Shepherd Leadership: Mars Hill Church Planting Conference

Scott Thomas
Session Two: “A Skilled, Shepherding, and Determined Man”

What does it mean to shepherd Biblically?

We must begin as a servant.
We must be an overseer.
1 Peter 5:1-4 “Shepherd the flock that is among you.”

If we shepherd faithfully the flock that is among us now, then God will lead us onwards, but if we move on and ignore the flock that is among us now; then God will not be able to use us further.

We must be a provider.
Psalm 23:1-3 “[The Shepherd] makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me in paths of righteousness.”

We lead by being loving.
Matthew 9:35-38 “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them…”

To be great, you must consider yourself a servant to all.
We show our love through putting people into mission. v37-38 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” We cannot lead people we do not love. Love commissions people and sends them out.

We lead by being a fighter.
Acts 20:28-35 You have to fight the wolves that will come in to steal the flock out from under you.

If you cannot fight as a pastor, then you cannot pastor. You have to fight hard and not give up. If you cannot work hard, you cannot plant a church.

The fight is also against our selves and our desire to for success. Numbers are not the focus. We must lay our desires on the altar so that God can do what He wants through us as the shepherd.

We must be willing to sacrifice.
The good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.

We do not sacrifice for a temporal gain, but for the Lord willingly and for His honor.

We must focus on the Chief Shepherd.
Jeremiah 3:15 Shepherding is a focus on Jesus Christ and everything must be pointed back on Him and not on ourselves.

Shepherd-leading as a Prophet, Priest, and King:

The prophet is the motor, the priest is the chassy, and the king is driver.
Jesus Christ was all three, perfect priest, perfect prophet and perfect king. There was no separation.

You cannot separate the prophet from the king or the priest from the prophet. You must be all three in order to be a shepherd.

Shepherd-leading as a prophet:
1. Proclaiming
2. Inspiring
3. Confronting

He is proclaiming who God is, what He has done, who we are in Christ, and then what we do. We proclaim Jesus, Gospel, and Mission.
You inspire by illuminating the gospel. You do not draw people to yourself because you can only care for so many people until you isolate yourself.
– We can only inspire them when we direct them to Christ instead of bringing them to ourselves.
You confront with truth. You are not combative, but you confront with the idea that you have compassion for them and you want to bring them to a place where they can find safety in the compassion of Jesus.

Everything you do must be repeatable. You must be able to train up others who can follow after you and carry further what you have started.
Raise up other people who can replicate what Jesus is doing through you.

The shepherd-king is self-disciplined and oversees the application of gospel truths.

Shepherd leading as a prophet:
1. Caring
2. Supporting
3. Accompanying

Caring means you listen with love and display that love for them and their needs. It is an act of compassion and faith.
A shepherd supports with grace and forgiveness. He prays on others behalf.
A shepherd accompanies with courage, reconciliation, and goes before the flock to prevent danger. He walks beside them to accompany their journey. He walks behind them to make sure none are left behind.

John 10 — Three types of leaders from this passage:
1. The Wolf Leader: you are out to devour, steal, and destroy. You are out for your own purposes and for selfish gain.
2. The Hired Hand: the hired hand does not care for the sheep, but people serve Him
3. The Good Shepherd: He lays down His life for His sheep in protection from the Wolf and will not allow them to be abandoned by the Hired Hand.