Faithful shepherds

I'm blessed to be part of a team of pastors - 5 of us - who work together to shepherd our church. Two of us have been working together now for 13 years; a third has 11 years on the team. I look up to the other 4 men as strong, godly men, feeling no qualms about trusting their leadership and being accountable to them as my pastors.

Most of the time being a pastor is a joyful thing. You get to watch as the flock discovers, often together, sometimes one sheep at a time, this incredible ride we call the Christian life. But there are also times when I'd rather be doing anything else.

That's because as a pastor you get connected with people and their lives, especially those you saw come into the family by faith in Christ. You learn to hurt when they hurt as well as rejoice when they rejoice. The truly hard part of the job, however, is when a part of the body decides it's time to go a different direction. Like a physical body, joints can be separated and muscles torn. And it hurts.

When there is hurt in the body, often the pastors are perceived as the inflictors of the pain. Even when they genuinely seek to find restoration and reconciliation between members, and bend over backwards to follow the Word and show grace and patience, they often get the blame. And that hurts even more.

But sometimes it's true: no pain, no gain. My good friend and fellow blogger (see my link to The View), Roger Blackmore reminds us that Jesus compared the church to a vine that on occasion must be pruned by the Father. The end result and purpose of the pruning is always to give health and growth to the vine. But that doesn't make it any less painful.

So, to my pastors I say, "Thanks for your willingness to do what you believe is right to protect the flock. Although you'll often be misunderstood and misrepresented, your conviction to speak the truth in love and grace when it's necessary makes me proud to call you my pastors."