As a new academic year commences and a new term dawns, it is helpful for us to remind ourselves of the key responsibility we have in ministry to the next generations.
1 Peter 5:14 exhorts us,
“…as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly 3not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
We are to be shepherds. This is the dominant biblical motif for leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ – and that includes leadership in youth and kids ministry. We are to shepherd the little lambs and sheep in our care. This calling is both a daunting task that can often be fraught with all sorts of complexities; and it is also an awesome privilege that is full of immense joy. As a new term kicks off, what do we need to remember about the biblical call to “shepherd the flock of God among that is among you?”
1. God is the Ultimate Shepherd who promises to lead people into eternity with Himself
The triune God knows, loves, pastors and protects those who are His. In the Christian life our kids, young people and families need to know that we are all ultimately following HIM, listening to HIM, imitating HIM as our ultimate Good Shepherd. We are to help them see that He is using all of the different circumstances, conversations, situations in our lives to grow us in Christ like maturity. Incredibly, in His sovereign wisdom, He is even using the parts of our lives that we wish weren’t a part of our lives to grow us in holiness.
2. People are like sheep
In the Bible, the animal that human beings are likened to most frequently are sheep (Psalm 100:3, Isaiah 53:6). Scripture is very profound in it’s imagery here in that it combines two truths – two key doctrines – that lie at the heart of a healthy biblical anthropology, Namely, that we are incredibly precious to God (Doctrine of Imago Dei) and that we incredibly sinful and selfish (Doctrine of Total Depravity). In Bible times, sheep were an incredibly precious animal. They were central to the Passover meal in Exodus 12, they were often crucial to OT sacrifice and worship. Every part of the sheep was useful – the wool for heat, the skin for clothing, the milk and meat for food, even the horns were used to carry liquids like oil. Sheep in the Bible were incredibly precious. And yet sheep in the Bible were also stubborn and prone to wander (Isaiah 53:6, Luke 15:3-7). Even today they remain some of the most obstinate, frustrating and selfish creatures to work with.
And so when the Bible says that people are like sheep it gives us a very pertinent insight into the task of pastoral ministry. Every single day we are working with people who are both very precious and very sinful. The kids, teenagers, parents, co-leaders that you interact with day by day and week by week – they are sheep. That means they are precious to God – every single person you interact with is an image bearer of the Triune God. They have inherent value, dignity and worth precisely because they are image bearers. And so we are to treat them as such – with gentleness, humility, respect and patience. We are also to remember that they are sinners – capable of sin, evil and self centredness. This truth too will shape how we shepherd them. Ultimately, the kids and young people in our care need to see that their sin is their greatest problem and therefore Christ is their greatest need. Faithful shepherding of the flock of God will mean that we are constantly pointing people to Jesus as the Great Shepherd who helps us put to death our sinful nature.
3. Shepherds are to Lead
Shepherds do this both by teaching and example. It is why Paul exhorts the young under shepherd, Timothy, to guard both his life and doctrine closely. It is why Psalm 78:72 commends David for shepherding with integrity of heart and leading with skilful hands. What you say – both publicly as you teach and privately as you converse, disciple, counsel and pastor – is of immense importance as you shepherd the flock. We are to speak God’s truth from God’s word appropriately. We do so in a way that is faithful and creative, we do so prayerfully and with eager expectation, and we endeavour to speak into specific circumstances and struggles. This of course means that an enormous part of the task of shepherding the flock of God is that we must know the flock before us. It is striking that the passage that speaks most powerfully about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, there is such strong emphasis placed on Him knowing His sheep by name (John 10:1-18). Faithful shepherds will endeavour to know the sheep God has given us in order that we might pastor them effectively.
Faithful shepherds will also set an example to the flock in godliness. So many of our kids and young people learn by the power of imitation. They watch and mimic those around them all the time. If we are to be faithful shepherds in gospel ministry then we must set the next generations an example in speech, in conduct, in love in faith and in purity (1 Timothy 4:2). Leadership is about what we say from the front. But leadership is about so much more than that. To be people of character and integrity is intrinsic to the biblical call of shepherding.
4. We serve a Great Shepherd who has laid down His life for His sheep
The task of shepherding young Christians in the 21st century can seem very dauting. The culture we minister in is complex, the public square increasingly contested and the kids and young people before us often confused. There are many easier things to do in life than to shepherd the flock of God! However, every single day we need to remember that even as shepherds – we too are sheep. In fact, all faithful shepherds will know that they are sheep before they are shepherds. And this means that we will rest in the work that the Good Shepherd has done for us. He has made us His own through His death and resurrection and He has promised that not a single lamb of His will ever be lost (John 10:28-29).
So as you set about the daunting privilege of shepherding the flock of God under you care this term, remember that you serve a Great Shepherd who cares about His sheep much more than you do. Remember also that He cares about you as you serve Him in the glorious task of pastoring the next generations. He is guiding you, protecting you, leading you and feeding you – oftentimes in ways that you don’t even see or understand – and is much more committed to your growth in holiness than even you are. Let that truth encourage and inspire you as you shepherd the flock of God in your care this academic year.
