For one of my pastoral ministry classes last semester, I wrote a paper on understanding the role of the pastor in leading change in a congregation. The main basis for this was that understanding the role of the pastor as shepherd was key to the rest. What follows is excerpted from that paper.
I would appreciate any input by those engaged in pastoral work on how the biblical portrayal of the pastor as shepherd has been applied in past or current ministries, as well as any other words of wisdom regarding pastor as shepherd.
The Pastor as Shepherd
It is necessary to explore the biblical commands and characteristics
related to this idea of the pastor as shepherd. The main idea supplying the
outline for this section of the paper is Peter’s exhortation to the elders in
his first letter. He exhorts the elders to “shepherd the flock of God among you,
exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the
will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it
over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock” (1
Peter 5:2-3).[1] An
examination of several key Old Testament and New Testament texts will be
applied so that a clear picture can emerge as to the role of the shepherd of
God’s flock.
