Sent to Shepherd: Leading in Church PlantingSample

Jesus is the Door

Jesus teaches us that everyone enters the fold through the same door—him. There isn’t a special or separate entrance for anyone, for any reason. It is also worth remembering that everyone enters as the same thing—sheep.

Anyone who wants to be a good shepherd must first be a good sheep. In other words, in Jesus’ kingdom, we have to learn to follow if we want to lead. Jesus says over and over in the gospel of John that he does nothing without express instruction from the Father. Jesus is the good shepherd, but he was also the ultimate sheep. He lived in total obedience to his Father.

It will always be a temptation for us to focus on being shepherds and lose sight of being sheep. Our gifting may be to shepherd, but our calling is to be sheep. The first call we hear from the voice of our Shepherd is to follow him—not to lead on his behalf.

Losing sight of being a follower makes us less like Jesus. Which means we’re becoming more like someone else. Who might that be? Unfortunately, the answer is self-evident in Jesus’ teaching. It makes us like the false shepherds whose self-interest trumps concern for God’s kingdom. The result is clear as well, this kind of leadership leads to death and destruction. It’s a stark warning. One we happily apply to the devil and the religious leaders in Jesus’ day but are slow to apply to ourselves.

We must understand that if we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to search our motives, we may become leaders who create toxic cultures that harm those we love and lead.