They Smell Like Sheep

Be shepherds of God’s flock that are under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

1 Peter 5:2-3

I borrowed the title from Lynn Anderson's book by the same name which I have read and re-read upon occasion. Last Sunday we had an open question and answer forum during the Bible Class hour to allow members to ask anything they wanted from the Elders. It was an engaging experience. Overall, most comments I heard were positive and the consensus seemed to be that people wanted more time for interaction like this.

Some of the questions concerned the role of Elders. How do we make decisions? What should be the role of the pastoral couple in the congregation? Some suggested that we needed more interaction with all the members. While some may feel uncomfortable with a reference to certain people as shepherds and others as sheep, that discomfort will likely disappear when we realize that the model revolves around the relationship between the shepherd and the flock. The shepherd figure is one of love, service and openness.

In the Mideast, shepherds lived in the pasture with their sheep. When lambs were born they would imprint on the voice of the shepherd who insured that they were fed and watered. At night, the shepherd would gather his flock into makeshift protective folds, or caves. The shepherd would lie down at the portal of the fold and literally act as the "gate". Wolves and robbers could not enter the fold to do harm except over the dead body of the shepherd.

In this context, authority as an office or member of a board of directors is not the biblical model at all. Jesus made that point in John 10: 12-13:

He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.

Jesus makes the point that he is a good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Yet not even Jesus had the ability to have an unlimited number of intimate contacts with people. Jesus had a close group around him, notably Peter, James and John. On the Mount of transfiguration, he invited the 3 of them to accompany him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the three were closer to him than the others. And, after his resurrection, those three men had an enormous impact on the development of the early church. The paradigm that I see here is that the role of the elder is to "equip the saints". We have no clergy laity distinction in the churches of Christ. We are a priesthood of all believers. Every member is a student and a teacher! The thought of shepherding a church of 400 is an enormous task. As a professional that works long hours, it is a task that can be literally overwhelming. None of us claim to have fully acquired these desirable qualities of care and concern to which we aspire. However, I am honored to serve with men who daily pledge themselves to keep learning and growing in the fine art and spiritual gift of shepherding. I learn constantly from my fellow elders and believe that God has called each of us to serve the body that meets at McKnight Road. The McKnight Road Church of Christ has been blessed for many years with servants who follow the role of the good shepherd.

To give us more time for shepherding, we try to delegate as many things as possible. Staff members, ministry leaders, and volunteers shoulder much of the routine responsibility for completing the work and making the decisions of the church. We do not seek to control people or make them what we want them to be. We try instead to mentor, communicate, and encourage our brothers and sisters in the faith. We seek to empower people so that they may be led by the Holy Spirit and a blessing to the church through their giftedness.

When we must make decisions necessary for the direction of the church’s journey with God, we do so with consideration for the views of others, we proceed prayerfully for God’s guidance, and we show respect for the revealed will of God. I think some were surprised to discover that we don't always agree on every issue. Yet, we have agreed that while we may not always share the same opinion on matters that are discussed, once a decision is made we all accept and support that decision. There is agreement that the collective judgment of the elders is superior to the individual judgment of any one elder.

Please pray for God to bless us as we lead, that we may “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”—Ephesians 4:11-12