The church as a whole and many specific congregations are suffering from a crisis of leadership. Many church leaders have abandoned the biblical role model of the shepherding pastor and have substituted the secular view of executive pastoral leadership.
These so called executive pastors no longer know what it is like to have the smell of sheep on them. They are so far removed from the biblical principle of shepherding that the term hireling better fits their leadership style.
The drumbeat of God has been sounded against these false shepherds of old and the present day executive shepherds whose leadership styles are a carbon copy of the false shepherds of Israel.
Jer 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their (executive) shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
Isa 56:10 His (God's)watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
Jer 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you (False shepherds)the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
God's indictment:
Their shepherds have caused them to go astray. Why? They (The Shepherds) are blind,ignorant,dumb,sleeping,slumbering,greedy dogs which can never have enough.
They are shepherds that cannot understand. they all look to their own way, every one to his own gain from his quarter (location) Woe to the pastors that destroy and scatter and drive away my(God's)the flock.
This is the most pathetic and disgusting description of unbiblical leadership found in the word of God. If this were the end of the story all would be in vain.
But there is a second chapter.
Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
There is a promise of deliverance from the hands of these cruel and uncaring shepherds.
Hear God Speak:
A. I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them
B. They(The Sheep)shall fear no more
C. Neither shall they (The Sheep)be lacking
Eze 34:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to ! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
Non shepherding executive pastor are further indicted:
The shepherds of Israel feed themselves
They clothe with wool
They kill,they feed not
They have the shepherd not strengthened the
Neither have they healed the sick,
Neither have they bound up the broken
Neither have they brought back those they have driven away
Neither have they sought the lost
But they have ruled with force and cruelty
Their flocks were scattered because they refuse to shepherd
They refused to search for the scattered flock.
One of the most demeaning terms a pastor or shepherd can apply to himself is the term "boss". Any pastoring shepherd who ever refers to himself as boss doesn't have a clue concerning the biblical principles of Godly Spiritual Leadership.
American Heritage Dictionary defines boss as: Someone who gives orders to another in an arrogant or domineering manner.
Anyone who conducts themselves toward gods people in this manner wishes to lord over God's heritage
1Pe 5: 1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (AV)
3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Godly leadership is one of oversight not one of arrogance and dominance.
If your leadership style is one of arrogance and dominance you are on your way out unless you change your leadership style.
Ez 34:9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
God's resolve is to deliver his sheep from the hands of those who seek to lord over them and to place them in the hands of feeding shepherds who love having the smell of sheep on them. God Says I will deliver my flock from their (the bossy executive shepherds who lord over God's heritage sheep) mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
God will not allow his sheep to be battered, bruised and broken by someone who has modeled his leadership style after Attila the Hun.
God's promise to his flock: After the shepherds who seek to lord over God's heritage are removed he will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. (Jer. 23:4)
We have a choice we can choose to follow the example below and become shepherds that cause the sheep to stray.
We can be shepherds that are blind,ignorant,dumb,sleeping,slumbering,greedy dogs which can never have enough. Shepherds that cannot understand. Shepherds that look to our own way. Shepherds who our own gain from our quarter (location). Shepherds pastors that destroy and scatter and drive away my(God's)the flock.
Or we can become like the Good Shepherd
Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
The Good Shepherd has the lambs in his arms and the smell of sheep is all over him.
Good Shepherd, Bad Shepherd the choice is ours.
This is one man's opinion.
Do we have another?
4 comments:
Good word Havi I agree with you completely.
If you attend a church that you feel is being led badly (in your opinion)why don't you just leave? Besides, aren't we as Christians suppose to love each other through all the "ups and "downs" of trials and tribulations? The politics of a church is why most people won't even attend church.What happened to positive influence,loving someone through there mistakes or hugging them when someone has done right? You can quote scripture all day long but reality is we ALL (including you)are sinners. I would love you through all your battles as well as your leader.There was only one person that walked on water, wasn't you,wasn't me.
Read your other blog Buddie
Anonymous forgets that God holds shepherds of His flock to a higher level of accountability than the flock. This is why the bible prescribes requirements for elders. The fact of the matter is that today's pastors are not the biblical norm. Our area is rampant with church plants being led by inexperienced young men who don't know any more about the bible than their flocks do. Then when held to a level of accountability for being shepherds, they invoke an authority they don't have. Jesus Christ is the Head of His church. Pastors and elders are servants like the rest of us. And such positions require responsibility along with accountability. If they would just do what the bible instructs them to do as far as being given to the teachings of the apostles, feeding and taking care of widows and orphans, and making sure themselves and their flocks remained unstained from the world, I think they would find their consciences in better shape, their church growing, and themselves smack in the middle of God's will.
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