I do not refute that one of the jobs of as shepherd is to lead. What I have a problem with is that the term shepherd signifies the kind of leadership that pastors are to have. It should not matter if we pastor a church in a metropolitan city, we are still called to shepherd the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2). To say that we should not identify ourselves as a shepherd is to say that the word of God is not timeless. God chose the word specifically. There are other words for leader in the Greek language that could have been employed. But the Bible uses the word shepherd to describe the work of the pastor. Just because I don't live in a pastoral setting does not negate the truth that I can learn what it means to be one.
Rather than becoming shepherds, too many pastors are becoming leaders. Instead of learning from the good shepherd how to lead the flock of God, we learning from the business world how to lead "The Church Inc." Instead of feeding the sheep, we want to lead the sheep to fulfill our vision. Instead of protecting the sheep, we want to build a big church. Instead of healing the sheep, we want to discard any sheep who do not get behind our vision. Instead of serving, we want to our vision to be served. Jesus reminded us long ago, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28
The best book on leadership for pastor's does not come from Peter Drucker or the Harvard School of Business. It comes from the Bible. We would see healthier churches and healthier pastors, if we spent more time learning from the Great Shepherd than from any other source.
