A Word About Shepherding Groups
Dear Hope Church Family,
One of the touchstone passages that shapes and motivates our calling as elders is 1 Peter 5: 1-5, and the central, specific, and clear mandate is that we “shepherd the flock of God that is among us” (1 Peter 5:2). Shepherding, though perhaps a clunky and archaic term, is at the heart of the duties the elders fulfill on behalf of Hope Church. Our most earnest and deepest desire is that each member of Hope experiences not only the welcome, care, and oversight of the elders but also the welcome, care, and oversight of the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.
While discussions of shepherding can be aspirational and principle driven, the way that Peter describes it in this passage, to shepherd is primarily an action verb. It demands time, attention, pursuit, trust, and a personal connection. To move us beyond aspirations and descriptions, the Session assigns each member to a “Shepherding Group” overseen by at least three elders, and the elders take the lead in contacting and pursuing the members of the group, as Ruling Elder Delane Clark explains in the video below. It is always a two-way street, though. Members are encouraged to contact the shepherding elders with their needs and concerns, too.
The last little bit of the passage that Peter includes seems to help all of us: “clothe yourselves with humility, all of you.” Shepherds clothe themselves with the humility that they cannot be all things to all people all the time and are constantly pointing over their shoulders to the Chief Shepherd who will never let folks down. And sheep clothe themselves with humility by acknowledging that they need care and welcoming that care from the elders.
With such humility clothing all of us and such a Good Shepherd overseeing our nurture of each other, we are positioned to have a fighting chance at flourishing together!
Grace and peace,
David