I Am A Shepherd

by Stephen Drake

I realize the sheep I tend do not belong to me. There is a Chief Shepherd to whom all the sheep belong. I did not pay for the sheep - He did. He traveled a great distance to procure these sheep. He lived a life of perfection for their sake. He fought death, hell, and the grave for these sheep and He won. He healed their wounds, comforted their hearts, and nourished their bodies, souls, and spirits. He died to give the sheep His life. Now He has handed His sheep to me to care for them on His behalf. I am a shepherd.

I must give account to Him for the way I care for His sheep. I will seek to feed them well, in the green pastures of the Word of Life. I will walk beside them when they pass through the valley of death. I will not run them to fatigue, but will cause them to lie down in the green pastures and lead them beside the still waters. I will love His sheep and lead them as He leads them. I am a shepherd.

I will do all I can to multiply the fold. While I recognize that sheep produce sheep, I will remember I am a sheep serving as a shepherd and will be an example to the flock on bringing other sheep in to the fold. I am a shepherd.

I know that sheep can be trying at times, and may need rebuke. I will seek always to speak to them with wisdom. I will try to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. I will endeavor to guide my sheep toward "what's right" rather than toward "who's right." I will pledge to bring my sheep together rather than scatter them, keeping my eye on the unity of the Spirit for the glory of God.

There are many other shepherds whom I know. Some are good shepherds who love their flock because they love the Chief Shepherd. Other shepherds care little for the flock, using it to enhance their reputation and decorate their resumes. They claim to love the Chief Shepherd, and I will not judge their claim. But I will not look to them for wisdom or follow their example. I will pray for them and speak to them the truth in love. Being a shepherd has more to do with the sheep than with me.

I will seek to be with my sheep when lambs are born and as they grow. I will be there when the younger sheep play and when the older sheep die. If I appear disheveled, it may be because I have been pulling a lamb from a ditch or saving one from a wolf. At times I may need to save myself from the wolves. There may be times when I dirty the floor, because I have been in the pen feeding, leading, and loving my sheep.

I am grateful to the Chief Shepherd for His trust in me. May I always remember that my calling is one of oversight and not ownership. When generations of sheep think of me in years to come, may they recall with kind thoughts the life of one who had their highest good always, in his heart.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Five Steps to Get Beyond Sacred Cows in the church by Dr. Thom Rainer - http://thomrainer.com/2013/03/23/five-steps-to-get-beyond-sacred-cows-in-the-church/#.UVA3q2kS6zo?emid=Content-PastorsToday-SacredCows-20130401

FOR CHURCH LEADER TRAINING: The Ministry Grid; an online leadership development platform for pastors, staff, and volunteer leadership - http://www.ministrygrid.com/

FOR BIBLE STUDY: Bible Studies for Life; a Bible study resource that provides an aligned study across all age groups – www.biblestudiesforlife.com

FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERSHIP: MasterWork Supplement for MasterWork curriculum users - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/masterwork-leader-supplement-P005601369-2013-SUM

FOR CHURCH-WIDE EVENT: Experiencing God documentary – DVD multi-pack kit includes 10 DVDs to share, lifetime site license, movie posters, immediate availability of download of movie - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/experiencing-god-documentary-dvd-multi-pack-P005586193

FOR CHURCH-WIDE EVENT: The Gospel Project Experience event and simulcast, May 17 -18; journey through the story of the gospel - http://www.gospelproject.com/experience/#.UVxtfay1Ug8

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Gospel Revolution for Students by J.D. Greear - http://www.lifeway.com/n/product-family/gospel-revolution:-students

FOR DISCIPLESHIP LEADERS: Bible Study Insider preview kit; provides tips for small group leaders and samples of the latest adult discipleship studies - http://biblestudyinsider.com/

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: All Pro Dad small group study by Mark Merrill - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/all-pro-dad-seven-essentials-to-be-a-hero-to-your-kids-dvd-leader-kit-P005520634

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY:  The Main Event men’s conference, July 26-27, Nashville, TN featuring 18 speakers including Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson, Coach Bobby Bowden, Dr. Tony Evans: http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/The-Main-Event?type=events

