Proverbs 22:1 (GNT)

“If you have to choose between a good reputation and great wealth, choose a good reputation.”

You need Jesus’ character for the sake of your own character. If it is important to keep a good reputation, it’s a thousand times more important to safeguard your personal character. A corrupt character spoils your reputation.

Matthew 7:15 (NLT)

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.”

Matthew 7:18 (NLT)

“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.”

You need to demonstrate Jesus’ character for the sake of your testimony. Your reputation is what people say about you; your testimony is what your character, your behavior, and your words say about God.

What’s communicated when a minister lacks ethical integrity? That person is saying that they don’t really believe things like:

Proverbs 21:3 (NLT)

“The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.”

Proverbs 15:8 (KJV)

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”

Psalm 51:6 (NLT)

“But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.”

Jesus’ integrity was unimpeachable. Billy Graham once said, “Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”

From Ordered Steps: A Life Prepared to Lead, by Doug Clay (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 2017).