49 Bible Verses about Servant Leadership

But the greatest among you will be your servant.

It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

But it is not to be this way with you; on the contrary, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest [and least privileged], and the [one who is the] leader, like the servant.

But this is not how it is among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,

Sitting down [to teach], He called the twelve [disciples] and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all [in importance] and a servant of all.”

if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching;

“Listen carefully, I have appointed him [David, representing the Messiah] to be a witness to the nations [regarding salvation],
A leader and commander to the peoples.

The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.

Remember your leaders [for it was they] who brought you the word of God; and consider the result of their conduct [the outcome of their godly lives], and imitate their faith [their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider of eternal salvation through Christ, and imitate their reliance on God with absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].

“Then [in the final time] I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and [true] understanding.

Do not let yourselves be called leaders or teachers; for One is your Leader (Teacher), the Christ.

Under a servant when he reigns,
Under a [spiritually blind] fool when he is filled with food,

[and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church];

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a bond-servant above his master.

“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses [to lead you], Aaron [the high priest], and Miriam [the prophetess].

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all [proper] respect, not only to those who are good and kind, but also to those who are unreasonable.

So now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father; and as for me, I am but a little boy [in wisdom and experience]; I do not know how to go out or come in [that is, how to conduct business as a king].

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [paying the price to set them free from the penalty of sin].”

If a ruler pays attention to lies [and encourages corruption],
All his officials will become wicked.

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative), set apart for [preaching] the gospel of God [the good news of salvation],

When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world.”

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning.

And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no man living is righteous or justified.

The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered, preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant when wronged.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them].

And I will make mere boys their princes,
And capricious (impulsive, unpredictable) children will rule over them.

“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise [to take his place], cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.

He said, “No; rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord.” Then Joshua fell with his face toward the earth and bowed down, and said to him, “What does my lord have to say to his servant?”

You have rescued me from the contentions of the people;
You have placed me as the head of the nations;
A people whom I have not known serve me.

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’

So Moses arose with Joshua his attendant, and he went up to the mountain of God.

Give our greetings to all of your [spiritual] leaders and to all of the saints (God’s people). Those [Christians] from Italy send you their greetings.

Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, [writes this letter],

To those who are the called (God’s chosen ones, the elect), dearly loved by God the Father, and kept [secure and set apart] for Jesus Christ:

“But it is not so with My servant Moses;
He is entrusted and faithful in all My house.

Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, all his people,

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed),

To all the saints (God’s people) in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!”

But they shall serve the Lord their God and [the descendant of] David their King, whom I will raise up for them.

Now an overseer must be blameless and beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

But that same slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe!’

Therefore may it please You to bless the house (descendants) of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for what You bless, O Lord, is blessed forever.”

But they kept mocking the messengers of God and despising His words and scoffing at His prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy or healing.

So now, say this to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.

But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.

Now I introduce and commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess (servant) of the church at Cenchrea,

for they loved the approval of men more than the approval of God.

but at the age of fifty years, they shall retire from the service of the [tabernacle] work and serve no longer.