When the Bible talks about leadership, it often uses the image of shepherding. A shepherd with his flock implies all the things we normally associate with leadership (like management, authority, and so on), but it also implies aspects of relationship that are unique to the church (provision, protection, and intensely personal care).
One of the major problems in ancient Israel was bad leadership, bad “shepherding.” (See Ezekiel 34 for the classic text against bad shepherds.)
The Heart of the Problem
God is the all-sufficient provider and protector of His people. He is our shepherd (Ps. 23). Jesus is the “great shepherd of the sheep” because of what He did on the cross, saving us from sin and death. When leaders fail to point God’s people to God’s sufficiency, people “wander.”
Zechariah 10:1-2 Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. [In other words, Go to God for all your needs!] 2 For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
Idolatry happens when we love and depend on other things, people and experiences more than God. Idolatry displaces God. In Zechariah’s day, the country had an idolatry problem and none of the leaders corrected it. They promoted the ancient Jewish rituals, but the people remained “afflicted” because their leaders were not helping them to trust in God. Bad leaders might succeed at many things, but they fail at the most important thing, helping their flock to set their hearts fully on Christ and His Gospel.
Four Common Corruptions
Bad leadership is condemned all through the prophets. Here are the basic corruptions that made God angry during this sad period of biblical history:
1. Bad shepherds use people for their own comfort
Zechariah 11:5 Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them.
It’s strange to see the words “buy” and “sell” in the context of religious leadership, but the bad shepherds of ancient Israel treated God’s people like a commodity. And then they praised God for their success. (As a sidebar to this point, bad leaders measure their success, and they assess God’s blessing, by all the wrong evidence. Large and increasing numbers of people, high enthusiasm, emotions, life change, and invitations to teach their methodology – these are not useful measurements, but these tend to be the “proof” that bad leaders depend on.)
Bad shepherds use people. Americans today, especially young Americans, are turned-off by “organized religion” because they’ve seen so much abuse of power. Church leaders are famous for caring more for themselves than for God’s sheep. This is not a new problem.
Isaiah 56:10-12 His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. 12 “Come,” they say, “let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.”
In this passage, Isaiah confronts lazy leaders who care inordinately about their own comfort instead of taking care of the sheep. It’s important to understand that we all define “gain” differently. Comfort might be money, fame, the absence of criticism by surrounding myself with yes-men, an easy lifestyle, or a reputation of impressive intelligence, cultural relevance, or leadership savvy. These comforts are ministry killers.
While many leaders are workaholics, laziness and gluttony are real problems for people in ministry (“loving to slumber…a mighty appetite”). Paul explains what good ministry looks like…
Colossians 1:28-29 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Ezekiel 34:1-3 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
2. Bad shepherds do not feed the sheep
Jeremiah 3:14-15 Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Part of what shepherds must do is feed people with knowledge and understanding.
D.A. Carson in his book, The Gagging of God, says, “There is non-negotiable, biblical, intellectual content to be proclaimed. By all means insist that this content be heralded with conviction and compassion; by all means seek the unction of the Spirit; by all means try to think through how to cast this content in ways that engage the modern secularist. But when all the footnotes are in place, my point remains the same: the historic gospel is unavoidably cast as intellectual content that must be taught and proclaimed.”
Paul sets the example of “feeding.” He knew that God’s people are protected by church leaders who pass on knowledge. Very clearly, godly leaders impart truth, and they confront our resistance to truth.
2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…
1 Timothy 6:20-21 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
2 Timothy 1:13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 4:1-4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Good shepherds do a lot more than facilitate discussions. They know the Bible, they know their sheep, they help their sheep to understand the Bible, and they confront error (both doctrinal error and the deceptions in our hearts). This cannot be done from a distance (pulpit or TV only); it requires personal interaction. It’s interesting to me how often I will preach on a subject without understanding it. I think I understand it, and by God’s grace the words are often true, but as I go back and read my sermons from years ago I can see many things that came out of my mouth that my heart was clueless about. (It must be very difficult to be married to a preacher, a professional hypocrite.)
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
If this is true for the preacher, certainly this is true for all of us. It is not uncommon to preach on a subject and receive a teary thank-you after the service from someone who goes home to completely forget it. One of the most fun responsibilities of a pastor is helping people to apply what they’ve learned from the pulpit. It’s amazing to watch a person suddenly understand something that he thinks he’s known all his life. I’ve always read 1 Corinthians 13, I’ve even memorized it. But now I see that I should actually love my wife in this way! We desperately need other Christians to help us untangle our sin-sick hearts. Good shepherding cannot be done from a distance. We are “prone to wander” as the old hymn says, and we need good shepherds to know us and feed us the truth.
