Sheep vs. Shepherd

It was an ironic encounter. I was sitting there in my swim trunks at the health club, watching the children come down the water slide. He had been standing in front of me for a while. Then he turned around and we realized we knew each other. We greeted each other, exchanged the usual pleasantries, and drifted to something we both had in common.

We used to attend the same church, for quite a number of years actually. He and his wife and left that church though. He asked me if his wife had ever told me why they left that church. She hadn't, so he proceeded to explain. It seems the youth pastor had been let go, and a meeting with the senior pastor was held for the parents (of the youth). During that meeting, apparently the senior pastor explained that "he was not there for you."

My acquaintance explained that he and his wife both felt the pastor's remark was inappropriate. They probed it with the pastor, and were assured that the pastor of the church was not there for their purpose. My friend said, "This was a surprise, because we'd always figured he was the shepherd and we were his sheep!" When they determined that the pastor was indeed not their shepherd, they decided it was time to go. They wanted to find a church where a shepherd was in charge.

So it was an example of the sheep leaving one church ... in search of a shepherd. I began to wonder how many pastors know this about their flock. I've written before about the importance of the sheep knowing that the shepherd cares for them. It seems an even more basic truth is being revealed to me here. It is that the sheep actually want a shepherd. In fact, they'll go in search of a shepherd if they don't have one.

It's made me think back to dozens of conversations that I've had with people over the years about why they've left a church. A common theme has always been that they "aren't getting fed." At least that's how they explain it. Whenever I've tried to probe that and discern what it means, I find them talking about how they can't connect, don't feel like they belong, etc. They may say that the "message doesn't resonate" with them. Adding it all up, I wonder if what they meant to say was that they needed a shepherd.

Another, apparently related phenomenon I've observed concerns how far people will travel to church. I've been amazed to find at different churches people who are routinely driving long distances to attend that church and its programs. I've met people, for example, who will drive more than 30 or 45 minutes to church ... passing several other suitable churches along the way. At the time, this was confusing to me. I couldn't imagine why someone would do that!

But now I wonder if perhaps the truth might be that sheep are willing to wander far and wide in search of a shepherd. Could it be that sheep will even make sacrifices to get themselves a shepherd? (I suspect so!)

How many pastors in ministry today see themselves a shepherds? How many need to see themselves that way --- but don't? And finally, how many sheep are there wandering around in search of a shepherd?

Facebook Pastors

Is your pastor on Facebook? Or MySpace? How about LinkedIn? Do you follow your pastor on Twitter? Are you getting his (or her) Facebook updates or Tweets throughout the day?

This past year I've made quite an intentional effort to engage the social networks. Mostly I wanted to see if they were really as relevant as everyone seems to think. In the process, I've "friended" or followed several different pastors from several different churches. They include senior pastors, executive pastors, administrative pastors, youth pastors and even worship pastors.

In a nutshell, I think I've got the ground covered on pastors and their Facebooking or Tweeting. And I've got a pretty good representative sample across a range of churches - from big, mega-churches to smaller community churches. Don't get me wrong. I actually know all of these people. It would also be fair to categorize some of them as true friends of mine.

But the collage of all these relationships assembled on-line is an interesting one. It's represented in each of the social networks - but Facebook and Twitter are the ones I find most intriguing. Let's look at the pastors I'm connected with on Facebook, for example.

I'm not sure what's up with the pastors on Facebook. I suspect they all have different trains of thought behind their posts. That appears pretty obvious in their updates.

Overall, there seem to be a couple of different categories of pastors on Facebook. Just like all other people "on Facebook," some pastors simply establish a profile ... and hardly ever log in or post any updates. Then there are the pastors who are on Facebook ... literally. They log in and post throughout the day, or at least with daily or near daily frequency. Like I said, this is quite similar to people from other walks of life who are allegedly on these social networks.

Now of those pastors who are actually active on a frequent basis on Facebook, the things they're posting seem to fall into two or three categories:

1. Updates that are personal in nature and let you know what's going on in the life of that individual. "Having coffee on the porch with my daughter, enjoying the sunset."

2. Updates that are fluffy and don't really say anything. (Posting Bible verses and interesting quotes - that belong to other people.)

