Live As Leadable

1 Peter 5:1-5

One of my heroes of Christian Education expressed it profoundly in this way: “You can impress people from afar. But you impact people up close.”—Howard Hendricks

My image of a shepherd was a portrait of one who was “large and in charge.” I had memories of the shepherd and sheep artwork that hung in my grandparent’s home. I had been conditioned by the drawings in my childhood Bible storybooks. I had heard repeatedly that the call of a “shepherd” is to “lead and feed.”

My understanding of the calling was radically altered when I saw them for myself. My father had described the image after his own visit there. I had read Philip Keller’s description in his best-seller works. But it didn’t really hit me until I saw them for myself. The infamous Psalm states it clearly, but my middle-American upbringing distorted my understanding. “I fear no evil, for You are with me….” —Psalm 23

Peter expresses it in this way: “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you…”—1 Peter 5. That is where my understanding needed serious adjustment. As the model of “successful” churches continually increased its focus on the “great leadership skills” of its pastors, the concept of “shepherding” was slowly eroding and in its vacated space was a new image of a “CEO” who led from afar, he spoke from a posture of detachment. In fact, I distinctly recall my discomfort when a fellow denominational pastor published an article titled: “When Shepherds Must Become Ranchers.”

So it was quite a wake-up call to see for myself what my father had observed and what Philip Keller had expressed when, on our visit to Israel, we repeatedly passed by small flocks of sheep and their shepherds. “I fear no evil, for You are with me!” And, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” In every situation, I observed that the shepherd was NOT out in front walking the path, but rather, every single shepherd was surrounded by his sheep as he slowly walked forward among them.

Good shepherdology is not a leader who is “large and in charge” but rather, good shepherdology is a man who smells a lot like his sheep!

“So I exhort the elders among you…shepherd the flock of God that is among you.”

“You can impress people from afar. But you impact people up close.”

See you Sunday, Church!

Pastor Tom