“The use of the shepherd metaphor for leaders affirms the coherence and inner logic of these diverse tasks and competencies. ‘Performance’ is judged by the expectations associated with that role set. A good shepherd is one who does what is required by each circumstance, in each context.”
This statement about shepherding performance brings up a number of reflections for me. First, I am led to consider how it is the church views pastoral performance. I perceive that congregations and boards typically rate their ministers based on results: by how many people did the church grow? Did the congregation make its budget? And so on. However, Laniak's observation here indicates churches and boards should pay much more attention to the contextual circumstances in which they minister. What sort of community are we in? What is the character of our congregation? The congregation and board should then rate their pastor's performance based on his response to these environmental factors. Second, this focus on context leads me to reconsider Eugene Peterson's theology of ministry, particularly his emphasis on God's prevenience in time and space. Before a pastor goes to work in any church, God was working there first! Since this is true, others should judge a pastor's skill and acumen based on how well he integrates with what God is already doing there. Third, this quote leads me to consider to what degree any pastor can realistically expect a congregation or its board to appropriately rate or assess his performance. I fear the American idols of "results" and "performance" usually overshadow the wisdom of a biblically informed view of the pastoral ministry.
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