3. Updates that look like billboard advertisements or cheers for the football time. "Going to be an awesome service tomorrow! You can't afford to miss it!"

Of course, there are those pastors that play Farmville, Mafia Wars or other Facebook games. (And as I said earlier, the pastors who just have a profile and don't post at all.)

So what is best?

If God called you to be a pastor, what do you suppose God expects of you in terms of Facebook? Does He even want you on Facebook in the first place? If so, how does He want you on Facebook? Are your Facebook posts Spirit-led? Should they be? Or is Facebook a place where a man (or woman) of God should just let their hair down and be real? Can you set your role as a pastor aside in some walks of life, such as on the golf course, at parties or on social networks?

I know this will come as a surprise to those who read me regularly, but I actually don't have a position to take on this one. I haven't come to a conclusion one way or the other. As you can tell though, I'm studying it. And I'm learning from my pastor friends and their Facebook posts.

While I'm thinking this through, I'm remembering the fact that pastors are called to be shepherds and care for the sheep. I'm wondering if any of them see Facebook as a tool to help them in that role. So far none of them seems to. Frankly, I think that's a bit odd.

Businesses, for example, are finding that social networks are great tools to better serve their customers - which has many of the same dynamics as caring for sheep. Could it be that Facebook would improve the effectiveness of a shepherd, called and anointed by God Himself, to feed and care for the sheep?

I'm going to keep studying this. But I can tell you now, I suspect there's a revelation in here somewhere! (And I'll let you know when I find it.)

Sermon Effectiveness

I heard a good sermon today at church. No really, it was a good sermon. "What," you may be asking, "is the definition of a good sermon?"

It might seem that what makes a sermon good could be found in the eyes of the beholder. In other words, the defining points could be subjective and vary from person to person.

But I don't really think it's that vague or ambiguous. It's much simpler than that. There are some basic tenets to a good sermon that should always be there. For starters, it should be truth that is being preached. We are to test everything against Scripture and verify that it is truthful. If it is, we are to hold on to it. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)

Of course from a practical perspective, a good sermon is delivered well. A monotone preacher who talks on and on or doesn't know how to make a point isn't going to get credit for a good sermon no matter what he has to say. So it's no surprise that people like preachers with charisma and charm. Perhaps a sense of humor and a quick wit are handy tools as well.

After hearing today's sermon, someone near me was talking about how much they enjoyed it and how good they thought it was. Out of curiosity, I asked what they thought made it a good sermon. They rattled off the expected responses. But then this individual said, "And when he speaks, I feel like I matter to him. It's like he cares about me, even though he doesn't know me and I'm one of hundreds in the audience." Wow. Was that a new factor in what makes sermons good?

I've blogged before about the travesty of sermons downloaded off the Internet. But there's a more important twist here that is being revealed. It's actually two simple truths that are really criteria for what makes a good sermon.

The first truth being revealed is that the sheep want to feel loved. It's been said that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care (about them). My own experiences in both business and ministry have affirmed this reality for me. The Bible tells us about being shepherds when we are preachers or ministry leaders. And truly the sheep want to know that they matter to the shepherd. It helps make whatever the shepherd is telling them sound somehow better.

Jesus said that if we love Him we are to feed His sheep. (John 21:15-17). Perhaps what He meant to say was that if we love Him we are to love His sheep (which would include feeding them).

The second truth being revealed is something that I've not yet heard anyone comment on. But I've noticed it in Scripture. And as I've listened to sermons, I also notice that it seems to be a common characteristic of sermons that I myself label as "good." Ezekiel 3:10-11 tells us that we must take God's words to heart before we can preach those words to others.

It seems that God's message(s) must sink deep into your own heart ... and show in your own life (actions) before you can effectively help others understand and apply the gospel in their lives. So it would seem that good preachers are not just conduits for information. Rather they are vessels that must digest and own the message before they can preach it in a good sermon.

So what's the conclusion here? It would seem that a good sermon has many characteristics. But once we get past the first criteria of truth, maybe the most relevant criteria for a good sermon are that the sheep matter to the shepherd and that the shepherd owns ... and lives the message.

Do you suppose they teach those two things at seminary or Bible colleges?

Do you suppose that people in today's churches listen well enough to discern those two things?

If they did, perhaps all sermons would be as good as the one I heard this morning.