Lesson 5: A Shepherd’s Care
ii. Individual Shepherding (Micro)22 – Done by an individual elder toward individual members.
B. Chart:
Knowing Feeding Leading Protecting Collective/
Macro (Eldership)
Church’s strengths and weaknesses, Membership, Issues
Preaching, Bible school, Worship, Special seminars
Vision, Ministries, Purpose, Budget, Admin., Staff
Preaching, Doctrine, Culture, Discipline
Individual/
Micro (Elder, Shepherd)
Personal relationships, regular contact
One-on-one discipleship, Mentoring, Admonish
Personal example, family, Coaching staff, deacons, and ministry leaders
Private warnings (Matt. 18), Admonish, Encourage, Seeking lost sheep
C. Discussion:
i. Which of the categories is most important—Collective or Individual?
ii. Present elders—which do you feel demands or receives the most of your time?
iii. Which category seems the most daunting and challenging to you to perform?
III. Duties of a Shepherd that Provide Care A. Know the Sheep
i. Jesus knows His sheep. John 10:2-4; 14-15
ii. Shepherds are to be among the flock serving as examples to them.
1 Peter 5:1-4.
iii. How a shepherd can learn the sheep.
1. Attend church fellowship activities.
2. Attend activities of various age groups.
3. Attend and teach various Bible class ages.
4. Be present and friendly before and after services.
5. Visit in a member’s home or have them in your home.
6. Do a recreation or hobby together.
22 This terminology is taken from Flavil Yeakley Jr., Shepherding God’s Flock (Nashville: 21st Century, 2014), 17-56; Timothy Z. Witmer, The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2010), 189.
7. Choose to have people in your home or go out to eat with members regularly. Take advantage of Sunday lunch or evening after church.
8. As an eldership have an organized method of assigning members to an elder, so that every member has an elder focused on getting to know them. Research has shown that the “back door” can be closed most effectively by elders being assigned new members. New members need to develop numerous relationships, and one of those needs to be with a trusted shepherd and his wife who can serve as a source of accountability and love.
9. Yeakley suggests using Bible classes on Sunday morning at an hour length to serve as fellowship and shepherding groups. With each class having one to three elders involved and having additional time for prayer, mutual concerns, and fellowship. Some churches uses small groups in this same manner. Others divide the church by geographical regions, alphabet, or age structures to assign elders. This can be rotated annually.23
10. Have regularly scheduled meetings with an open door policy so members can come to share a concern or request prayer.
11. Sign and send cards to members as an eldership.
iv. Your foundational method in seeking to know the sheep. All people desire these three things:
1. Understanding – They feel understood in that you grasp what is important to them and who they are.
2. Validation – They feel validated when you respect who they are and what they want.
3. Care – They feel care and love when you take active steps to help meet their needs.
v. When you have these three qualities coupled with your
vulnerability and openness in your life to share your faith journey and struggles, it leads to intimacy, loyalty, and mutual
encouragement. People feel cared for, understood, and validated.
B. Heal the Sheep
i. The shepherd should have a burden for the sheep. 2 Cor. 11:28 1. “Without a burden for their followers, leaders can also
become consumed by their own ambition. A God-given burden for others is like a safety rope, protecting leaders from falling into the sinkhole of a prideful preoccupation with success. Leaders gripped by the mission and burden
23 Yeakley, Shepherding God’s Flock, 48-55.
for their followers will focus on God’s purposes for the group.”24
2. Leadership creates a burden for hurting sheep. Matt. 9:35- 38
ii. One of the best methods for healing the hurts of sheep is simply listening and offering your support.
1. James 1:19
2. Good listening is an act of love that comes from the heart as much as the ears.
3. John 4 – Jesus listened to the Samaritan woman.
4. Hear more than words. Think about what they are really saying by their words and actions. What are they trying to communicate to you?
iii. Shepherds are not expected to be with the sheep at every moment, but they are expected to be represented in the big moments. Big moments matter greatly. What are some big moments?
iv. Hospital and Nursing Home visits 1. Visits don’t need to be long.
2. Always offer to pray (often a good way to end the visit).
3. If needed, connect with family before the visit to know circumstances.
v. Funeral Visits
1. Often the visitation is the best time to connect with the member.
2. Don’t feel like you have to give a theological answer to
“why?”
3. It is often a good practice to check with them immediately after the death. A short home visit to drop off some food or paper products is also a good idea.
vi. Crisis Visits
1. Hurry – Get to the person’s side as quickly as you can.
2. Hug – Offer your physical support and love.
3. Hush – Don’t feel like you have to say much or have the right answers. Reading some Scripture and a prayer is the best course of action.
vii. Use your phone well!
1. Sending a text can be a powerful means of showing care and love today.
2. Calling to see how someone is doing can leave a powerful impression.
viii. Great verses to use.
1. Psalm 23 & 46 2. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
24 Steve Moore, The Top 10 Leadership Conversations in the Bible: Practical Insights from Extensive Research on over 1,000 Biblical Leaders (Atlanta: NexLeader, 2017), 88.
3. John 14:1-6 C. Seek the Sheep
i. We will discuss seeking erring and lost sheep more in the next lesson on a “Shepherd’s Protection.”
ii. Admonish and encourage the sheep through your visits, words, and teaching. 1 Thess. 5:12-15; Heb. 13:17
iii. Be a Barnabas. Your encouragement means more! One of the most powerful things you can do is notice members actively serving and compliment and appreciate them for such. Most members feel their labor isn’t appreciated.
D. Pray for the Sheep i. James 5:13-18
ii. Always pray when making a visit.
iii. Invite church members who are going through a crisis or health issue to come to an elders’ meeting for prayer.
iv. Pray through the church role in a year. Send letters to members letting them know the month their family will be prayed for by the eldership.
Lesson 6: A Shepherd’s Protection and Authority