Practicing Christian Leadership, Student Workbook, SW11

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P R A C T I C I N G C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S H I P

Christian shepherding involves four distinct dimensions of spiritual development in the body of Christ: guarding and watching the flock, feeding and nourishing the flock, tending and caring for the flock, and guiding and leading the flock. Spiritual shepherds engage in a host of activities to fulfill these roles, including interceding in prayer for them, remaining constant in times of danger, caring for the specific needs of each one, responding in the Holy Spirit, caring for each concern with wisdom and discernment. We must seek God’s mind as we minister to those who are encountering special problems, dealing with the problem of evil, the problem of limited resources, the problem of anger towards God, and the problem of wanting vengeance over against forgiveness. Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about your own fitness and readiness to shepherd (i.e., watch, care for, feed, and protect) the lambs of God. Whether God calls you to become a pastor of a church, or you serve the body in some other way, it is absolutely necessary for you wrestle with the implications of the shepherding ministry for your own ministry. It can be truly said that although God has not called everyone to become the pastor, he has in fact called all of us to be pastoral to our brothers and sisters in the flock. As you ponder the implications of this for your life, perhaps some of the questions below might help you form your own, more specific and critical questions. * Has God called me to become a pastor, to be formally recognized as a undershepherd in the local church? If I am serving in that capacity now, how do I understand the nature of my responsibility to shepherd God’s people? * Would I describe myself as a person of courage, i.e., someone willing to place myself and my own welfare in a position to defend and protect others to whom God has called me? * Have others ever described me as a pastoral person, that is, as someone who seems to fit the characteristics and dispositions of someone called to shepherd others?

Student Application and Implications

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* Scan the list of characteristics of elders and bishops in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 2, and 1 Peter 5. How does my own life stack up with Paul’s list of traits that