Sullivan Baptist Association

Anderson, Lynn.  1997.  They Smell like Sheep.  West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing.

Principles for equipping like Jesus:*

1. Frequent and long-term contact with those he equipped (Anderson 1997, 102).
2. Warm and loving relationships with his trainees (Anderson 1997, 104).
3. Honest exposure of emotions (Anderson 1997, 104).
4. A variety of shared-life experiences (Anderson 1997, 109).
5. A life of integrity – they saw consistency between his teachings and behavior.  Jesus usually demonstrated the behavior first, then explained it (Anderson 1997, 113).
6. Jesus balanced time between problem people and possibility people.  Some people are in a healthier position to be allies in ministry rather than purely objects of ministry (Anderson 1997, 116).

SHEPHERD*

The shepherd metaphor shows up more than five hundred times in Scripture, across both Old and New Testaments.  Without question, the dominant biblical model for spiritual leadership is the shepherd and flock.  If we want to understand the biblical model for leadership, we must embrace the concept of shepherd (Anderson 1997, 12).

TRUST*

This is the essence of spiritual leadership: sheep following a shepherd because they know and trust him.  This kind of trust and allegiance can be gained only one way – by a shepherd touching his sheep, carrying them, handling them, tending them, feeding them – to the extent that he smells like them (Anderson 1997, 17).

TRUST*, MODEL*

Good spiritual shepherds today imitate the Chief Shepherd.  Like him, they attract flocks through loving service and authentic relationships.  Like him, they feed and protect their flocks.  They know their flocks and their flocks know them.  They are trusted as men and women who are committed enough to put their lives on the line, daily, for the precious people they lead (Anderson 1997, 17).

MODEL*

After modeling shepherd leadership, Jesus passed the model on to the apostles.  Three times in one brief conversation, Jesus charged Peter (possibly as a representative of the entire apostolate): “Feed my lambs, Take care of my sheep, and Feed my sheep.  By implication he is saying, “Adopt my spiritual leadership style” (Anderson 1997, 18).

Later, he told the Father, “As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them” (John 17:18).  One would find it hard to believe that after three years of watching Jesus and being coached by him – and now commissioned by him – that these twelve men would invent new leadership strategies.  Jesus had modeled the shepherd style of leadership, and this is what they used in their lives and modeled to others (Anderson 1997, 18).

RELATIONSHIPS*

The shepherding model revolves around the relationship between the shepherd and his flock.  It is not a figure of strong over weak or “lords” over servants.  Quite the contrary.  The shepherd figure is one of love, service, and openness (Anderson 1997, 19).

He expounded on how the shepherd builds a relationship with his sheep – how he feeds them and gently cares for them.  He pointed out that the shepherd doesn’t drive the sheep but leads them, and that the shepherd does not need to be harsh with them, because they hear his voice and follow.  And so on… (Anderson 1997, 29).

trust ,commitment*, ENVIRONMENT*

Church leaders who shepherd well will foster congregational infrastructures that leave them plenty of time and opportunity for flock-building.  A good deal of their leadership will be hands-on and personal – for this is how flocks are formed.  The shepherd and flock relationship eloquently implies at least three qualities of spiritual leadership: availability, commitment, and trust.  This is how spiritual flocks are formed today (Anderson 1997, 23).

TRUST

In a society where trust is rarely extended or deserved, the “shepherd” style of leadership – by its very nature – inspires trust.  God’s design fosters trust in church leaders and nurtures loyalty between church members (Anderson 1997, 27).

COMMITMENT*

When the lives of leaders are invested in the lives of sheep, the sheep come to know and trust their voices.  This is what Jesus meant when he said that a shepherd’s sheep “follow him because they know his voice” (Anderson 1997, 26).

INTRODUCTION FOR DISSERTATION*

You must decide whether or not you will design your life after the pattern of Jesus, or design your life around the best thinking the world has to offer (Gene Wilkes in Anderson 1997, 28).

BUSINESS V CHRISTIAN SL*, TEACHING*

Many churches…tend to emphasize Bible knowledge to the neglect of the actual skills required to do ministry.  Teaching tends to focus on “what to believe” rather than on “how to serve” (Anderson 1997, 83).

Chapter 1

BUSINESS V CHRISTIAN SL*, FALSE LEADER*

Modern-day hirelings are the kind of leaders who abandon the sheep to save themselves.  Some hireling “church leaders” desire the leadership position only to garner power or visibility for themselves, but when the role requires time-consuming counseling or elicits uncomfortable criticism, they “abandon the sheep and run away.”  Others, under pressure, do the “organizationally expedient” thing in order to personally dodge the wolves and save their own reputational skin, and in so doing, leave the flock vulnerable and scattered (Anderson 1997, 31).

The distorted CEO model works mostly behind closed, boardroom doors – making decisions, tapping gavels, dispatching memos, and announcing edicts: “Its policy.  And that’s that!” (Anderson 1997, 35).

The proof that the CEO model doesn’t work is in the absence of a following, for this kind of leader has no flock (Anderson 1997, 36).

How do you get sheep smell on you when you don’t touch them – except for a handshake and some quick words in the aisle Sunday morning? (Anderson 1997, 40).

