Occasionally I meet pastors, church leaders, or small group leaders who remind me of myself. They remind me of myself because of their arrogance. Over the my 20 years in ministry (especially when I was in my 20s) I sometimes grew impatient with the people I was leading. In my impatience, I said things that, at the time, I thought were “bold”, but now I see were just plain arrogant. Even worse, the things I didn’t say are what shame me the most. My greatest arrogance is revealed by my inmost thoughts as a pastor.
What are those thoughts? There have been times when I thought, “Why can’t these people I’m leading get it like I do?” I wondered to myself, “Why are these people so clueless, so stubborn, so…stupid?” Sadly, those thoughts prove that I’m the one who didn’t “get it”.
Over and over the Bible describes Christ’s followers as sheep. Based on the fact that sheep are really dumb animals, this description is NOT complimentary. The word “pastor” means shepherd, which is a good description for church leaders because people need leadership and sheep need a shepherd. Sadly pastors can sometimes get a big head because “shepherd” is a flattering word and “sheep” is not very flattering.
And that’s the point where the sheep/shepherd metaphor breaks down. In actual sheep-ranching, sheep are shepherded by a person. Yet, in people-ranching, God chose to have his sheep shepherded by another sheep. No matter how much ability, intelligence or experience you might have as a pastor, church leader, or small group leader, the truth is simply this: YOU ARE JUST A SHEEP! I am just a sheep and that is truly a humbling thought.
As a “lead sheep”, I don’t deserve my role in ministry. I’m not any better than the people I’ve led. I’m not any more important than the parishioners I’ve served. The truth is that I’m just a sheep who God saw fit to promote. For whatever reason, God saw fit to trust me to care for his sheep.
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God help me to have the humility required to be a sheep leading sheep. Help me to realize You are the only one who truly “gets it” and I will always be a work-in-progress. Forgive me for my arrogance and help me to lead patiently, lovingly, and humbly. A-men.