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: The Gospel According to Jonah by J.D. Greear - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/the-gospel-according-to-jonah-a-new-kind-of-obedience-leader-kit-p005558798

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God by Margaret Feinberg - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/wonderstruck-awaken-to-the-nearness-of-god-dvd-leader-kit-p005515840

5 Mistakes Made by Leaders When They Speak

copied from Dr. Thom Rainer's blog

Many of the failures in leadership are failures to communicate well. No matter how smart we are or how good our strategies are, they are doomed for failure if no one understands them.
In previous articles, I dealt with poor written grammar, so much so that some of my friends refer to me as “the grammar cop.” In this article, I deal with five of the more common communication mistakes made by leaders when they speak.

1. Poor grammar. Grammatical mistakes are not limited to written communication. They are much too common when leaders speak as well, including some leaders who are highly educated and in positions of great influence. The most common speaking grammatical error that I have noticed in recent years is the incorrect use of reflexive pronouns. For example the reflexive pronoun “myself” is used improperly in this sentence: “The award was presented to Janice, John, and myself.” The correct pronoun is the non-reflexive “me.”
2. Too much information. An audience can only absorb a limited number of facts in a given presentation. Some leaders attempt to cover a multitude of items, leaving the hearers bored, confused, and frustrated. Speak to the essential issues and provide supplementary written material if necessary.
3. Too many visuals. PowerPoint and other visual aids can be either a help or a hindrance to a speaker. Too often leaders try to put too much information in visual aids. At that point the aid becomes a barrier to communication. Consider having no more than one visual aid for each three minutes of speaking. You might be surprised how much the retention of your listeners improves.
4. “Insider” language. Acronyms should be banned from speaking presentations. At my organization we have one acronym for every molecule that exists in our building. Those who are on the inside may think it’s okay to use acronyms with other insiders. The problem is that the pattern of speaking develops into a habit that will creep into external presentations. Indeed, good speakers avoid acronyms and insider technical words unless they are clearly explained to the audience.
5. Insufficient pathos. Aristotle divided the means of persuasion into three categories. Ethos is used to establish the credibility or character of the speaker. Logos means persuading by reasoning or logic. Pathos means persuading by appealing to the readers’ or hearers’ emotions. Too few speakers attempt to speak to the hearts of the audience through personal illustrations, humor, or captivating stories. As a consequence, the presentation is often deemed dry and boring, regardless of the quality of the content.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR VBS TRAINING: Regional VBS Training Conferences - http://gabaptist.org/contentpages.aspx?parentnavigationid=7526&theparentnavigationid=4896&viewcontentpageguid=58658d80-0148-496b-bd39-a0a831b76eb1

FOR EDUCATION LEADER TRAINING: Go Forward Conference, March 14-15, 2013, FBC/Woodstock - http://sundayschoolinhd.org/

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Experiencing God: the documentary prescreening simulcast, March 12-14; http://www.lifeway.com/Event/lifeway-film-event-experiencing-god-pastors-only-screening

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Secret Church with David Platt, March 29, 2013; studies on Heaven, Hell, and the end times – http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Secret-Church-Simulcast-with-David-Platt?type=events

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: The Gospel According to Jonah by J.D. Greear - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/the-gospel-according-to-jonah-a-new-kind-of-obedience-leader-kit-p005558798

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God by Margaret Feinberg - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/wonderstruck-awaken-to-the-nearness-of-god-dvd-leader-kit-p005515840

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: All Pro Dad small group study by Mark Merrill - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/all-pro-dad-seven-essentials-to-be-a-hero-to-your-kids-dvd-leader-kit-P005520634

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY:  'The Main Event' men’s conference, July 26-27, Nashville, TN featuring 18 speakers including Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson, Coach Bobby Bowden, Dr. Tony Evans: http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/The-Main-Event?type=events

Six Insights for Leading Lay Volunteers

by Dr. Thom Rainer

One of the greatest blessings in churches today and throughout history is the number of men and women who gladly and often sacrificially give of their time and energy to do ministry in local congregations. Indeed, churches across the world would not function as they do without the giving spirit of these lay volunteers. Paid staff alone are not sufficient to do all the work of ministry in any church.