People resist this reality because we frankly don’t believe the doctrine of original sin. But the Bible is clear that we naturally “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off…” and we need good shepherds to bring us back to good pastures.
3. Bad shepherds have a shallow relationship with God
Jeremiah 10:21 For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the LORD; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.
Libby and I tell our kids not to use the word “stupid,” but I have to admit that sometimes it’s the only word that works. Here’s an example of stupidity that runs rampant in the American church today. Leaders can spend a lot of time reading Good to Great and never studying the one Book that can make a serious difference in people’s lives. I enjoyed Good to Great, but the point here is to affirm that God has revealed Himself in the Bible. The words of the Bible have unparalleled power. Leaders can research trends, study culture, learn to contextualize, become experts in relational dysfunctions, but the real question is: Does this man/woman inquire of the LORD?
The reason people don’t inquire of the LORD is because they’re not impressed by God’s glory or grace. Imagine the danger of such leaders. They are not in awe, they want a quick fix, so they run to the business world or the self-help bookshelf instead of inquiring of the Lord. I appreciate John Piper’s correction, “Brothers, we are not professionals.” As leaders, we need to constantly return to the Word of God as the most significant way to figure out what to do.
I attended a conference last week and it was interesting to me that the speaker did not even bring a Bible. Can you imagine? This guy was a well-known expert in small group ministry.
Tim Keller: “Most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent, and the successful. But what you most need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus’ costly grace. The number one leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses…; the most easily without bitterness; the most publicly and the most joyfully. They know their standing isn’t based on their performance.”
Good leaders are humble, joyful Gospel people. And they become that way because they are Bible people. Good leaders inquire of God, they meditate on God’s Word as a primary and central habit. The Bible is the primary text for their teaching; the Bible sets the agenda for their ministry.
When we stray from God we’re usually attracted to leaders who make us feel good, but what we need is leaders who know Jesus. She might be socially awkward, ugly, stuttering, monotone, whatever, but if this person knows the Bible, nothing else matters. Seriously.
Spiritual maturity is hard to assess. We are all very good actors and our sin is entrenched and deceptive. It takes time to get to the bottom of a person to see if the Bible is there. But healthy churches do whatever it takes to identify and equip good leaders.
4. Bad shepherds do not have compassion for the lost/sick/straying
Eze 34:4-6 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. 6 My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
Good shepherds watch over God’s people in order to come alongside the “weak…sick…injured…straying…lost.” A “sheep” who “strays” is a powerful metaphor for spiritually weak and injured people.
Without good leaders, we stray. We get hurt (“…they became food for all the wild beasts…”). When we wander spiritually, we are in grave danger to two primary dangers: our sin nature and demonic influences. Good leaders see these dangers and they bring us back to God and His Gospel where we find real provision and protection.
Good leaders are people-lovers. It’s easy to lead organizations filled with eager, healthy people. Good leaders have compassion for messed up people.
Ezekiel 34:8-10 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:10 Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds…
Jeremiah 50:6-7 My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. 7 All who found them have devoured them…
Self-Assessment
As I examine myself as a leader, I find these five questions to be very convicting:
- Do I have the sacrificial attitude of Christ and the hard work of Paul, or am I lazy? Do I use people or ministry for my own gain? Am I addicted to the “rush” of church power?
- Do I feed people God’s Word? Do they understand the Bible, particularly the Gospel, and do they hunger for and live under the authority of God’s Word?
- Do I “inquire” of God or do I look primarily elsewhere for leadership ideas or “relevance?” Do I regularly explain what God has said, or do I use Bible verses to prove what I want to say?
- Do I feel compassion for lost/sick/straying people or do I see them as irritations or barriers to fun ministry? Is my ministry filled with broken, grace-filled, patient leaders or pretty, healthy, stupid leaders?
- Am I flirting with the edge with any of these questions? Does Ezekiel 34 disturb me or can I find ways to harden my heart against it? Would my congregation define our leadership in this way without prompting?
John Piper: “Spiritual leadership is aimed not so much at directing people as it is at changing people. If we would be the kind of leaders we ought to be, we must make it our aim to develop persons rather than dictate plans. You can get people to do what you want, but if they don’t change in their heart you have not led them spiritually. You have not taken them to where God wants them to be.”
