Successful Shepherds: Leading People in Paths of Righteousness

Effective leadership is biblical leadership, and leading biblically is the basis of every good thing Jesus wants for His church. It makes you more confident and joyful as you go about your work. It makes the people you lead holier and healthier. If you are stuck in the quagmire of endless business meetings, isn’t it time to do some real shepherding? Do you really think Jesus wanted impersonal committee men to tend His flock? Of course not. He wanted shepherds, tenderhearted and brave, not detached bureaucrats or insecure bullies. Sure, there is a managerial dimension to all leadership, but keeping first things first means leading by relationship rather than raw power, and by inspiration rather than intimidation. The focus of biblical leadership is on releasing potential rather than restraining it. Successful shepherds unleash the human spirit rather than stifling it. Too many good ideas and too much passion go unused in churches. Successful Shepherds is the first of three short volumes on biblical leadership in the 21st Century. This book covers five tools for biblical shepherding and is practical rather than theoretical. It covers the relational side of church leadership. Effective Elders will explain how elders work together as a team to promote the church’s vision and protect her values. Organized Overseers will discuss the administrative work of congregational leaders. Overseers provide the structure and stability necessary for sustainable growth. Jesus’ vision of church is about preparing people for eternal life in heaven and equipping them for abundant life on earth. If you share His dream, this book will guide you in your quest to grow people rather than control them and to lead the church rather than merely manage it. At the beginning of each chapter, you will find a verse about paths. Life as God intended is a pathway to spiritual maturity. The terrain people must cross is the ground needed for growth. That span consists of limitations to their health and wellness. Shepherds are privileged to guide people on this amazing journey to greater godliness and usefulness. When you lay down your shepherd’s mantle, may you say with all sincerity, “I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness” (Proverbs 4.11).