Caring for The Flock

I work at a church. I love it and hate it all at the same time. I love it because it involves serving Jesus and loving people all the time... and being USED by God. I hate it because of the reputation it carries with some people and because of the constant expectations of a church-staff-member that I can't live up to.

I sometimes try to think about what my "job description" is. I don't really know. My official title: children's minister. My unofficial title has come to include the youth minister as well. So, I plan stuff for the kids at church. But, what does that really mean?

I don't know. I think my "job" involves a lot of things, though. One of these things is caring for the flock. People come to the churches in America to consume something... to have their own needs met. I don't like when Christians are only concerned with consuming and coming into a church building to get something out of it. I think Christians should be participating in what God is doing, should be actively serving, should be bringing the love of Christ to the people in their communities. However, my bitterness towards this consuming Christian mindset has probably gone too far. I suspect that a balance between most any two things is probably the right place to be and I think that it goes the same for the contributing-participating mindsets.

People NEED to participate to grow, to love, to live out the Great Commission. Although, people NEED to consume, too, to heal, to rest, to grow and to learn. I think my job might be to find a balance here and create an environment that seeks to meet both needs.

So, in learning more about that...I have found the Bible has some good stuff to say, as usual. Ezekiel 34 talks about shepherds and sheep. I suggest you go and read this, especially if you have any leadership in any ministry. 1 Peter 5 talks about shepherding the flock... the elders, the leaders are the ones caring for the sheep. And many places in Acts have great insight into caring for a church body... and what that church body should look like. So much to learn...