"Leading means watching. It requires the ability to see and sense things ... Sometimes only the subtlest changes in flock behavior suggest distress, disagreement, or alarm."
The image of a shepherd leaning on his staff, seemingly doing nothing but gazing at his sheep, has some resonance for me. As a pastor, I've found it is vital to be in close fellowship with the flock (particularly church leaders), learning about their standard "movements." How do they speak? How do they raise concerns? What is "standard" for this particular sheep, or that one?
When trouble appears, it has sometimes completely caught me off guard. But more often than not, there are advance signs: increased grumbling about petty items, decreased attendance in worship, chronic small-group absenteeism, etc. Put succinctly, the standard movements of the sheep give way to the non-standard. It is certainly a dependence upon the Holy Spirit which makes us sensitive to see these minor changes, but even more so do we rest in the Spirit to appropriately discern, and respond.
ShepherdLeader.com
A safe place for shepherds to reflect together.