Plurality of shepherds in a local congregation is the model of
leadership we find in the New Testament church, which is a model first
established in the Old Testament. Just as Jethro made it clear to Moses
that solo leadership was “not good” then, so it is not good now.
Jethro’s reasons are just as pertinent today as they were then. “You
will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you,
for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone” (Exodus
18:18). Without a plurality of shepherds, both the pastor and the people
suffer and do not experience the best the Lord has for us. Certainly
there are times when solo leadership is the only option, but it should
be viewed as temporary and men should be intentionally discipled toward
leadership qualification, roles, and responsibilities.
Our elders recently read Timothy Witmer’s exceptional book, The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church,
and spent many hours discussing its implementation recommendations at
an all-day elders’ retreat. We are really excited about the intentional
shared-shepherding strategy we are embarking upon.
Since pastoral burnout is a widespread problem in the Western church,
as well as a current topic of discussion among many, I thought I’d pass
on the following portion from Team leadership, as Witmer makes clear,
is one practical defense against pastoral burnout.
One of the practical outcomes of the identification of
those who give themselves to preaching and teaching is that these
individuals have often become viewed as primus inter pares—first
among equals. This may have practical benefits in terms of providing
initiative and direction in the local church. However, we must not lose
sight of the fact that the biblical picture of leadership is ‘team’
leadership. All elders, including teaching elders (pastors), are called
to shepherd the flock, but not all elders have the gift of teaching,
though they should be apt to teach. Continue at Paul Tautges
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