When our daughters were
young Sharron and I were faced with the question: “is Santa real?” In my
head, I quickly reviewed all thing things a parent might say either for or
against Santa Claus. I paused, and replied, “of course he was. Santa’s
real name was Nicholas. He lived in the fourth century and was such a
great person that we still remember his generosity to this day.” I went
on to tell the story, and then concluded, “and you know what son—he was a
pastor!” My son’s eyes got real big at that point. Until that time,
I don’t think it impressed him all that much that I was a pastor.
Then we told them the
story of Valentine and said that he too was a pastor. I went on about St.
Patrick and said that he was also a pastor. Then I told him the story of
Martin Luther King, Jr. and said that even he was a pastor. As I
elaborated on each, he muttered a “really daddy” after each example and I could
see that his esteem for my own calling was going through the roof!
Some time ago, I heard a
story about three grade school boys in Nashville who were waiting at the bus
stop for school. On one particular morning they got bragging about their
dads and how important they were. The first boy said, “My dad
scribbles a few words on a piece of paper. He calls it a poem. They give
him a hundred dollars.” The second boy then said, “why that’s
nothing. My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper. He calls it a
song. They give him hundreds of dollars.” At this, the third boy looked
intimidated, until, in a moment of insight, he bragged, “I’ve got you both
beat. My daddy scribbles a few words on a piece of paper. He calls it a
sermon. And it takes twenty people to collect all the money!”
Well, pastors do more
than scribble a few words on a piece of paper. According to the New
Testament, their job is to be spiritual shepherds. In the book of Acts,
Paul spoke to the people who would take his place as leaders in the Ephesian
church and admonished them to “keep watch over. . . all the flock of which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God”
(Acts 20.28, NIV).
In the New Testament, the
controlling metaphor for how we are to think about pastors is the shepherd
metaphor. A pastor is a shepherd. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd
of the church. Pastors are under-shepherds. Leaders of the church are not
primarily CEO’s, therapists, motivational speakers, or social activists; they
are shepherds.
So what does a shepherd
do? Think basic. Think sheep. A shepherd of a
flock of sheep does six things. He gathers the flock. That is the
first thing. You can’t be a shepherd if you don’t have a flock.
Second, he knows his flock. Jesus said a good shepherd knows his sheep by
name. Third, he leads the flock to green pastures so that the sheep
may thrive. Fourth, the shepherd guards the flock from predators and
other dangers. Fifth, the shepherd feeds the flock. He makes sure
they are well nourished. Finally, the best shepherds care so much for the
sheep that they will even sacrifice their lives for the flock.
While we don’t see many
shepherds today in our cities, they still exist all over the world. In
Biblical times they had a prominent role in both the Old Testament and the New
Testament. Perhaps that is why both the leaders of Israel and the leaders
of the church were thought of as shepherds.
In the church, a shepherd
is one who cares for the souls of people who are part of the congregation (or
flock). A pastor-shepherd does this by means of the Word, prayer, the
sacraments and spiritual discipline, so that people trust, love and follow
Christ—conforming to his likeness and engaging in his ministry. Ideally
pastor-shepherds work as part of a pastoral team.
I like to describe the
role of a pastor in terms of six Gs. What does a pastor do?
1
First, pastors gather the flock. A pastor does this by prayer,
evangelism, good works, missions, and creating a missional mindset in the
congregation. You can’t lead a flock if you don’t first gather a flock.
Gathering is not a one-time, but an on-going activity.
2
Second, pastors must get to know the flock. This involves
spending time with people. You learn about who they are and where they
are at spiritually. Jesus said that sheep follow a shepherd because
they know his voice (John 10.4). As we get to know our congregation, it
will help us preach and teach to them in a way that connects with their lives.
3
Third, pastors guide the flock. This involves individual
guidance—where we are actually shepherding people. But it also involves
corporate guidance—where we guide the flock to a good place as a whole.
4
Fourth, pastors guard the flock. Paul warned that there
would be savage wolves who would seek to destroy the flock. For
that reason, shepherds must not only watch over their own lives, but also guard
the flock of God. You guard through prayer, teaching, pastoral oversight
and discipline.
5
Fifth, pastors give food to the flock. That is, they make sure
that the congregation is well fed with a well-balanced diet. He
expounds the Word and proclaims the gospel. Paul himself said that while he
lived in Ephesus that he did not hesitate to proclaim the whole will of God.
6
Sixth, pastors are to give their lives for their flocks. These
days, I hear few people talking about the sacrificial nature of pastoral
ministry. Jesus said that the good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep (John 10.11). Anyone who pastors long and well will know the cost of
pastoral ministry. We learn this from experience. But we also learn it
from the one who himself laid down his life for his sheep.
The pastoral calling is
set forth clearly in 1 Peter. There we read Peter’s charge to a group of
overseers. He wrote, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is 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 it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that
will never fade away” (1 Peter 5.2-4, NIV).
There is, however, one
short coming with the shepherd metaphor. It’s that the Bible offers more
than one metaphor to guide pastors in thinking about their role. Yes, we
are shepherds. But before we are shepherds, we are sheep. And the primary
need of a sheep is to follow the shepherd—the ultimate good shepherd.
So we could say, that before we talk about
any of the functions of shepherding (the 6 G’s), we need to remember that our
first duty as pastors is to stay close to Jesus and follow him. Why? Because
before we are shepherds, we are first sheep!
