5.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• A Christian leader is a shepherd to God’s sheep, the church.
• The word “pastor” means “shepherd”. Every preacher and elder is a pastor.
• As a shepherd, a Christian leader must be patient with the sheep, love them, know them, and lead them.
• A Christian leader should remember that he is also a sheep himself!
• Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd.

5.2 – 1 Peter 5:1-4←⤒🔗

^5:1 So as your fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings and as one who shares in the glory that will be revealed, I urge the elders among you:

^5:2 Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly.

^5:3 And do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.

^5:4 Then when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away.

© NET Bible

5.3 Sheep and shepherds←⤒🔗

The Bible often describes God’s people as sheep, and their leaders as shepherds. That is where the word “pastor” comes from. It is a word that means “shepherd.”

If you are a preacher or an elder in the church, then you can be called a pastor. You are a shepherd who must care for God’s sheep.

Maybe you live in a place where you see sheep (or goats) every day. You may be wondering: How are God’s people like sheep? Well, just like sheep, God’s people are foolish. They are slow to learn. They easily get lost. And most importantly: they cannot survive by themselves. They need the care of a shepherd.

Leading God’s sheep can be a difficult task. One of the reasons why it is difficult is that the Christian leader is also a sheep himself! But by the grace of God, you can be a good shepherd to God’s people. In this lesson, we will look at twelve things that a good shepherd does.

5.4 Twelve things that a good shepherd does←⤒🔗

1. A good shepherd is patient with the sheep. Sheep are slow animals! They do not learn quickly. They do not change overnight. A good shepherd remembers this. He does not get angry at the sheep too quickly. And he keeps leading them, without giving up.
    
2. A good shepherd knows the sheep. When a stranger looks at sheep, they all look the same to him. But the shepherd knows each sheep by name. In the same way, a good pastor knows his church members by name. He knows what is going on in their lives. He knows what they struggle with and where they need help.
    
3. A good shepherd values the sheep. It does not matter if church members are rich or poor, healthy or sick, strong in the faith or weak in the faith. It does not matter if a church has many members or only a few members. A good pastor cares for each member. He knows that they are all important to God.
    
4. A good shepherd loves the sheep. In every church there are some sheep who are easy to love. They are the “nice” people. Then there are also sheep who are difficult to love. They are the people who make life difficult for their leaders. A good shepherd does his best to love every sheep. By the help of God, he shows extra love and care to the difficult sheep.
    
5. A good shepherd speaks well of his sheep. If you know a shepherd, you will know that you must never say bad things about his sheep! Shepherds are proud of their sheep. In the same way, a good pastor is proud of his church members. He sees the good things that God is doing in their lives. He does not gossip or complain about them. He always tries to speak well of them.
    
6. A good shepherd observes his sheep. He carefully watches them and sees if there is any change in them. In the same way, a good church leader sees small things, such as a frown on someone’s face, or tears during a worship service, or silence between a husband and a wife. He sees when something is wrong, and so he is able to give help.
    
7. A good shepherd feeds the sheep. He takes his sheep to the best fields. A good pastor knows that his sheep need the food of God’s Word. He studies God’s Word, so that he can feed them with it (John 21:15-19; 1 Peter 5:2).
    
8. A good shepherd leads the sheep. In the time of the Bible, shepherds would walk in front of their sheep to protect them against danger. That is what a good church leader does for the church.
   
   Too many church leaders follow their sheep, instead of leading them! A church leader should know the Bible. He should also know the spiritual dangers that church members are facing. Then he will be able to lead them in God’s ways, and away from danger.
    
9. A good shepherd goes after the lost sheep. When a sheep is missing, the shepherd does not say: “At least I have 99 sheep left!” No, he looks for the lost sheep until he finds it (Luke 15:3-7). No matter how far away, no matter how foolish the sheep has been, no matter how often it goes away, the shepherd goes after it. When a church member stops coming to church or falls into sin, a good church leader will go after him (or her). He will call this church member back to God’s ways.
    
10. A good shepherd gives rest to the sheep. He knows when the sheep have walked far enough. He knows when they need some new fields to feed on. There are times when a church leader must ask church members to work hard. But a church leader must also know when church members need rest, comfort, and encouragement.
     
11. The good shepherd perseveres with his sheep. There are days when shepherds feel exhausted and when they feel like giving up. But the good shepherd patiently perseveres with the sheep. He continues to take care of them, through good times and bad times. He continues to love them – even if they do not thank him or show love to him.
     
12. A good shepherd knows that he is also a sheep. A church leader is also weak. He also gets lost easily. He also needs a shepherd!

The good news is that there is a shepherd who is strong enough to take care of all the believers in the world. This shepherd is Jesus Christ. He is the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4). The sheep belong to him. Preachers and elders are working for him. He takes care of them too.

One of the ways in which Jesus Christ cares for church leaders is by giving them other church leaders to help them. Every church leader needs the help, warnings, and encouragement of other church leaders.

Jesus Christ is the only perfect shepherd. But by his strength, we can grow to become good shepherds who bring glory to his name. As we do this, we can hold on to the great promise in 1 Peter 5:4: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).