Shepherd Leadership- THURSDAY

In his book, A Shepherd Looks at the 23^rd Psalms, Phillip Keller gives a first hand description of the characteristics of sheep, and as well both the good and the bad shepherd.  He spoke from his personal experience with being a shepherd.  To summarize Keller, he indicated that sheep are almost completely dependent on their shepherd for they are downright stupid in the way they take care of themselves.  They are self-destructive creatures for they are defenseless and continually get themselves in situations that require the help of their shepherd.  This sounds like people and is why we need a good Shepherd to help us.  Jesus knew this was true about us and is why He described Himself as that Good Shepherd.  Keller also described the characteristics of a bad shepherd in that he does not take care of his sheep's complete needs for food, good water, and provide them a place to rest from agitating influences such as disease, insects and predators.  Keller says those unprotected sheep looked neglected and unloved.  Then he described thegood shepherd.  This person is well aware of his sheep's needs for he watches over them.  His desire is to create an environment of good physical and mental health, for when this occurs, his sheep are healthy and everything about them from their coat of wool to their ability to reproduce healthy lambs is healthy.  His shepherd leadership is invested in the sheep themselves, and then the sheep show the results of his care by their health and the profit they bring.  Got the picture?  As I read about this dynamic, I have come to see a simple plan for the Shepherd Leader's work, which is similar to the good shepherd that Keller speaks of.  It is to simply nurture and protect those that we lead.

Let's take a practical step toward being this Shepherd Leader.  Have you ever made a personal purpose statement for yourself?  If you are an employer or a church pastor, your business or church has likely created a mission and vision statement.  But I'm not talking about that example.  That would be impersonal.  Rather, my question focuses on you as a person who is in a leadership position with someone, whether it is many or few, young or old.  Have you considered your purpose for them, rather than their purpose for you?  It starts with this consideration if you want to be a Shepherd Leader.

You can become a Shepherd Leader with all of your relationships if you will follow the values and characteristics of a good shepherd.   I would imagine all of you have some form of leadership personality, especially if you are in business or a leader in a church or your home.  The question is, what kind of form are you using?  Is it your purpose to nurture and protect those people who are recipients of your leadership?  If you are in a typical business, you have a mission and vision statement, and these are "North Stars" for your organization.  Do these North Stars place a higher priority on nurturing and protecting your people, or training them simply to create more profit?  I understand the purpose of a business is to create profit.  I get this for I was a businessman for 35 years.  A business must make a profit so it can exist.  But my questions are for you personally.  Is it your purpose to nurture and protect the people who follow your leadership or is it to use them?  If you are a pastor, or parent, or in some form of ministry it is assumed that this is what you do.  But really?  If you are completely honest about your leadership characteristics, do you see yourself trying to create an environment where all people can be nurtured into spiritual, emotional and even physical health, or are the broken and non-productive people automatically abandoned for they do not serve your purpose?  If this is your practice, you might need to understand that this is what a hireling does with sheep like this.  He abandons them when they no longer benefit his purpose for it is not about their needs, but his.  They are only a means to an end.

Jesus was really big with helping us understand the cause and effect dynamic with our work as leaders.  It begins inside us and works its way outward to the ones we lead.  It begins in our own heart with the way we look at the way Jesus leads us and then the way we lead people.  It becomes a sacred responsibility to reinvest what God has done for us in other people.  When this starts to stir within you, and you begin to see people this way, then you are gaining the perspective of the Good Shepherd and are emerging into His form of leadership.  Tomorrow we will look at the results of this in the people you lead.  Oh yes, just like the good shepherd who is able to develop a healthy flock of sheep, it is the same with a Shepherd Leader and the development of the people around him.  There is a result and it is called fruit.

Jesus changes His metaphor and goes from sheep to grapes to make a point that the affect is the same.  He calls it fruit.  You will see a supernatural fruit produced from this leadership form, and it will be the way people see you and then see themselves.  Those people you lead will in turn lead in the same way and they will bear fruit as well.  That is what a Shepherd Leaderproduces.  He sees reproduction.