04 March 2010

Where have the shepherds gone? The need for leaders not CEOs in Christian leadership.

When I look back at all of the pastors and leaders I have had in churches around the country and even overseas, I notice something. The Church was started by Jesus, who described himself as a shepherd.  In John 10:11 (NIV) he says” I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” I can’t say I have felt like any of my pastors/ministers/chaplains were protecting me. I’m not saying that they didn’t give me guidance or help. I am saying I haven’t felt that they were looking out for each individual member of their flock. Looking out for each member is as simple as a call when you notice that someone has not been at your service in weeks, or listening to the unsaid in conversations you have with your congregation.

Church has become a businesslike practice. Many churches look first to the ledger and last at need, instead of first at need and God’s will and then at finances to pay for it. I’m not saying that a church should put itself at risk and take on too much, just make His work most important, not your comfort. I recently listened to a podcast of Dallas Theological Seminary’s Chapel service. I can’t remember who it was preaching, but I remember that he talked about different ministries. He posed a question, “What is your limit in pay?” One of the people he asked this answered, “I won’t work for less than $0.” That is the attitude we have to have to do his work. We have to trust that he will provide if we follow him. We have to be willing to stick our necks out for the flock. If we won’t stick our necks out, do we doubt that God wants us there? Or are we deciding that it would make us uncomfortable or take control out of our hands?

So here’s my challenge for you. If and when you take a role as a leader, be a shepherd, a servant leader. Place your flocks’ well being above your own. Most of all, trust that God is with you, if you follow him, you’ll go where he wants you. Don’t be irresponsible, be gutsy but prudent, not risking your venture but not refusing to help where needed because you are unsure of where the resources (money and people) will come from.
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4 comments:

  1. Wasabi BenMarch 4, 2010 at 1:42 PM

    "I can’t say I have felt like any of my pastors/ministers/chaplains were protecting me. I’m not saying that they didn’t give me guidance or help. I am saying I haven’t felt that they were looking out for each individual member of their flock. Looking out for each member is as simple as a call when you notice that someone has not been at your service in weeks, or listening to the unsaid in conversations you have with your congregation."

    Paul,
    If you feel this way about your current church, wherever that may be, it seems to me that you need to take a step back and say "Am I here to serve or to be served?" It is up to each individual person in that church body to look around themselves and notice when people are not there, or notice when people are hurting. If you are gone for weeks and no one notices, that entire body has failed, not just the pastor. We need to make it our own job to notice when others are not there, or notice when others are hurting. And when you notice, tell your pastors and laypastors. That is how they find out about those people. They may not know each person there individually by name, but someone should. Make it YOUR job to notice when folks are missing or hurting, and then you can be sure people will notice when you are missing or hurting.

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  2. PaulMarch 4, 2010 at 1:47 PM

    I agree with you, and I do my best to do this. I have had pastors call on me in my times of need as well, so that is good. I have difficulty responding to you, but I feel as if you missed my point. While the congregation take care of each other, just as a flock of sheep takes care of its own, I am saying that the pastor needs to make a concentrated effort to be a servant leader, not a director.

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  3. AnonymousMarch 27, 2010 at 10:43 PM

    I do agree that churches can get too involved with the financial business of the church, but I think we are all called to minister to each other. There's a talk in Emmaus titled "The Priesthood of All Believers". It calls on all of us to minister to each other as well as to reach out. I believe you had many "priests" reach out to you, sometimes you were aware, other times you were not. So I guess I believe The minister's job should be to challenge us all to minister to one another and to spread the Word. Kinda a teach a men to fish sort of philosophy.

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  4. PaulMarch 28, 2010 at 12:53 PM

    I agree wholeheartedly in what you say. The point I am trying to express above is that the professional ministry needs to focus on the act of leading instead of the act of managing or running a business. I do agree that we are all tasked, as believers, to witness to all.

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