My wife and I spent several days last week in Holmes County, Ohio, which is a very conservative, Amish/Mennonite area famous for its inns, restaurants and souvenir shops! She toured me through at least five ‘thrift stores’ in the area where she bought a hodge-podge of various items and Christmas gifts while I picked up about ten new-used books to read. 😊
So, I’m currently reading Scouting the Divine: my search for God in wine, wool, and wild honey, by Margaret Feinberg. I had read several of her books years back and knew that I connected with her style of writing.
The first division of this book is titled “The Good Shepherd”.
During an Alaska trip some years ago, Margaret met Lynne from Oregon and discovered that she was a shepherdess. Their discussions led to a visit to Lynne’s home and a weekend encounter with her sheep. The result of this in-depth encounter was the first division of Margaret’s book (published in 2009).
It was an engaging and informative narrative of their discussions and explorations of Lynne’s insights as they related to the many various passages in the Bible about sheep and shepherds!
Toward the end of their visit, Margaret and Lynne discussed the fact that in John 10:11, Jesus described Himself as
“…the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays
down His life for the sheep.”
Acknowledging this truth suggested that not all shepherds are good. Consequently, they began to discuss what could make bad shepherds bad.
Lynne had known shepherds that ignorantly “allowed young ewes to get pregnant with big Romneys – sheep that were three times their size. Because of the size difference, the ewes couldn’t carry the fetuses and the offspring died in their womb or at birth. Sometimes the ewes died too, because of the impossible labor.” [p.65]
Lynne also “recalled a couple who kept sheep for the tax benefits. They didn’t like the animals, and when the lambing season arrived, they went on vacation and left the flock with a caretaker who didn’t know anything about sheep.” A neighbor reported that there was something “hanging out of one of the sheep’s backsides. It was a dead lamb, only half-delivered. Several other lambs drowned in mud puddles after birth because no one was there to care for them.” [p.65]
In our Old Testament the kings of Israel are often referred to by the prophets as shepherds. “In Ezekiel 34, the prophet rebukes Israel’s shepherds as those who were feasting on their flocks rather than guarding them…the chapter describes the bad shepherds leaving sick, diseased, and injured sheep in distress and allowing the flock to fall to predators.” [p.63]
______________________________
I began my pastoral ministry in the fall of 1974, when I served a church in southern Indiana as a student/pastor. I can testify that there have been many transitions in the fifty-two years that I have personally observed:
o
I
was expected to wear a suit every day and always appear ‘presentable’ in
public.
o
My
leaders instructed me to make scores of ‘home-visits’ every week [a goal that I
was never able to sustain and that – thankfully – changed in a fairly short time].
o
I
had to be prepared to speak three times a week: Sunday Morning, Sunday Evening
and Wednesday night. I was in constant preparation mode!
o
I
was expected to visit shut-ins at least four times a year and serve them Holy
Communion each time.
o
I
was expected to make hospital visits when parishoners were admitted.
o
In
the system that I worked in, I was expected to chair all committees and lead
all public meetings.
o
Then,
of course, there was the necessary planning for worship!
I won’t remember them all, but a number of major shifts took place over the years:
o
A
charismatic wave during the 1970’s.
o
The
praise & worship innovation of the 1980’s.
o
The
mega-church movement of the 1990’s.
o
A
reinvention of pastors as CEO’s that continues to this day.
o
The
transition for song-leaders to worship teams that ultimately led to worshippers
being viewed as consumers rather than participants.
I had a conversation with someone close to me several months ago. His comment: “I can’t even imagine my pastor visiting me in the hospital!”
I’m not suggesting a return to visitation patterns of my early career. I came to realize that people view their home as a private place where they will NOT be intruded upon. I respect that. During COVID 19, I do fondly recall receiving occasional calls from our pastor expressing his concern for us. We appreciated his thoughtfulness and prayers!
But I do have a fear.
I fear that many pastors today have too aggressively embraced their role as a corporate executive [even though their congregation might be relatively small]. They have very little (if any) contact with their people throughout the week. Their full attention is focused on the 90 minute service on Sunday morning. They love their office and spend the majority of their time behind a computer. In the current season one could wonder how they resist the temptation to allow AI to produce their sermons for them?
How does the current day pastor convey his/her love for their people? How do they express caring for them? Are they still available for counsel and prayer? Do they have personal relationships? Are they good shepherds? Or is this concept outdated and reprehensible?
Finally, are these transitions that have evolved and escalated over the last thirty years part of the reason for a SIGNIFICANT DECLINE in church attendance and the chronic closing of churches?
Someone needs to talk about this!
Why is the Church thriving in Nigeria, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Philippines, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Korea, Mexico, Uganda, Vietnam, Ghana, Argentina, Iran, Mozambique, Russia and Columbia while consistent and persistent decline is the plague of the American Church?
If John Maxwell has been right in his much-proclaimed assessment that “everything rises and falls on leadership” - could we have a leadership problem?
__________________________
We yearn for a more
vibrant and fruitful response to Your grace!
We are thankful for the
signs of renewal that are occurring in America:
ü Signs of belief in Gen
Z where 38% anticipate a revival soon
ü Bible sales are up 42%
ü Increasing numbers of
sports figures who are outspoken about their faith in Christ
ü An 80% increase in the
use of religious app downloads
ü Outbreaks of spiritual
renewal on many college and university campuses in recent years
ü Christian worship music
is cracking mainstream charts
ü Media innovations like ‘The
Chosen’ and ‘House of David’ have gone mainstream
ü Stadium and arena
worship/prayer events are exploding
We wonder: If You were
to write a letter to the American Church –
as You wrote to the
seven churches in Revelation –
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR
MESSAGE?
Draw near to Your shepherds,
Lord!
Infill and transform
them!
Help them to lead out
of love!
Fuel their passion,
courage and creativity!
Help them to be leaders
like David!
HEAR OUR PRAYER, O
LORD! AMEN!
