What is a pastor’s job? Is it to shepherd God’s people or lead the church? How do these two relate if they are not synonymous? Recently, a pastor friend mentioned a tension between leading and shepherding, indicating a preference among today’s pastors for leading and a neglect of shepherding as unimportant. Allow me to propose a framework for our thoughts and offer some suggestions.
Elements of the Framework – In order to explore the relationship of shepherding and leadership, we need to clarify some ideas.
Shepherding – My friend did not clarify what he meant by this term, but I suspect he meant the traditional pastoral work of being with the people, building relationships, visiting the sick and homebound, offering counsel and encouragement, etc.
Leadership – Scholars make a distinction between leadership and management, suggesting leadership has to do with change. Again, I should have asked my friend to clarify, but my hunch is that, by leadership, he meant the execution of organizational change.
Church Size and Polity – Research and common sense suggest that the size of the church affects the pastor’s role, and church polity (organizational and decision-making structure) figure into a pastor’s expected role, as does the culture of the particular congregation.
Kingdom – I want to suggest furthering God’s Kingdom in Christ is the foundational agenda of our Lord and His churches as we worship God in all we do and as we make disciples of Jesus.
Leadership and the Kingdom Agenda – If leadership concerns change and the Kingdom is the church’s defining agenda, it follows that leadership is a pastor’s job when and to the extent change is needed to further the Kingdom more effectively. When change for Kingdom purposes is not needed, leadership is not needed. I would suggest that some change (i.e. growth in Christ among members) is always needed, while other changes may or may not be necessary from time to time. If we accept this premise, we are required to recognize the various areas in which we might lead change for Kingdom purposes – spiritual development, programming, administrative issues of structure and function for Kingdom effectiveness, etc. It also requires us to evaluate based on Kingdom advancement rather than the pastor’s preferred tasks, need for recognition, or desire to implement change for change’s sake. Scholars assert pastoral leadership concerns every area of the church, and that leadership falls into the categories of worship, Christian witness, teaching and preaching, nurture and development, and administration. 1
Shepherding and the Kingdom Agenda – A common and much-loved way of referring to Jesus is as the Good Shepherd, and pastors are under-shepherds of the Lord’s flock. Thus, shepherding is a central concept in the pastor’s work. It also follows that, if the Kingdom in is Jesus’ agenda and we are His under-shepherds then we are called to shepherd the flock with a view to forming them into the image of Christ and extending the reign of Jesus in them and through them. Scholars insist on the relational, caring nature of pastoral leadership and highlight accountability to God for their respective flocks as they frame pastoral leadership in shepherding terms. Additionally, literature on pastoral leadership insists that, historically, the work of pastors has included those spiritual development and care ministries that might be classified as shepherding. This comports with the relational element and its importance in church leadership, particularly in Baptist life and its congregationally governed churches. 1
Leading and Shepherding – In thinking of the work of a shepherd, the shepherd leads, feeds, and protects the sheep. Thus, leadership is not all the shepherd does, but leadership is part of (and integral to) what the shepherd does. I would suggest that the work pastors typically classify as shepherding builds leadership capital with church members – leadership capital that, in turn, allows for more effective efforts at what typically is considered leadership. We might rightly say, as I concluded in my review of literature on pastoral leadership, “Although certain pastoral tasks seem more obviously to involve leadership, the flavor of shepherding care ought to infuse everything a pastor does, and everything a pastor does ought to encourage the people toward being who God wants them to be and functioning as God wants them to function, in other words, leadership.” 1
As I reflect on my own research on pastoral leadership, 20 years in pastoral ministry, and the example of Jesus, these summary points come to mind.
Caring for people and building relationships with them is a crucial part of pastoral ministry and pastoral leadership.
Leadership is broader than the administrative mission, vision, staffing, building, and finance issues some think of when they think of leading an organization.
In voluntary organizations, and especially congregationally governed churches, relational connections are vital if people are going to trust a pastor enough to follow pastoral leadership.
The love of Jesus and His care for His sheep are to permeate the pastor’s heart and so should permeate all leadership efforts.
The goal of all leadership must be the worship of God and extension of the Kingdom as people are grown in Christ and equipped for ministry.
1 Danley, Ronald. (2016). The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Church Health in the Baptist General Convention of Texas. (Doctoral Dissertation).
Photo Credit: Andy Barlow / Barlow Creative of Rockport, TX