Sheepish Shepherds

[dcook@GCTS]

Shepherding God's people is an art. It calls for ingenuity, imagination, determination and of course, seeking God's constant direction as He leads His people. Over the years I have noticed that we as pastors "earn" different ways of leading. Many churches simply want a chaplain model and to be quite frank its kind of like keeping the sheep in the pen because really they have no desire to go anywhere. Then there is the churches that desire us to go ahead of the flock and see if the way is clear...a few brave sheep come along after while. But in the end most of the sheep simply return to the pen and petition for a new shepherd--"this one scared us!" But then there is the one who comes along side and simply gets to know the sheep, spends time with them and over time leads them little by little out of the pen into the vast green pastures that are waiting for the sheep. Over time the sheep actually need very little guidance as their own intuitive pushes them forward. The shepherd then can assume any position around the flock that is needed.
Its an art...
It takes time...
Sheep are sheepish...
I loved the description is this chapter about the 3 ways for leading a flock:
"Nahal means leading with tenderness and can refer to bringing a flock to a place of rest and refreshment. Nakhah is a straightforward guidance term. Nahag suggests the kind of directive herding accomplished best from the back of the flock, when the will of the shepherd has to be imposed."
Back to our art form...
It takes time,
Sheep are sheepish...
It does behoove us as ministers to seriously look at the flock that the Lord has entrusted to us to see where exactly they really are at in their ability and more, in their true readiness to be led or not to be led. Many times what is needed initially is lots of Nahal . With time, as trust grows and with the vision of greener pastures we can "earn" the Nakkah. And with more time with us as the shepherd, not losing our vision or getting lazy about where the flock needs to go, we more or less find ourselves in the position of Nahag. Its not a perfect analogy but three facts are ever present when leading and shepherding the blessed flock of God...
It IS an art!
It DOES take time!
Sheep are always SHEEPISH!