Remembering the Significance of a Shepherd's Call

[Shervey]

One of the greatest blessings of reading Laniak's work was how it reinforced the significance of our calling as Shepherds. Caring for and leading his people is important to God. While expressed throughout the text in various ways, Laniak's treatment of Ezekiel 34:10 and Jeremiah 23:1 stood out to me as significant. Of particular interest was the coming judgment against the shepherds who neglected, scattered, and abused their flocks. To me, these passages reinforce God's standard for ministry leaders. Unfortunately, in recent years we have seen high-profile ministry leaders removed from their positions because of how they treated the flock. Rather than seeing this as a "black eye" for the church, we should view it as God upholding his standards.
Understanding God's standards should impact us as we serve him and his people. It should cause us to strive to meet his standard and evaluate our motives and actions accordingly. Is the way we carry out our ministries pleasing to God? In a similar vein, we should use God's metrics to assess our ministry. People often view "successful" ministries as those with the largest attendance, buildings, or budgets. These metrics are not bad; however, they do not seem to be what God cares about most. Rather than looking outward, ministry leaders should turn inward and evaluate success according to God's metrics. Additionally, we should be encouraged that God holds pastoral ministry in high esteem. God's judgment against the worthless shepherds reveals the importance he places on ministry. Regardless of how our culture views ministry God values our dedication to his flock. A high standard indicates the work is important. So important that God determined he would do it himself if his standards were not met (Ezekiel 34:11).