We are told shepherding is not learned in a classroom or by poring over how-to manuals or digesting textbooks on the art and /or philosophy of shepherding. We are told,� It’s more caught than taught.� My dad served as an apprentice turner in the shipyards when he left high school. He did go to night school along the way. However, a significant part of his training and development came through being attached to a master turner. He would watch the turner demonstrate the various skills required for shaping metal in the lathe. He was then invited to reproduce these skills under the watchful eye of the master. My dad learned in the classroom, he learned through trial and error and through hands on experience. He learned in the context of a master-apprentice relationship. Learning shepherding is caught in the dynamic of a relationship. This reminds me of the power of mentoring. If we want to develop shepherds this must happen in an environment of coaching, modelling and encouragement. If shepherding is better caught than taught, it is caught in a mentor-mentee relationship. “Mentoring is a relational experience in which one person empowers another by sharing God-given resources.� according to leadership guru J. Robert Clinton.The heart of ministry is best learned by catching the heart of another leader.Who are we developing? Who is close enough to us to catch what God has deposited an invested in our lives.