To be a faithful follower you must imitate who you follow.

You cannot separate imitation from followership.

There are two scriptures that addresses the issue of followership, a careful look at these scriptures will unveil to you two important factors for followership, imitation, and pattern.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 King James Version (KJV)

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 in Other Translations

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

2 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

3 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

4 It pleases me that you continue to remember and honor me by keeping up the traditions of the faith I taught you.

Your call into assistance and followership of your Lead Pastor is a call to help. You are specially anointed to help him. The anointing on you is to help him see to the fulfillment of his mandate, and vision.  God has given you that grace that he did not give to your Senior Pastor, and Paul speaking, said, "as God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain."

If you will become a good helper, you will become a follower intentionally. It's by following that you help. How you help will be based on how you follow.

Followership is adherence to a leader, to adhere means faithful support for someone or a cause.

Paul in the above scriptures stressed on three things, followership, pattern and imitation.  If you are following you can't ignore the laid down patterns. Patterns come from structure, instructions, how your Pastor says a thing should be done, when it should be done. All of these and more are the laid down patterns.

He has laid the foundation of the ministry, came up with structure and system. Every follower or helper can actually build on what has been laid, but Paul's admonition is, you must be careful how you build, and no matter what you are building build in line with the laid down pattern.

For emphasis sake he said in the next scriptures "imitate me". The English language dictionary defines imitation as to follow as a model or pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of.

You cannot claim to be a follower without being an imitator, your Senior Pastor therefore should be your copy, model, pattern that's how there can be a resemblance.

The disciples of Jesus imitated, and patterned after Christ. In service, conduct, words, even how they performed miracles. It was easy to see the semblance of Christ in them.

I hope you learn and apply.