Philosophy of Shepherding
As elders of the church, we want you to have a clear
understanding of the philosophy by which we try to live and lead. The touchstone of our leadership style is
Peter’s admonition to his fellow-elders in the early church:
Be
shepherds of God’s flock that are under your care, serving as overseers—not
because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not
greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording over those entrusted to you,
but being examples to the flock—1 Peter 5:2-3
Elders sometimes have been perceived as a
board of directors: authoritarian, autocratic and even dictatorial. That is not a leadership style described in
the New Testament when talking of bishops.
Instead, New Testament elders are shepherds of the flock of God. They are committed to leading and nurturing,
not lording over; to demonstrating rather than demanding; to inspiring rather
than intimidating. They are concerned
for every member of the congregation just as Jesus is concerned for each of us
even when we are lost in our sinfulness.
We do not claim to have fully acquired
these desirable qualities of care and concern to which we aspire. However, we do pledge ourselves to keep
learning and growing in the fine art and spiritual gift of shepherding.
To give us more time for shepherding, we
delegate as many things as possible.
Staff members, ministry leaders and volunteers shoulder most of the
routine responsibility for completing the work and making the decisions of the
church. We do not seek to control people
or make them what we want them to be. We
try instead to mentor, communicate, and encourage our brothers and sisters in
the faith. We seek to empower people so
that they may be led by the Holy Spirit and a blessing to the church through
their giftedness.
When we must make decisions necessary for
the direction of the church’s journey with God, we do so with consideration for
the views of others, we proceed prayerfully asking for God’s guidance, and we
show respect for the revealed will of God.
The elders may not always share the same opinion as matters are
discussed, but once a decision is made we all accept and support that decision.
We believe that the collective judgment of the elders is superior to the
individual judgment of any one elder.
Please pray for God to bless us as we
lead, that we may “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body
of Christ may be built up.”—Ephesians 4:11-12
The
Burnt
Hickory Church of Christ