the family size flock
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:54 am
The size of flocks (page 51)- Laniak discusses the size of flocks in relation to the shepherd. The subsistence flock of twenty-five to sixty was usually a family operation and flocks over sixty could be used for surplus. The flock from sixty to five hundred could be handled by one shepherd but all the aspects of animal husbandry could not be adequately performed by one shepherd and required a number of able workers. Of course, he finishes with the growth and health of a herd was a sign of good leadership. I began to wonder if there were real life applications of the number of members a single pastor could be expected to adequately have stewardship over?
The church that I pastor had been dwindling for years and when I arrived was down to about a dozen active members and in the red. That was almost seven years ago and now we are at a steady thirty to forty members. They are new and old, black, white, Asian and Latinx and we have been in the black with a surplus each year. God is growing the flock and I am beginning to feel like I can not do the work of feeding them through preaching and teaching as well as lead prayer, home visits, counselling, community work, missions, denominational work, study, etc…
Developing lay leadership becomes vital to the continued growth of the congregation and just like a family, there must be opportunities to learn by doing. Small congregations want the pastor to do everything and breaking them of that thought process can be challenging. I used to feel guilty because I could not meet as these needs by myself….even with only forty people and their children. At first, if I would go on vacation, they would not come to church that Sunday and wait until I returned. Early on, they had to learn that the entire body needed to mature if the church was going to grow.
When we go further into the book and see how God spoke to Moses about the his incapability to deal with hearing all the concerns of the children of Israel, we see that ability to wisely delegate is key ensuring the needs and health of the flock are addressed in a timely manner. It may look like it is too early to begin to create bench strength but it never is. If a flock is going to grow, you simply must look ahead expectantly and ask the Lord to help creating an atmosphere where people want to discern their gifts and want to grow in their use of them.
The church that I pastor had been dwindling for years and when I arrived was down to about a dozen active members and in the red. That was almost seven years ago and now we are at a steady thirty to forty members. They are new and old, black, white, Asian and Latinx and we have been in the black with a surplus each year. God is growing the flock and I am beginning to feel like I can not do the work of feeding them through preaching and teaching as well as lead prayer, home visits, counselling, community work, missions, denominational work, study, etc…
Developing lay leadership becomes vital to the continued growth of the congregation and just like a family, there must be opportunities to learn by doing. Small congregations want the pastor to do everything and breaking them of that thought process can be challenging. I used to feel guilty because I could not meet as these needs by myself….even with only forty people and their children. At first, if I would go on vacation, they would not come to church that Sunday and wait until I returned. Early on, they had to learn that the entire body needed to mature if the church was going to grow.
When we go further into the book and see how God spoke to Moses about the his incapability to deal with hearing all the concerns of the children of Israel, we see that ability to wisely delegate is key ensuring the needs and health of the flock are addressed in a timely manner. It may look like it is too early to begin to create bench strength but it never is. If a flock is going to grow, you simply must look ahead expectantly and ask the Lord to help creating an atmosphere where people want to discern their gifts and want to grow in their use of them.