Simultaneously, one of the greatest challenges for leaders in churches today is the recruiting and retention of these lay volunteers. Indeed I have had several conversations with church leaders who have seen significant successes and blessings with the mobilization of laity in their churches. I am particularly grateful for the insights given to me by Jess Rainer of Grace Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and Eric Geiger, who recently served at Christ Fellowship in Miami.

These two men, as well as several other church leaders, shared similar stories about their challenges and victories in lay mobilization. In this post, I share with you six insights I gleaned from several leaders who have been successful in recruiting and retaining lay volunteers.

1. Training is critical. In one of our recent studies, almost all the pastors surveyed affirmed the importance of training lay volunteers. Sadly, the same study showed that only about one-fourth of those pastors had any strategy for training volunteers. Training creates ownership that results in motivated and giving volunteers. I am excited that LifeWay will introduce in just a couple of months a new and incredible resource to help churches across the world train their laity effectively and inexpensively.
2. Affirmation should be ongoing. Most lay volunteers don’t get involved in church ministries for the attention or the affirmation. But when leaders affirm their work, it communicates to the volunteers that their work in ministry is important. People want to know they are involved in something that makes a difference. Affirmation gives them that very message.
3. The relationship between the laity and paid church staff should always be a partnership. Church leaders should continuously communicate that all work of ministry is a co-laborship. There is no organizational hierarchy where the laity submits to the church staff. One group does ministry as a calling and vocation. The other group does ministry as a calling and unpaid service. Both are vital in the life of the church.
4. The form of communication with laity is critical. As much as possible, vocational church leaders should spend face-to-face time with lay volunteers. They should learn how those volunteers like to communicate. For some, a text message is fine. For others, they want to hear a live voice. But all of them need some personal interaction with the paid church leaders.
5. Start lay volunteers with bite-size responsibilities. Don’t overwhelm them with a task or ministry that appears daunting. See how they respond to smaller, well-defined tasks at first. From that point, leaders can discern if the volunteers can take on more ministry responsibilities.
6. Communicate with clarity and specificity. Many lay volunteers quit out of frustration because they think their assignments are neither clear nor specific. Don’t assume volunteers have the same level of insights or knowledge as those whose daily work and responsibility is at the local church. It is better to over-explain and to be redundant than to assume the volunteer has significant prior knowledge about the ministry assignment.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR EDUCATION LEADER TRAINING: Go Forward Conference, March 14-15, 2013, FBC/Woodstock - http://sundayschoolinhd.org/

FOR ONLINE TRAINING: Ministry Grid; online subscription plan for leadership development - http://www.ministrygrid.com/

For Ongoing Bible Study: Relaunching of Bible Studies for Life coming in September – look at all of the new enhancements to help you 1) Connect with the unconnected, 2) Strenghten families, 3) Deepened discipleship - http://www.lifeway.com/article/bible-studies-for-life-fall-preview-2013

Preview 3 FREE Sessions of the NEW Bible Studies for Life: http://www.lifeway.com/n/Bible-Studies-for-life/sign-up

FOR CUSTOMIZED CURRICULUM: Discipleship in Context can provide a short term or ongoing Bible studies that are customized to your church’s culture and focus - http://discipleshipincontext.com/

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Follow Me by David Platt - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/follow-me-bible-study-dvd-leader-kit-p005541500

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Secret Church with David Platt, March 29, 2013; studies on Heaven, Hell, and the end times – http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Secret-Church-Simulcast-with-David-Platt?type=events

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Bible Study Insider preview kit; see the latest studies and tips for effective small group ministry - http://biblestudyinsider.com/

DOWNLOAD THE LIFEWAY FREE E-READER - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Books-&-Magazines/eBooks?emid=Product-PastorsToday-ReaderApp-20130204

READ “FOUR REASONS TO REMEMBER THE SABBATH” - http://www.lifeway.com/Article/facts-trends-winter-2013-leading-on-fumes?emid=CW-PastorsToday-20130128