Fulfilling Your PurposeSample

Being a shepherd

In John 10:11 and 14 Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd who has come to give His life for the sheep.” One of the reasons Jesus came was to shepherd the people of God by putting their interest before His.

If we have been sent like Jesus, we need to see ourselves as shepherds of the people entrusted to our care. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says that all of us have some abilities with which we need to see how we can serve the community we are members of. I have heard people complain that the ‘church does not use them’. But the problem often is that they don’t want to serve the church, rather they want to do the things they like to do. When our desire is to serve, we will find that we are used.

We also need to build trust. All of us have some expertise and we need to work on developing ourselves in the area of our expertise. The more we know, the more people trust our knowledge. But developing skills is not enough. We must also cultivate a character of integrity, honesty, and putting others’ interests before ours, as Jesus did. Then we will gain the trust of people and be allowed to serve.

We don’t need to be in a position of authority to be a shepherd. We need to see ourselves as shepherds wherever we are in our organizations. We all lead the organization in the area of our expertise. It is a mistake to think of leading as holding a position. The priests in the Bible had a position, but most of the prophets did not. They were heard because their life earned them the right to speak. So, we give leadership to people who hold positions of authority, by being prophets to them in our area of expertise.

If we are to be shepherds, we need to acquire information on our context and the needs of the people among whom God has put us. The difference between the true shepherd and the hireling is the effort put in to acquire information and to know the needs of the people.

Let me give an illustration, which may help to clarify ideas. Let us assume I have an excellent voice and sing well. However, before I came to my church, there was a well-established choir and my talent is not really needed there. Does that mean that I cannot serve the church? No! There are a lot of things a person with a talent for music could do. For one, they could train children or youth in music so that they can be a blessing. Think creatively. Find what it is that is not happening but could be made to happen and would meet a real need in the church. This analogy could be extended to other areas of expertise too.

Where do you give leadership in your community?