THE UNDER-SHEPHERD
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
- 1 Peter 5:1-4
The opportunity to pastor God’s people has been one of the greatest privileges in my life, but it wasn’t always my deepest desire. Quite frankly, I knew at the age of 16 that God was calling me to go to Bible College, but once there, I had no desire whatsoever to become a lead pastor. Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I had a front-row-seat to the realities of leading a church, and vowed to leave the heavy-lifting to someone else. I’d rather serve in a supporting role, and nothing more. However, six years after graduation the Lord convinced my reluctant heart to assume a Lead Pastor role, and today I am grateful for His shepherding in my life. He took me where I needed to go, not where I wanted to go.
Around eight years ago, while going through a burnout, some amazing pastors invited my wife and I to attend a conference with them. My energy levels were at an all-time low, depression consumed me, and the only thing I could look forward to was my counselling sessions where I could simply unload and weep. Yet, these amazing pastors helped me take another step forward. That first night, after listening to a pastor share his journey, I sensed God’s consuming love and care take over my heart. It literally felt like I was the only one sitting in the audience, and that this pastor had travelled from so far to speak just to me. Those type of God-appointments cannot be missed, and thankfully I didn’t.
That moment was one of the most defining ones for my philosophy of ministry. Pastor Larry Osborne made it clear that God wasn’t interested in seeing me live up to the task of leading His church, but having the heart of a shepherd that serves under the Chief Shepherd: Jesus! The heavy-lifting was His, and I was simply to walk with Him and work with Him, not for Him. Eugene Peterson put it nicely in Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message), “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
In his book, “Lead Like A Shepherd,” pastor Larry Osborne walks through the Apostle Peter’s exhortation for anyone who leads God’s people. He unpacks what it means to: Think like a shepherd, serve with enthusiasm, lead by example, and take the long view. A highly recommended resource for anyone leading God’s people, regardless of the size of your group. It helped me refocus on the heart of a leader instead of the task of the leader, and the truths and principles have served as a continual reminder of what God truly calls me to.
Part of healthy leadership is our acceptance of God’s invitation for us to serve under the Chief Shepherd, and learn from Him on how to lead the church. Learning to “lead like a shepherd,” is a paradigm shift that actually takes some time to implement, but thankfully, Psalm 23 offers a timeless image of God’s Shepherding work in our lives. Not only is it one of the richest Psalms in the Bible, it is also one of the most memorized passages among Christians. So, when Larry Osborne described how God shepherds His people, he went a bit further and stated, “Psalm 23 is your job description as a pastor.” I took that statement to heart, and have never read that psalm the same again.
In Psalm 23, the attribute of Shepherd encompasses every aspect of how God leads our life. It carries the tone of Kingship, and as King of Israel, the psalmist affirms that God had a trustworthy track-record in how He lead His people. The role of Shepherd involves care for the sheep, facing danger of threats to their safety, as well being the provider for the sheep’s needs. As Shepherd, God personally does all of this for us. He is our Ruler, Guide, Physician, and Protector. The psalmist outlines how:
God knows our needs, and provides for them
God knows our restlessness, and makes us rest
God knows where to take us, and so He leads us
God knows our soul’s condition, and so He restores us
God knows what lies ahead, and so He keeps us on His path
God knows the seasons we go through, and so He affirms His presence and comfort when fear tries to consume us
God knows our battles, and so He hosts “a dinner” for us where we can dwell in the safety of His presence. Even when confronted with enemies outside the door of His “tent-of-meeting,”we can dwell there in perfect peace
God knows how battles can exhaust us, and so He keeps our cup overflowing
God knows our future, and so He gives us confidence by backing us up with His goodness and mercy
Now, if this is the heart of God when He shepherds His people, how would my church be impacted if I reflected the same heart? What if driving my church (His church) forward meant I let go of where I want to go, and simply learned from the Lord on how to take His church to where they need to go? Where He wants to take them?
The calling to lead like this would give me the opportunity to present God’s heart to the church in a different, but very personal way. It would allow me to show my church how God restores them and walks with them through their darkest valleys. If they could say, “I know God is my Shepherd, because my pastor showed it to me,” then that is what I’d hope God would be thinking about when saying, “well done, good and faithful servant.” Notice the difference?
Leading like a shepherd does not mean that pastors cannot lead with strength, confidence, or boldness. Those are good traits in leadership, but our heart needs to be like the heart of our Chief Shepherd: Jesus. Oftentimes, we will lead people where they don’t want to go, but the heart of the leader will determine how it gets done. This requires us to remain in step with Jesus, because He is the chief-leader who entrusts us to lead His church. In times of difficulty, we don’t abandon His church. In times of social unrest and insecurity, we stay with them. When the church is tired, we offer rest and restoration. When the church has been through a battle, we nourish her and offer a place of safety. Why? Because that’s what the Chief Shepherd does.
Honestly, I wish I could say that everything changed in my ministry after that conference. It would’ve made life so much easier. But when it comes to the heart, God isn’t interested in how fast we can change, but on how real that change is. For that to happen, we need time and shepherd-type pastors around us who can model it for us. Those who have been through the thick and thin, and have come out on the other side looking more like Jesus. To my amazement, these shepherd-hearted pastors were not easy to find, but they do exist in both large and small churches. It simply meant I had to look for those who had abandoned the CEO approach to church leadership, for leading like a shepherd. It truly has been a joy to know them, learn from them, and see that we’re all in this together. They have helped me visualize the Shepherd heart of God, and my deepest hope is that God uses me to help others see the same.