Sheep are defenseless and vulnerable. They are not predators but prey. Therefore, they need shepherds to protect them, particularly when it comes to false teachers who prey on the flock (Acts 20:29; Eph. 4:14). These teachers make lies sound like truth; they make slavery look like freedom; they offer poison as candy. They present the pathway to destruction as if it’s the road to a full life. And your church members are susceptible to these forms of deception.

If you’re a pastor, your work can be summed up in one biblical word: shepherding (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1–3). And, I would argue, shepherding includes four main responsibilities: leading the flock, feeding the flock, protecting the flock, and caring for the flock. I hope this short article helps you, pastor, to evaluate how you’re doing in each of these areas.

Leading the Flock

Sheep need shepherds to lead them precisely because they are prone to wander. Pastor, you have the privilege and responsibility to lead the flock (1 Thes. 5:12–13), and the primary way you lead is through the public ministry of the Word. You speak Christ’s words to the flock, guiding and directing them as they follow him. Without your leadership, the church may be ill-equipped to understand and fulfill its mission.

For example, your members may affirm that the church’s mission is to make disciples but remain unsure about how to carry it out. They may reduce the mission to inviting friends to church or doing mercy ministry in their city. But as you patiently and intentionally instruct them through the Word, you can guide and equip them to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20).

Feeding the Flock

Sheep need to be fed, which is also the pastor’s job (John 21:15–17). The primary way a shepherd feeds is through his teaching and preaching God’s Word. In feeding from God’s Word, God’s people remember and are reinforced in truths such as that they are loved by Christ, forgiven of all their sins, commanded to live according to his precepts, helped by his Spirit to do so, and promised life in the world to come.

Pastors may neglect their duty to feed in at least two ways: by refusing to feed or by replacing the healthy food the sheep need with something that lacks substance. Assuming you’re not outright refusing to feed your flock (which would look like a pastoral strike!), consider the latter kind of neglect.

Substituting Christ with anything—moralism, life-coaching, political agendas—is a failure on the shepherd’s part and detrimental to the flock.

Read More