The Making of a Biblical Leader: 10 Principles for Leading Others WellSample

A Leader Is: A Shepherd

Daniel Fusco

“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers” (1 Peter 5:2 NKJV).

Peter begins with great force when he speaks of leading like a shepherd.

Now, the shepherding metaphor was common in their culture, but it’s not so common today. The Jewish people were known primarily as shepherds. Remember, toward the end of the book of Genesis, Joseph kept the children of Israel away from the Egyptians because the Egyptians looked down upon shepherds (Genesis 46:33-34). David, the great warrior king, was a shepherd. He was tending his father’s flocks when Samuel arrived to anoint one of Jessie’s sons as the next king of Israel. David also told of how he protected sheep from both lions and bears.

The job of a shepherd is to protect, to feed, to nurture, and to care for those who are entrusted to them. Really, the best picture of biblical leadership is a servant. To be a servant leader is to be a shepherd.

We must remember that any word picture is bound to have imperfections. A human shepherd with actual sheep is not exactly the same as a pastor or leader who is caring for other humans. Yet, although imperfect, this is still a great picture for us because our job as biblical leaders is to care for people. Whether we run a business or lead a church, our job is not only to be productive, or profitable, or popular. Our job is to nurture people. That is biblical leadership—nurturing people.

So the simple question for us, the litmus test for our leadership, is this: Are people being cared for, nurtured, fed, and matured under our leadership?

Now, don’t miss that we are exhorted to “shepherd the flock of God which is among you.” This really challenged me, and I hope you hear Peter’s challenge. Looking over my years in leadership, I have found myself not always focusing on who was actually in front of me. At times, I was trying to shepherd the flock who used to be there. Or the flock who I wished was among me. Or someone else’s flock. I have not always been satisfied or content to focus on the people who are right in front of me. So Peter’s exhortation hits home for me.

Are you doing that? We are to shepherd the flock that is among us presently, and we are to do it faithfully.

To be a shepherd, we need to be present with the people right in front of us. This can be a great challenge because leaders are constantly being asked to look ahead and lead. So even as we seek to forecast and evolve with all the challenges and changes of leadership, we must commit to being present with the people entrusted to us.