Shepherd the Flock of God

I spend a lot of time with pastors.  I love pastors.  I was one for 26 years so I have an affinity and affection for those called to "shepherd the flock of God.  As a state missionary for the Georgia Baptist Convention my job naturally connects me with pastors and churches.  This is where God has me and I would not want to be anywhere else.

There is no higher calling than that of being a pastor.  When I became a "denominational missionary" I took a step back in the sense that I no longer pastor a church.  While a pastor I came in contact with some of the finest people I have ever known.  I have built relationships with people and cherish those relationships.  There have been victories and defeats as well as joys and sorrows.  I have walked with people through storms and valleys.  I have stood with some in the moment of victory and blessing and with those same people as they "walked through the valley of the shadow of death."

Peter writes, "Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and withness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; not yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:1-3). I encourage you to read on.

Peter had been there. He had been with Jesus, he had denied Jesus, he had been forgiven and restored by Jesus. He had stood against Jesus (Mt. 16:23), stood with Jesus (Jn. 18:10) and stood for Jesus (Acts 2). The Lord had told him that the enemy had requested permission to sift him like wheat, but that He had prayed for him. God used all of the experiences of Peter's life to prepare him for the calling that had been placed on his life. In spite of all of Peter's liabilities God brought him through. He was well qualified to tell us as pastors to "shepherd the flock of God among (us)."

Now how one pastor shepherds his flock might be quite different from how another shepherd cares for his, yet there are some things that all of us must do. If you pastor a flock of 10,000 you cannot be personnally involved in all of their lives, but they need a pastor. If you pastor a flock of 100 you can have more of a personal involvement.

I read a quote from Rick Warren the other day.  Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Community Church and author of "The Purpose Driven Life,"  "The Purpose Driven Church" and other books.  Warren said, "Don't call yourself a 'pastor' if all you do is study and speak.  Pastoring is caring for and shepherding people one-on-one."  Pastors...please read that again.  Whereas one of your main responsibilities is to "preach the Word" and "be instant in season and out of season"; you are also charged to "shepherd the flock of God among you."

The role of the pastor is to preach, prepare and protect.  To borrow a phrase from law enforcement we are "To Protect and Serve."

I want to suggest three things that are a must as we "Shepherd the Flock."

First of all...Love your people.  This is a decision to be made irregardless of where you are and who they are.  This is a must whether they have helped you or hurt you.  If God has called you to shepherd a part of His flock you are to love them.  If Moses can love "obstinate" Israel and go as far as standing in the gap for them you can love those whom God has called you to serve.  I believe this is the first choice we make, we must make it on day one and we must continue to choose to love. 

Second, Learn your people.  This makes loving your people even more important, because as you learn some things about them it might make it harder to love them.  Yet learning them is absolutely necessary in order to love them in the right way.  I have pastored people that were difficult to love, yet as I learned them I had a better understanding of why they were like they were.  That didn't make it easier to love them, but helped understanding them.  Yet love them I must even though many times it was Him loving them through me.

Moses learned just how "obstinate" Israel was.  God told him they were, but he also learned that they were.  In spite of that he still said, "But now, if You will, forgive their sin - and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!"  Wow, now that's a level of love that I spent most of my ministry looking up at.

Last, but not least...Lead your people.  We can't properly lead the people that God has called us to serve unless we love them.  And we cannot properly love them until we learn them.  This takes time.  This takes commitment. This will call for forgiveness. This will take forbearance on multiple occasions.  Not everyone you are called to lead will always follow, but those that matter, those that will have your back, and those committed to the Lord and His church will.