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Shepherds of the Flocks

Churches without shepherds are not in order.

The Work of Shepherds (5)

“But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD.” Jeremiah 23.3, 4

Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances
John Calvin (1506-1564)
“[The] office [of the elders] is to have oversight of the life of everyone, to admonish amicably those whom they see to be erring or to be living a disordered life, and, where it is required, to enjoin fraternal corrections themselves and along with others.”

The people of Geneva elected the elders who would visit them in their homes and watch over them in their daily lives. Along with the pastors, the elders of Geneva were God’s shepherds over His flock in that city. Elders were to relate to their flocks “amicably” and in “fraternal” ways, not lording it over them or bullying them about. Elders are shepherds, and through Jeremiah, God signaled His intention of using shepherds to care for His sheep and build His Church. Churches that do not have such shepherds are not operating according to the order God intends for His churches. In John 10, Jesus outlined six important disciplines that He followed as the Good Shepherd. These are to guide the work every shepherd must pursue in caring for the flocks of God.

Meditate your way through John 10. Can you identify the six disciplines of the work of a shepherd? Are your shepherds doing this work?

T. M. Moore

Are you a soul friend?
What is the role of soul friendship in your work of making disciples? Are you cultivating an environment of mutual friendship, caring, and encouragement, or are you just running a program? Write to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we’ll send you a copy of our free brochure on Soul Friends. Make copies for yourself and all those you are discipling, then meet to discuss how your work together can become a fellowship of true friendship into the Lord.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
All quotations from John Calvin, “Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances,” in J. K. S. Reid, ed., Calvin: Theological Treatises in The Library of Christian Classics (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1954), pp. 58ff.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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