MENTOR*

To provide for the mentoring needs of their local community of faith, the leaders must be intentional, continually expanding the circle of mentors by equipping others to mentor (Ephesians 4:11-12) (Anderson 1997, 54).

EQUIPPING*

Too many churches seem to lose people out the back door at least as fast as they come in the front.  Why?  The problem may not always be cold welcomes or irrelevant programs.  Often the real villain is ineffective assimilation – failure to usher new members into the heart of the church and make them feel at home and failure to help them use their gifts.  Ineffective assimilation, in turn, can be traced almost directly to inadequate equipping… (Anderson 1997, 78).

GROWTH, CORPORATE*

God wants the church to grow in at least three directions:

• Numerically
• Spiritually
• Organically (Anderson 1997, 84).

DELEGATION*

Leaders must:

• Delegate meaningful tasks to others, who
• Have spiritual gifts and passions suited to those tasks, then
• Equip them with skills to do those ministry tasks (Anderson 1997, 85).

MOTIVATION*

Many gifted but inactive Christians ride the pews of nearly every congregation – just waiting to be challenged.  They will not feel challenged, however, by busywork assignments that give the superficial appearance of “involvement.”  But they can and will become and remain excited if they are involved in the congregation’s ministry dream and given opportunities to exercise their own unique giftedness – and to be difference makers (Anderson 1997, 85).

DISCIPLESHIP*, EQUIPPING*

Good equippers do it like Jesus did it: recruit twelve, graduate eleven, and focus on three (Anderson 1997, 88).

Jesus, though fully God, was also fully human with the physical, social, and emotional limitations that go along with being human.  And rather than spreading himself so thin that his relationships drifted to the shallows and his own health eroded, Jesus calmly, systematically devised an effective game plan: He would equip others to accomplish the ministry.  He structured the number and intimacy of his relationships into manageable configurations (Anderson 1997, 90).

DEVELOPING LEADERS*

Strikingly, at the end of his ministry, Jesus reported to his Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).  When Jesus said, “I have completed the work,” he could not have meant that his “salvation work” was done.  His salvation work was to be done on the Cross.  Rather, John 17 must refer to some work he had done on earth between John 9 and 17.  Apparently, Jesus meant that he had completed the work of equipping his disciples, because he explains toward the end of his prayer, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18) (Anderson 1997, 98).

DEVELOPING OTHERS*

Equipping calls for consistent investment of time in another person’s life and patience as that person appears, at times, to barely crawl up the learning curve.  It also calls for vulnerability and openness – and intentional effort.  The rewards, however, are immeasurable; it brings spiritual fulfillment to both the equipper and the equipped; it expands the ministry capacity of your church.  Best of all, when you equip a fellow believer for ministry, you give God pleasure (Anderson 1997, 99).

MODELING*PERSUASION*,

Example is not the main thing in persuading others; it’s the only thing (Albert Schweitzer) (Anderson 1997, 122).

TEACHING*

The man who is experienced with the Word has assimilated the Bible into his life, so that his teaching serves up life resources and strength to others.  A teaching elder opens himself to his flock.  As he teaches, we can sense whether or not he is approachable or wise (Anderson 1997, 141).

COURAGE*

He is not threatened by group pressure or intimidated by public opinion.  He is not swayed by hope of personal gain nor led astray by his own desire for prominence or power – not even by his own hunger to be liked – nor do his insecurities cause him to wither under fire.  He is far more concerned about the needs of the flock than about avoiding criticisms from his denomination or his fellows.  He will never, ever knowingly hurt an individual in order to ingratiate himself with the group (Anderson 1997, 165).

VISION

The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision (Helen Keller) (Anderson 1997, 168).

CHURCH VISION

Today’s church calls for leaders who beyond their headlights and who design churches for people “who aren’t here yet,” rather than defending models designed long ago to reach those who have long since come and gone and who don’t live here any more (Anderson 1997, 170).

Today’s spiritual shepherds who authentically care for their flocks sometimes face a similar dilemma.  The survival of the flock, especially of the young and the weak, depends on some changes that older rams and ewes find painful.  They resist.  But if the shepherds are willing to “smell like lambs,” if they will carry the young on their shoulders and boldly lead the way to the heights and the greener pastures, they can eventually gain a following from the older sheep.  In many cases, this difficult adjustment may be the only way for the flock to flourish – even to survive (Anderson 1997, 171).

FORESIGHT

Churches of our new environment call for a at least some cross-culturally aware leaders who appreciate the force of today’s pluralistic, ever-changing profile.  Most church leaders confront a variety of educational backgrounds, age levels, cultural differences, socioeconomic strata, and even theological perspectives.  What is more, contemporary churches – especially those in urban areas – are constantly adding new “constituencies.”  These churches need elders who discern the diverse worldviews this patchwork of constituencies brings to their pews.  They will shepherd more effectively if they can stay in touch with the new issues and challenges that pluralism throws down in their path (Anderson 1997, 172).

Few of today’s believers will be content to make their faith journey in a church whose leaders set the thing on autopilot in the 1970’s and who have not been back to the cockpit since (Anderson 1997, 173).