A healthy church has a pastoral heart that creates a shepherding culture. This leads to a mentality that seeks to care for the people of God.
This post is part of a series looking at the five essential components of spiritually healthy churches. The posts are:
What is a Shepherding Heart?
We can define it as ‘cultivating Kingdom character and community through coaching, counselling, and care’. ‘Pastor’ means ‘shepherd’ and like a shepherd to his sheep, this ministry loves people, lives with them, watches them, cares for and tends to them, trains and challenges them, and knows how to walk with them through different life seasons. The goal is to see increased Christlikeness and sanctification due to this pastoral heart.
Why is a Shepherding Heart important?
People mature spiritually, breaking off sin and strongholds, and are able to feed themselves and others.
What does a healthy Shepherding Heart bring to a church?
- A Shepherding Heart reminds the apostolic that there are people in the mission.
- It keeps the prophetic attuned to people’s sensitivities.
- A Shepherding Heart shows the evangelist that discipleship is the goal, not conversion.
- It connects the teachers to the needs of the people.
What happens if a Shepherding Heart is lacking?
Without a healthy pastoral heart that looks to move people forward in spiritual maturity, the church becomes inward-looking, needs-focused and takes its eyes off the mission. People will not mature and grow the way they are intended to.
What helps develop a Shepherding Heart?
- A larger front door than a back door – more people join and stay than are leaving
- A pastoral council to share the pastoral caseload.
- Access to specialist/trained counsellors, whether internal or external.
- Inner healing and deliverance ministries.
- Robust, reliable small group network with some specifically pastorally focused.
- Groups/ministries for specific life seasons, such as children, youth, singles, parents groups etc.
- The influence of at least one fivefold pastor
Key Questions
How healthy is the Shepherding Heart of your church?
Is it shepherding, as in, helping people move onwards and upwards on a journey of spiritual growth and increasing Christlikeness?
Is it heartfelt, as in, a ministry served by leaders who genuinely love people and not those who are reluctant to walk with people through tough times?
What Next?
- Discover how the health of your current pastoral culture impacts other areas of your church by taking a FiveFold Culture Assessment.
- Learn how I help churches like yours define, grow and develop their pastoral ministry by going here.
- Consider my book ‘Keys to Church Health’ which looks at this area, and other related topics in greater detail by clicking here.
- Review the other Keys to Church Health by going here.
Hello,
For 14 years I was the director of a follow-up ministry based on the Jethro-Moses model in Exodus. We appointed faithful couples committed to ministry and God’s people over geographical regions called zones. When a member joined they we added to one of these regions mainly based on location. Quarterly we had zone fellowships and quarterly we met with the lead pastor to discuss the spiritual condition of each zone.
Recently the Lord moved my family to another state where we joined a church and immediately became part of their leadership team. This church was struggling with follow-up and I was afforded the opportunity to start a follow-up ministry. After a year of trying to launch this ministry it was apparent to me the lead pastor was not ready to prioritize this ministry. His model of ministry was based on you being able to recruit members. Because of the sensitive nature of follow-up, and the fact it required faithful, trustworthy, and descreet leadership, I asked for commitment from, elders, ministers, and deacons, people who already had a pastoral calling. Our lead pastor said no to this concept stating that they were too busy doing other things.
Simultaneously, I had formed a team of 3 couples, including my wife and conducted a training. I asked the lead pastor to give us 15 families whom he felt we disenfranchised and we would spend the next 3 months reaching out to them. After a year we never received those families.
The Lord spoke to me a said it was time to move on. That I would never fulfill my mission at this church. I met with the lead pastor letting him know that my wife and I weren’t the right fit for his leadership team and that we were moving on.
Since then, I have become more clear of my mission and seek to connect with others who see what I see the Lord doing in the church.
I feel the Lord’s return is sooner than we know and He wants to return for a church without spot or wrinkle.
I feel the Lord is not pleased with churches that are not intentionally accountable to the souls He sends us.
I feel the Lord wants to see true shepherding happens in our churches as Jesus would leave the 99 to go after the one lost soul.
I feel that the Lord wants to deepen the church’s accountability by educating those being drawn to Christ and His church. Helping them to discern where to lay their membership based on knowing the right questions to ask.
I feel that visitors often become members of church based on emotion due to their immaturity in Christ and I believe that discerning member can be a more productive member.
I believe the world rejects the church because of it’s lack of accountability and commitment to serving their community.
In conclusion, I have a burden to prepare the church for the shaking that is coming so that we can stand strong in the Lord and not be moved.
Thank you for reading this and please pray that God will connect me with people and resources to carry out this mission.
With the love of Christ,
Michael Brown
“Trust in the Lord with all.your heart, and lean not to tour own understanding.”