Shepherds of God’s Flock

Pray for Your Church: Leaders (4)

Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the LORD. “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 23.2-4

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Acts 20.28

A tall order
Those who are called to lead the churches of the Lord have been charged with a tall order. As we have seen, Jesus has a plan for building His Church—and every local church—as His holy City, a sign and outpost of the Kingdom of God, and a community of life and grace. Leaders are appointed in churches to take us to an ever greater realization of Christ’s vision and, using the tools of prayer and Scripture and personal example, growing church members as disciples of the Lord.

And we all participate in this process, for as J. I. Packer reminded us in Finishing Our Course with Joy, we are all disciples and disciple-makers. We all have something more to learn and people in our lives to lead into deeper fellowship with the Lord.

But we look to our leaders to guide us in the way, equip us for the work, hold the vision of Christ’s Church before us, and shepherd us along every step of our journey.

Shepherding is the favorite metaphor of God for those who led His people throughout the Old Testament. Unhappily, as in Jeremiah 23 (cf. Ezek. 34), God is often disappointed with those who shepherd His people, since they only served to aggrandize themselves in one way or another and not to tend and grow His flock.

Nevertheless, God did not abandon this way of thinking about the leaders of His churches. When we come into the New Testament, we see the apostles Paul and Peter readily using this term to apply to the work of church leaders. Church leaders are shepherds and teachers whose calling it is to equip the followers of Christ as true disciples, so that they take their place in His Body and join in the work of building His Church.

The Good Shepherd
Jesus especially attached Himself to the image of shepherd in leading the disciples. In John 10 Jesus explained the work of a shepherd, and the template He outlines there should be that which every church leader embraces as Jesus’ way of making disciples, building His Church, and realizing more of His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus indicated six disciplines that shepherds must master in leading His churches. First is to know the sheep and to be known by them (Jn. 10.14). Here Jesus emphasizes the need for relationships of mutual love and trust. No pastor or leader can know everyone in the church. But everyone should know someone, and leaders should lead in such a way as to encourage the kind of relationships among church members that help build the church: consideration, cooperation, care and nurture, respect, mutual concern, and love. 

Second, Jesus taught that shepherds must lead the sheep (Jn. 10.4, 5). The shepherds know what discipleship entails. They understand what building the church according to Jesus’ plan requires. They nurture a vision of the Kingdom of God coming increasingly in their community. And leaders must lead the Lord’s sheep along the paths of that vision to greater realization of each of its aspects. Leaders lead by example, but also by teaching and equipping, helping and guiding, praying, and keeping faithful and diligent watch to know the true spiritual condition of their flocks.

Third, Jesus showed us that shepherds must be willing to lay down their lives. We know what that meant for Him. For church leaders it will require laying down time, convenience, and lots of patience and persistence on task.

Fourth, Jesus defends His sheep (Jn.10.12, 13). He is not a hireling, and neither are church leaders. They must work hard, using all the tools in their toolkit, to defend the people of God against the lies of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and false teachings of Satan and his ilk. The people of God must be equipped to resist the devil, expose the lie, and press on in righteous obedience, come what may. They’ll need good shepherds like Jesus to lead, equip, and defend them for this.

Fifth, Jesus brought other sheep to the fold, even those who might have seemed strange or out of place (Jn. 10.16). The church’s leaders, their shepherds, must be faithful in the work of evangelism.

Finally, Jesus gives eternal life to the sheep (Jn. 10.27, 28), and the shepherds who serve under Him must likewise help and encourage the sheep in their charge to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord  (2 Pet. 2.18).

Pray for the shepherds
So, as I said, shepherding God’s flock is a tall order. But with the prayerful support and encouragement of the sheep, they will be able to watch over our souls for increase in the Lord and in His Kingdom (Heb. 13.7, 17).

Here’s a prayer you can use to pray for the shepherds of your church:

O Lord Jesus Christ,
thank You for giving us faithful shepherds
to watch over our souls and help us
build Your church.
Give our leaders grace
to fulfill their callings
as shepherds in this flock;
and use them for Your glory
in all their leading and all their lives.

For reflection
1. Who has the primary responsibility for shepherding in your church? For whom are you a shepherd?2. Why is shepherding such an appropriate way of thinking about the work of leaders?3. Why is it not OK to set shepherding aside and just to run programs?

Next steps—Transformation: Review the disciplines of shepherding outlined in this article. Begin putting them to use in your own Personal Mission Field.

T. M. Moore

Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Knowing Jesus
Being confident witnesses begins in our relationship with Jesus, in knowing Him. Two books can help you grow in Jesus. To Know Him is a brief and lively exposition of Philippians 3.7-11 and explains what Paul means by this. You can order your copy by clicking here. Be Thou My Vision offers 28 daily meditations on Jesus, drawing on Scripture and writings from the period of the Celtic Revival. Order your copy by clicking here.

Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.