Shepherds or Leaders?

Last night I heard someone say that Jesus was often called the Good Shepherd, but never was called the Good Leader.

Of course, He didn’t shy away from leadership. Jesus understood and made it clear that He was Master and Lord. But still, He primarily chose to call Himself a Shepherd.

And He calls those who serve the church shepherds, too. Yes there is a gift of leadership, and it was strongly exercised by New Testament figures, but the term shepherd—not leader–keeps appearing as the primary metaphor for those who would oversee the church. In fact, the word pastor is all about being a shepherd.

So why do we try to make so many leaders, and forget about developing pastors? Most language I hear these days is exclusively focused on being a leader. Books are written; classes are taught; seminars are developed; a whole industry is shaped around making Christians better leaders.

I’m all for better leaders, but I’d love to see us focus on creating people with the hearts of shepherds.

The heart to serve others, to care for others, to lay our life down for others is the true reflection of the character of Christ. So maybe we can make more shepherds and not focus so exclusively on leaders.