Churches are getting bigger and I think that's a good thing. If we can reach more people for Christ, let's do it. But are we losing touch with people in the process? It's not just about large churches, many of which have strong small group ministries that provide wonderful shepherding. There are many mid-size and
small churches who I fear are losing touch with their people.

We have learned much about leadership over the years, and the church has greatly benefited. We have learned about delegation, equipping and empowerment because of it among other things - in order to lead better. These are good things, and they need to continue. But my heart has been wrestling with how well, as pastors, we do or do not shepherd the people. We've invested a
couple decades, at least, in learning how to move from a shepherd to leader - but have we gone too far? Have we lost the heart of a shepherd?

From Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd...He leads me," to Matthew 18 - where the shepherd takes initiative (leadership) to go after one sheep; the scriptures are full of language that reveals leadership with a shepherd's heart.

Over-Shepherding:

For many decades we as pastor/leaders were caught in a pattern of "over-shepherding." We were literally trained to preach and visit. (That's a scary thought.) Congregations reinforced that behavior because the vast majority of pastors moved on to the next church in a short period of time. This left the lay
leadership as the vested leaders in charge. Some of my favorite lines I've actually heard lay leaders say to their pastors are: "Pastor, you talk to God and we'll pay the bills."; "Preacher, you give the sermons and visit and we'll run the place - and if we need you for something else, we'll let you know."; "Pastor,
you can come to the board meetings, but we'll make the decisions."

This crazy situation, often in but not exclusive to smaller churches, forced pastors into an over-shepherding pattern. I'm not picking on the congregation, for many members that's all they knew. They really did love their church and thought that was how things should've been. And to be very candid, some pastors liked, and still like that system; but that doesn't make it right.

Over-shepherding is not healthy (nor biblical). Pastors sit in hospitals and homes for hours. If someone drops by the office, they are ever-available. The pastor counsels the same person for long session after long session. Someone calls the pastor at home at 11:00 P.M. to get a phone number (or a recipe - I'm serious, Patti and I got that call years ago! Patti's chicken enchiladas are great, but come on!) One good-hearted pastor actually picked up church kids from school, like a bus driver, and would run to the drugstore to pick up a prescription for a senior saint! The heart (of the pastor) is good; the method of leadership is bad.

Under-Shepherding:

I think many pastors have overreacted against over-shepherding, and misunderstood teaching on leadership. The result - under-shepherding. In many of the focus groups I have conducted in local churches, I've heard people say things like, "I can never see the pastor."; "He won't return my call."; "The secretaries shepherd us."; "I serve as a volunteer and I can't get a simple answer."; "I told him my marriage was struggling and he told me to read a book."

This overreaction isn't solely about shepherding. Part of it is an understandable reaction to the performance orientation of many boomer pastors in the eighties and early nineties. Pastors today, particularly younger pastors, have strong boundaries. This is healthy and good. Family needs to be the priority, but we must never lose sight of Jesus' heart for people. He was consistently interrupted and did much meaningful ministry in those moments of interruption. If we're too busy for people, we're just too busy. Jesus modeled "ministry among the people" or, in more contemporary language, "doing life together." Personally, my heart leaps toward healthy boundaries for my family life as I return to the local church. But I also remember why I've returned to the local church - people. I'm called to give my life to people, for the cause of Christ and according to the model Jesus gave us.

Biblical Shepherding:

This is a tough topic. There is no easy answer. But we can't avoid the topic because it's tough. We must seek the right pattern to live by. I'm using the word pattern or habit because I'm not sure "balance" is the right goal. I'm not convinced balance is achievable. I don't think Jesus lived a life of balance, I think He lived a life of priorities. Candidly, I think He might have been considered an out of balance "out of the box" extremist...but I guarantee you, He had His priorities straight.

The answer certainly isn't a return to over-shepherding. This violates what scripture teaches and what we know about leadership. But the answer is equally not about strict boundaries or leadership principles taken to the extreme. Let me
give this my best shot - and I trust this will be helpful to you. If nothing else, it will give you an opportunity to do some good thinking on the subject.

* Scripture

Ephesians 4:11-12 and Acts 6:1-6 gives us a clear biblical picture for this subject. We are not called to "do" all the ministry but equip others for it. But the fact that widows being overlooked was recorded reminds us of the importance of people - even unto the least of them. We are leaders and equippers, but how we go about that is important.

Do you equip with an administrator's heart or a shepherd's heart? Do you send a letter or an E-mail when a personal connection is needed? Do you make a phone call when the real need is a "cup of coffee" in person? There is nothing wrong with letters, E-mail, and the phone. I'm simply asking you (all of us) to evaluate your connection with people. Let me put it bluntly - if you lose
connection, they will lose trust, and if they lose trust, you can't lead.

* Priorities

Go back to Acts chapter 6 again for a moment. What was the motivation behind caring for the widows? It was the ministry of the Word and prayer. Big picture - time with God. So, what do you use your boundaries to achieve? Time with who and time to do what? Don't misunderstand - recreation is healthy. I love to
play guitar, John Maxwell loves to play golf, and Kevin Myers (senior pastor of the church I serve) loves to shoot shotguns. I'm not sure at what - I think at non-tithers. He says it's at skeet, but we'll see. These kinds of things are great, but not the priority. God must be first. When you fight for boundaries, fight for time with God, then your family - after that everything else gets in line.

* Heart for people

Let's get to the bottom line. You're never going to have enough time to do all the things that you want to do. And even that you feel you must do. That's part of the tension of ministry. Resolve to live in harmony with that tension because it's not going away. Let me ask you a few direct questions. These questions are meant only to help you reflect on your heart for people. Do you see people as a God-given gift and opportunity to "influence toward spiritual maturity" or do you see people as a drain of your time and energy? Kind of like little baby birds in
a nest with their mouths wide open, squawking from hungry bellies that never seem to fill. Do you see spiritually unresolved people as folks that you'll get to when you have time or are you compelled from within to engage with them now? When a church member causes you conflict do you feel indignant that they would do such a thing, or do you think about what hurt, misunderstanding, or opportunity for growth this might provide?

Create a margin for availability. If you have too many programs to manage, kill some programs; don't kill the people. If you have so much going that you can't get to the people (even your leaders), then you are doing too much. I encourage you to evaluate what doesn't need to be done in order to create a margin
to be with people.

* A fresh look at leadership

The choice is not shepherd or leader. We are shepherd leaders. Leaders with a heart for people. My hunch is, beyond your divine call to ministry, that a big part of the reason you are in the local church is your love for people. Good! Don't lose sight of that. Yes, we are to lead. We are to equip, develop and empower. Absolutely, but let's do it with a shepherd's heart. No matter how large your church is, you are still called to shepherd people. You may be a senior pastor or an executive pastor in a large church. You can't get to many of the congregation, but you can shepherd your staff, and they in turn will shepherd their leaders who in turn will shepherd the people. Nurture, care and lead them toward God.

"This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland's free monthly e-newsletter The Pastor's Coach available at www.INJOY.com."