Jump Start # 3619

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.”

One of the special things that our congregation provides is daily features on social platforms. This blog, Jump Starts, is released Monday thru Friday. In addition, there are three podcasts, “Heaven Bound,” that are broadcast every week. And, another daily footprint we have on social media are our “Quick Quotes.” These are short, pithy statements intended to make us think and help us with our focus. All of these items can be found on our website, as well as other social media outlets.

Recently, one of our Quick Quotes said, “A good leader was once a good follower.” I want to give some thought to that statement.

First, a good leader understands what it is like to follow. Understanding that will help him in his leadership. No one wants to be screamed at. Demands and threats, may bring results, but they also bring resentment. Leaders come in all sizes and they are found throughout life. The work place could be made better if leaders had the heart of a follower. Position and power destroy many leaders.

Two important aspects for us to consider is both the home and the church. Sometimes parents forget what it is like being a child. Kids make mistakes. They’ll spill the milk, forget what you told them, and don’t think very deeply. Wanting a child to reason and behave like an adult is unfair and unfortunate, because it won’t work. Can you remember being a child? I remember practicing bowling in our house with my brothers, the bowling ball knocked over a table, a lamb and nearly went through a picture window. Hitting a foul ball in the back yard, and the baseball broke a basement window. You have to understand, we lived next to a school yard. We had a big field to play ball in. No, we’d play next to the house in our backyard. Learning grownup principles such as saving money, telling the truth, being responsible and thinking beyond yourself takes time and patience. Parents, remember? You were once a child.

But this is also true within the church. There are mature Christians and those who are learning. We can forget about the silly questions we asked in a Bible class just to get attention and make others laugh. Coming in at the last second, when others were waiting for us, unsure whether we’d make it time for us to do what we were supposed to do that day. Patience and growth helped us mature.

A good leader understands what it is like to follow.

Second, a good leader continues to follow. This is where our Quick Quote breaks down. It seems to imply that a good leader once followed, but now he doesn’t. Not sure I buy into that. A good leader is always learning, growing and by that he is following. As a disciple, we never stop following.

This brings a thought that many elders or shepherds forget and it is something that is missing from the good shepherd concepts of John 10. In John, Jesus brings the shepherd/sheep idea to what He was doing with His disciples. Jesus was the good shepherd. Jesus knows the sheep. He calls them by name. He goes before them. The sheep listen to His voice. The sheep follow. We can see this picture in our minds of a shepherd and the sheep. But, the one mistake in this analogy is that a shepherd is a human and the sheep are animals. The human was always a human and the sheep are always animals. In the kingdom of Christ, those that shepherd God’s flock not only once were sheep, they are still sheep. They now wear two hats. The hat of the sheep and the hat of the shepherd.

As the sheep need protection, guidance and help, so does God’s shepherds today. They need this because they are still sheep. The eldership oversees the individual shepherd. The eldership guides the individual shepherd. And, the individual shepherd must be subject to the eldership. He cannot act independent of them, because he is a shepherd. There can not be two sets of rules, one for the sheep and another for the leaders.

There are so many powerful books in the business world about connecting, leading, confrontations, communication, influence, that today’s shepherds need to go through and consider. This is not an attempt to run the church like a business, not at all. But, there are many parallels about dealing with people that would help the shepherd in the kingdom today. Growing, learning and doing better, must be within the heart of a shepherd.

Third, those that lead with kindness and compassion, develop wonderful relationships with those they are guiding. Neglect, abuse and dysfunction, be it in the home or the church, cripples relationships and stunts the growth that could have taken place.

A good leader remembers that he is a follower.

Roger