53 agenda of holiness, but also helped develop their social, governmental, and spiritual structure. Today’s Christian leaders can likewise exhibit these key qualities of servant leadership in crisis situations. More than any other time, it is paramount that Christian leaders point people back to God and His agenda during a crisis. Likewise, they must look at their people’s needs and serve those needs in such a way that they help people cope and recover well from the crisis. In a spirit of humility, they must put God’s agenda and the people’s needs above themselves and lead sacrificially in such a way that they are both servants of God and servants of the people. THE LEADER AS SHEPHERD The second image of biblical leadership that is important for Christian leaders to remember in a crisis is the image of the leader as shepherd. While many of us may not always understand this agrarian image in the way the people of biblical times would have, it nonetheless possesses a rich treasure trove of meaning for the Christian leader. The description of sheep-shepherd is the most used image in the Bible to describe the relationship between God and His people and is used throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. This image is a beautiful image of compassion, love, care, and sacrifice, for sheep are largely helpless creatures who desperately need the selfgiving care of a good shepherd. They are dim-witted creatures with poor eyesight, no natural defense mechanism, and a propensity for getting into trouble.16 Thus, just like humans, they are prone to crises where they need an able shepherd to protect them and care for their needs. This means that they need a shepherd who is close enough to them to sense danger, provide care, and know their needs. As Lynn Anderson shares, shepherd leaders need to be so close to their followers that they “smell” like their sheep – in other words, they are to be present in times of crisis and danger when those sheep need to hear the voice of the shepherd and know where to turn.17 Laniak notes that shepherd leaders intimately know their followers, give of themselves sacrificially for their “sheep,” provide spiritual “food,” heal their wounds, and care about them both individually and as a flock.18 LEADING ONESELF AND OTHERS IN CRISIS SITUATIONS
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