Shepherding God’s people through pastoral ministry is a high and worthy calling. In this guest article, Trip Kimball shares insights about two interconnected but conflicting approaches to pastoring. Shepherding follows the pattern set by Jesus. Sheepdogging is something else entirely.
— Karl Vaters
If you’re a pastor or ministry leader, you may have asked yourself “why is it so difficult to pastor God’s people well?” Be wary of those who say it’s easy. It’s not! Ask any veteran pastor.
Jesus is our prime example as a leader. As he declared in John 10, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and the Bible is our primary guide for all things ministry. There are a myriad of books, courses, conferences, and
workshops on leadership, but they are secondary to what God’s Word tells us about leadership.
When a leader of God’s people speaks highly of themselves, I wonder if they are following the example of Jesus or some ideal. Do they reflect the nature of the Good Shepherd or some image they think is better? When business leadership principles drive the expectations of pastors in a results-oriented culture, it looks way different from what we see in Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
Shepherd Or Sheepdog?
Let’s start with why I distinguish between a shepherd and a sheepdog. Both tend sheep, but in different ways because they have different roles. I’ve seen myself function in both roles while pastoring and seen it in other pastors, too. It speaks to a different level of investment.
Whether you’ve had formal education to be a pastor or more experienced-based training, a learning-as-you-go approach, you’ve probably fulfilled the role of a sheepdog. I think we all do. This is especially true when planting a church and trying to develop leaders.
In church planting, it seems the pastor needs to do almost everything most of the time. Although some church plants use a team approach with significant planning, a lot falls on the shoulders of the founding pastor.
Shouldering much of the responsibility as a pastor is to be expected. But how we handle this depends on who we are and how we’re wired. We all handle things differently, but when the responsibilities and work seem overwhelming, it’s bound to affect our attitude and mood. This impacts the people we lead.
What’s The Difference?
Jesus speaks of two important things about Himself as the Good Shepherd. He lays His life down for the sheep and He knows them personally and is known by them.
There is a personal commitment and connection between the Good Shepherd and His sheep, which includes all of us who are followers of Jesus. This is a basic characteristic for any of us to emulate as shepherds of God’s people.
While faithful to the shepherd, the sheepdog’s connection and obligations are not as deep as the shepherd’s. The sheepdog isn’t a hireling (John 10:12–13) but is also not a shepherd. The sheepdog’s relationship and role with the sheep differs from the shepherd’s role.
The primary role of a sheepdog is to assist the shepherd. The sheepdog assists the shepherd by gathering and handling the sheep. This includes gathering and guiding sheep while in the pasture, and guiding them into a pen as the shepherd directs them.
The Good Shepherd has a personal commitment and connection with His sheep.
Consider a simple comparison of how a shepherd leads under the direction of Jesus the Chief Shepherd, and how a sheepdog works under a shepherd.
Shepherd
- The shepherd has a love and grace-based relationship with the sheep
- He leads by going ahead of the sheep
- He guides sheep with his staff
- The sheep know the shepherd’s voice and tone
- The shepherd is a fellow shepherd with the Chief Shepherd
Sheepdog
- The sheep have a fear-based relationship with the sheepdog
- He drives or pushes the sheep from behind
- He nips at the heels of the sheep and runs from side to side to handle them
- He barks and growls at the sheep
- He’s committed to assisting the shepherd but has a lower position and role
When a leader takes on the characteristics of a sheepdog, it’s not a personality change, nor an all-or-nothing role change. However, it can become a habitual style of leadership.
It often starts in subtle ways as a reaction to unmet expectations from people or the pastor’s/leader’s sense of urgency. It may be an indirect reaction to pressures and expectations at home or from some other source.
Be A Shepherd, Not A Sheepdog
When there’s a time crunch with much to do, it’s easy to drift into the role and attitude of a sheepdog towards people. That’s when we start barking out orders and nipping at people’s heels to get them moving.
Although this may be effective at first, it’s not sustainable. People get weary of this treatment and pressure. Churches and ministries are notorious for recruiting people to serve while expecting commitments from them that become one-way.
People will only put up with the sheepdog approach for a short time before they ignore the sheepdog or snap back. Pastors and leaders are often surprised at this reaction, unaware of their contribution to it.
Eventually, this approach results in resentment. The ripple effect is discouragement in people’s hearts, which leads to disenchantment with serving the Lord, and often results in departures. People either back out of commitments or drop out and leave the church.
People only put up with the sheepdog approach for a short time.
Some Simple Reminders
Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd and the Door to the sheepfold (John 10:7, 11, 14). Peter called Jesus the Chief Shepherd whom we are under as under-shepherds (1 Peter 5:4). Paul exhorted the elders to be shepherds of God’s flock, those whom Jesus purchased with his own blood, as overseers under the direction of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28).
The church is the Lord’s, not ours. The people are his people. his sheep, under our care as shepherds and leaders. Even though we may speak of “our church” or “our people,” it’s understood we mean the church we’re called to pastor or the people we oversee.
A delicate balance exists between emulating Jesus’ relationship and commitment to his people, and our relationship with Jesus as one of his followers. As pastors, we need to lead, love, and care for God’s people, remembering we are fellow followers with them under the same Chief Shepherd.
Jesus is our model—our primary example—for any role of leadership. He spoke of submission to his Father and said and did what the Father gave him to say and do. By washing the disciples’ feet, he showed us the type of leaders he wanted us to be (John 13:4–5, 13–17). We are to be servant-
leaders.
No More Sheepdog
We need to keep a few basics in perspective to avoid the sheepdog approach to pastoring and leading God’s people. The simple reminders above are always a priority.
Also, as pastors, we need to remember why the Lord calls and gifts us to be pastors. As Paul pointed out, we are to be leaders who equip God’s people for service (Ephesians 4:11–12) to build up the Body of Christ. In the pastoral epistles, Paul discussed the essence of discipleship, which mirrors Jesus’ example (2 Timothy 2:2).
We need to equip individuals to serve within the church. Then, be an example to them as they assist us in loving, caring, and leading God’s people.
(Photo by Leault Working Sheepdogs | Flickr)
