What kind of Pastor am I?

I spend a lot of time with pastors and I feel the pain of trying to be a good shepherd to my flock. As far as pastors go, I have it pretty easy. My flock is small and I am blessed by them. I see more and more churches offering sabbaticals to pastors and I am so thankful for that. The men and women I know who are in the trenches serving their flocks are a very caring group of people, but the weight of serving can be painful. When their flock is in pain, so are they and the pain of our world is more and more prevalent every day. There are so many good pastors out there! So, when I hear about some of the sinful choices pastors make, I am greatly saddened and really feel the pain for the universal church. 

The message I read from Ezekiel today was a bit harsh with the leaders of Israel, the shepherds of the flock.

"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animals. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them." (Ezekiel 34:2-6)

Our goal as pastors, the type of pastor I want to be, is a shepherd, who loves and serves his sheep with a sacrificial type of love no matter what flock I am given. Great or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, I will serve the flock that I have been given. I know I am not a perfect leader. I know I will fail, at times and I also know I cannot do it without the power of the Holy Spirit leading ME. I hope a pray for God's power when I am weak and fall short as a shepherd of my own flock. I pray God's power on all the pastors who struggle keeping their heads above water. 

The message of Ezekiel is clear. Take care of those around you, your flock. Know them, watch them, rescue them when they get lost or stuck in a thicket, bind their injured hearts, and rule them with God's love, patience, and kindness. It can be so easy to focus inwardly on the little details of leading a church and forget why we are here. We are to care for the flock including taking care of the weak in our flock, tending the sick and broken hearted, and keep the enemy from preying on them and their families. 

The job is not easy. It has very little earthly reward, but a great amount of eternal reward. Continue to love and serve your sheep in a way that is honoring to God. Don't let your flock wander earth looking for another shepherd, a shepherd that may usher them into an infinite amount of pain and even death. Avoid following shepherds who are more interested in serving themselves than serving the flock. 

Pastors and church leaders, spend time leading your flock to the ultimate GOOD SHEPHERD, the TRUE Shepherd, the one that is Sovereign above all things. Amen!