Healthy, Growing Churches (1)

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. 1 Peter 5.2-4

Catena
John Chrysostom (344-407)
“Christ said: ‘He who would be first among you, let him serve, for he who humbles himself will be exalted above all.’ What do you mean? If I humble myself, will I then be exalted? Yes, says Jesus. For such is my power that I can turn something into its exact opposite. I am skilled and capable, do not doubt it. The nature of things obeys my will, not the other way round.”

In some ways, it’s clear that in churches today we want the Lord to submit to our will, rather than us submit to His. He says, “Shepherd My flock.” We say, “We’re too busy running programs.” He says, “Tend my sheep.” We say, “We have lots of ways for folks to get involved.” He seeks healthy, growing churches; we point to numbers. He says, “Eagerly shepherd the flock of God, and follow My example as the Good Shepherd.” We say, “I’m too busy doing other things to think about a ministry of shepherding.” Health and growth in a church begin with the shepherds who have been set over this portion of God’s flock. If we are not growing as true shepherds, looking to Jesus and seeking to be transformed into His image; and if we do not organize our work around the disciplines of shepherding, as Jesus taught and practiced them; then we may be skilled leaders, celebrated preachers, and admired pastors, but we will not be shepherds. And we may have ministries where the numbers are satisfactory, but we will not have healthy, growing churches.

Chrysostom wrote, “The nature of things obeys my will, not the other way round.” How confident are you that this is true of every aspect of the life of the flock entrusted to your care?

T. M. Moore

The Work of Shepherds
In case you missed our series on shepherding and the work of shepherds, you can receive a free PDF of 28 morning and evening readings, in which we unpack the Biblical teaching concerning the work of shepherding, guided by great shepherds of the past. Simply write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and ask John to send you a copy of The Work of Shepherds.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotations from Church Fathers are from the Ancient Christian Commentary Series, published by InterVarsity Press.