My wife and I took the leap of faith to enter full time ministry four years ago. The fear of jumping out into the unknown was smothered by the excitement of pursuing the dream that God placed on our hearts. Ministry was going to take every gift and skill that we had in our combined abilities to be successful.
The mentality of being a shepherd was one that I adopted early on in my management career. Caring for those who work for you seemed like the most logical way to ensure that people were the most productive, and happy in their work environment. Spending time in genuinely getting to know my associates paid huge dividends when days were hard, because my people trusted me. Does that mean that I was always worthy of being trusted... No.
There were a great deal of hard lessons learned over my 18 year career in retail management. One blessing was that God was always at work in helping me refine my skills, and when the time was right, He called me to give up on my ideas for my future and do what He desired for me to do, tend His flock. He was also quick to remind me that I had a lot to still learn.
We planted/restarted a church almost four years ago (March 2018), and while I thought I understood what it meant to be a shepherd, I was sorely mistaken. Caring for people who are being paid to work for you turns out to be far easier that caring for a congregation. The monetary exchange between employee and boss creates a different dynamic, and while there are some parallels, it is not the same as leading and caring for people who have a choice the be there or not.
One of the hardest lessons I learned is that when it comes to a pastor people have a choice as to whether or not they want you to be their shepherd. Some people will stick around because they are invested and committed to the church, and this means that as a pastor I have a limited window of time in order to build trust with them so that will see me as their pastor.
I use to read the biblical passages about shepherds and flocks and wonder how this would translate into todays world, then the Lord provided me the opportunity to be an actual shepherd. No, I do not have a flock or sheep, goats, or cattle, but I do have over 150 chickens. We began our farm with 20 in 2016. Then we gradually grew the flock, and changed how we cared for them, first as pets, then as a small hobby flock, that became a pursuit toward independence as we turned the hobby into a business.
What I learned about being a farmer/shepherd, was that the trust between the animal and the farmer is built upon consistency. The chicken, cow, goat, sheep, places their full trust in the shepherd. The job of caring for their well being is one that requires daily attention. While we pasture raise them and they have access to almost an acre of grass, they still rely on me to ensure they have proper water, food to supplement their diet, and protection.
We live on the edge of the country in Green Valley. We are near a river, and surrounded by farms and woods that line the hill sides in the valley. This means predators are never far away. We build coops that provide shelter and security. I have to maintain proper fencing to keep out coyotes, and provide supplemental covers in case hawks attempt to swoop in and snatch a hen. We even had a bear looking in on them one day during the salmon run.
I have to be mindful of their well being in all facets of life, something I took for granted when we began this endeavor. If you know chickens, you also know that they get up and lay down with the sun. This makes for long days in the summer as sunrise on the longest days starts before five AM, and bed time is not until after ten PM. Sure their are the shorter days in the winter that allow the opportunity to sleep in a little longer, but they still need their daily attention.
This is where God illuminated the lesson. Being a shepherd to His flock requires daily attention to His people. Some seasons require more attention than others, but it is still a daily commitment. The trust is built over time, not year after year, but day after day. This is where consistency comes in. Losing trust is easy, especially when we take for granted the well being of those we are caring for. The role of the shepherd is to be mindful and attentive so that the flock will trust you and follow your lead.
Day after day.