Legacy Leadership: Wisdom Of The Apostle PaulSýnishorn

Worthy of Imitation – Part 1

When I was growing up I liked to pretend that I was one of the sports heroes I watched on TV each weekend. During baseball season, I was Johnny Bench when I played catcher, or Bob Gibson when I was pitching. I watched those guys and tried to imitate them. If you don’t recognize those names you can Google them to see just how great they were! When I got to high school, I tried to imitate the “cool” seniors. I parted my hair down the middle and carried my books just like they did.

If you’re honest, you imitated people too – and you still do. Maybe it’s just something that’s built into us. We look for role models, people who are successful, and we think if we talk and act like they do, we too will be successful. But we need to make sure that those we are copying are in fact worthy of imitation.

Modeling the way is a fundamental tool of leadership. It is a core dimension of Paul’s leadership style and he encourages others to imitate him or follow his example. In the original language the word imitate is mimetai, from which the English word mimic is derived. It refers to someone who copies the specific characteristics of another person.

Imitation is a recurring theme in Paul’s letters. He “exhorts” the Corinthians to be imitators of him (1 Corinthians 4:16). Later, in the same letter, he tells them to “be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians. 11:1). In his letter to the Ephesians, he encourages the Ephesians to be imitators of God and walk in love just as Jesus did (Ephesians 5:1-2).

He commends the Thessalonians for the fact that they had already become imitators of “us and the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 1:6) and had become “imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea” (1 Thessalonians 2:14). He acknowledges their imitation and encourages them to excel still more in their efforts to follow his example and please God (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

By imitating Paul, the Thessalonians had become “an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). The word example comes from the Greek word, typos, which refers to the mark made by a blow. Originally this was a mark in a wax seal or a stamp that minted coins, but the usage of the word evolved to include any image whether stamped or not. Eventually the word took on ethical significance as a pattern of conduct or an example to be followed.

Paul and his team left their mark on the Thessalonians. Paul put his “stamp” on those he led. Then, the Thessalonians followed this pattern and left their mark – their stamp - on others.

Reflect and Act on these questions:

• Who are your leadership role models?
• What traits and behaviors of theirs do you try to imitate?
• Do they have any “flaws” that you want to avoid in your leadership?