I think the two passages Laniak cited to connect feeding to leading make a very good argument: Jesus asking Peter if he loves Him, and the story of the five thousand. I am aware that as a sheep I require food all day long, and as a shepherd my flock eats all day long. It is not the complete picture to understand my role as pastor-shepherd to be a CEO, or only a mobilizer of the flock for service. I often 'forget' (because I have an amazing capacity to be sidetracked) that my job is the care of, and the feeding of the flock SO to mobilize or direct them. As a sheep I need to be eating real food - I love junk food, but in my small group I have a dietitian who is forever reminding us of all the "empty" food we fill our bodies with. McDonald's can sometimes define my prayer life and journaling and Bible study: quick, convenient, and not all that nutritious. The Bible tells me that out of the abundance of my heart my mouth will speak. If my heart is fast food spirituality then in all likelihood it is what I will be teaching.
"... leadership is a form of hospitality, and teaching is the highest expression of that..." Implicit is that to be a good host then I need to have a full table to serve my guests from, with substantial foods. How? A crisis in ministry a few months back made it so I remembered desperateness in prayer, longing for the Word, richness in spiritual accountability, celebration in worship... I want to eat this more, and truthfully and practically I see how this is what I am able to feed my flock!
ShepherdLeader.com
A safe place for shepherds to reflect together.