In the development of missionary churches it is necessary for those who are laboring as pastors to not “lord it over” the sheep. Scripture is very emphatic on this point. Christ says,
42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:42-45)
Peter reflected on this in his first letter,
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. (1 Peter 5:2-4)
Our pastoral work is to be modeled after the chief shepherd, Jesus Christ, who is humble, gentle, and lowly. Hence those who are in the position of being pastors in churches in foreign fields as well as those who work with them as missionaries must have these essential qualifications. Without such we become those who scatter the flock and hurt the church of Christ. When we read a passage such as Ezekiel 34 we should tremble:
Irresponsible Shepherds
34 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, says the Lord God, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! 10 Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.
God, the True Shepherd
11 For thus says the Lord God: Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. 16 I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment. (Ezekiel 34)
It is the desire of WBM that we help those who are true pastors of Christ’s flock, and be an instrument in the Great Shepherd’s hand to “seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick.”
We must question those movements and leaders which “lord it over” believers in areas of Christian freedom, where we have no clear Scriptural commands. There have been such movements even today in such groups as the Shepherding Movement. While not agreeing with everything found in the following articles, they may be helpful to understand the abuse of ecclesiastical power:
The Dominion Experiment: The Shepherding/Discipleship Movement. By Robin Arnaud
The Other Side of Discipleship. By Lawrence A. Pile
Posted on February 26th, 2007 by Rev. Eric Bristley
Filed under: Missions, Eastern Europe
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