The Serving Student - How to Be a Great Student Leader

Contributor: Josh Bunnell

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20; NIV).

Looking at Christ’s final command to His disciples before He ascended into heaven, it becomes clear that the Son of God has appointed us to be leaders.  Since we are also His servants, our duty is to share the light of Christ to the world.  This selfless service is the greatest responsibility of all, as was demonstrated by the crucifixion of the Lamb. This is why Classical Conversations places such a strong emphasis on faith, humility, and student leadership.

How Students Lead Is How They Serve

The Challenge and Odyssey programs seek to train the next generation of Christians to become not just obedient churchgoers, but disciples who lead.  A staple of Classical Education is teaching students to facilitate conversations, especially Socratic discussions (named after the great thinker and communicator, Socrates).

Leading conversations can be one of the most intimidating assignments in the CC curriculum, yet it is extremely valuable.  The good news is that Christ has already set an example for students to follow!  By asking thoughtful questions, practicing persuasive body language, and pursuing virtue in everything they say and do, students will excel as conversationalists and, therefore, as leaders.

The Art of Inquiry

One day, my Challenge II director gave our class this vital piece of advice: “The leader is the one who asks questions.”  In other words, answers or stated facts will eventually reach a dead end in conversation, but questions will always dig deeper into the discussion.

It can also be said that there is a finite number of answers but an infinite number of questions. This is why American writer James Thurber famously said, “It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers.”

Asking questions is such an invaluable practice that even Jesus did it when He taught His disciples or the crowd.  At one point He asked the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ?  Whose son is He?” (Matthew 22:42; NIV), which compelled the Pharisees to think more deeply about their own understanding of who the Messiah was.  He later asked Peter, “Do you love me?,” not once but three times, in order to teach him what love really means (John 21:15-19; NIV).

As Jesus led others to truth by asking questions, students will also excel as leaders if they ask questions that dive deeper into the discussion, as opposed to merely blurting out the facts.

Fluency in Body Language

Questions are not the only tool that will help students gain more respect from their peers.  Students must also learn to be fluent in body language.

But good body language is more than sitting up straight than making eye contact.  It is about carefully thinking through every gesture and facial expression to communicate confidence and a genuine interest in the discussion.  With enough practice, these deliberate motions and gestures will become second nature.  

Coincidentally, the shortest verse in the Bible is an example of Jesus using body language to connect with others.  After discovering that Lazarus had died and seeing Lazarus’s sisters in mourning, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35; NIV).  Although He knew that He would bring Lazarus to life, Jesus nonetheless shed tears to establish an empathetic connection with His followers, so that when it was time to raise the dead to life, the Messiah’s leadership was much more apparent.

The Humble Leader

Most importantly, student leaders must always pursue virtue, for what good is rhetoric and persuasion if the leader has no virtue?  As they interact with textbooks or facilitate conversations, students must remember the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23; NIV).

This Fruit branches out from the important virtue of all: humility.  Jesus gave these instructions: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:16-17; NIV).  Of course, Christ Himself was the perfect example of humility, washing His disciples’ feet, glorifying His Father, and finally sacrificing Himself to spare all sinners from death.

There is a good reason that the Odyssey students read Humility by Andrew Murray; servitude is the key ingredient of Christ-like leadership.  Asking deep questions and expressing appropriate body language can only get leaders so far, but it is when they fully submit to Christ that they can truly move mountains (Matthew 17:20; NIV).

Final Thoughts

The Classical Conversations programs train students so that they can keep Christ’s final command and be vessels of His light in an otherwise dark world.  As Jesus revealed through His ministry, to lead is to serve, and to serve is to help direct others towards God and His Word.

As students facilitate discussions and practice leadership to prepare for the mission field, they must remember not to be leaders for their own glory, but that the sole purpose of their ministry is, as we like to say in Classical Conversations, “to know God and to make Him known.”