The Hard Edge of Shepherding

[davegus]

“I can’t support the assumption that shepherding is simply about nurture and ‘pastoral care.’” Wow. This should not have been a newsflash for me, but it was. I have always considered myself more of a “shepherd” and less of an executive-type leader. But my concept of shepherd has been very much about nurturing, caring, loving. For some reason I omitted the ideas of discipline, protection and correction—the hard edge of what a shepherd does. Reading this chapter makes me more drawn to the life of the shepherd, understanding it in a more full-orbed way. And it inspires me to grow in those areas of shepherding that I’m not naturally strongest in. While I continue to grow in nurture and care, where God is really stretching me is in confrontation and correction. Sometimes, my preference for nurture and care is laziness, and sometimes it is an unwillingness to engaged in the harder parts of ministry—the parts that don’t elicit such instant gratitude from the sheep. But in the long run, maybe it’s those harder aspects of shepherding that people will value the most—because they are harder to come by.

I also realize that, in order for me to faithfully carry out the more “tough love” part of shepherding, I need constant strengthening from God. Since it doesn’t come naturally to me, I need Holy Spirit power to do it well. And as I carry out those roles, of course I need to do against the background of a track record of obviously caring for and valuing the sheep as individuals—not just stepping in with the rod when they get out of line. Shepherding truly is a lifestyle.
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Dave Gustavsen
Lincoln Park, NJ