Leadership Matters (Part 6): Close Proximity

by Matt Rogers

“shepherd the flock of God that is among you.”
1 Peter 5:2
 
 

If an isolated sheep is a dead sheep, an isolated shepherd is a useless shepherd.
 
Among other things the role of a shepherd is to:

• Care for the sheep
• Protect sheep from harm
• Lead the sheep to food
• Discipline wayward sheep

You simply can’t do these things from a distance.
 
Think of the foolishness. A shepherd sitting on a hill miles away from the sheep. While his thoughts might be proper, his skill set intact, his resume packed, he can’t provide what a sheep needs from a distance.
 
The same is true of a pastor. He must be in close proximity to the sheep. He must know their hurts. He must know their wandering tendencies. He must know what is threatening them. He must walk the path with them.
 
Now, a word is in order about what I am not saying. I am not saying that the primary teacher of a gathered local church must be in close proximity to each of those that attend that gathering weekly. Once the size of the gathering exceeds about 150 people that is simply no longer possible. While his teaching can continue to provide general shepherding, he is not the one living in close proximity to many of the sheep.
 
This is why John Piper, Matt Chandler, or David Platt is not my pastor. I love these men. I listen to their teachings weekly.  They provide general instruction for my soul. But they are not in close proximity to me. They do not know me, nor I them. They can’t see my sin. They can’t correct me when in error. They can’t pastor me – They can teach me.
 
This is critical in a day when churches are growing larger, video venues are increasing, and mass evangelism is in vogue. While I have some reservations about many of these approaches, my primary concern lies in the area of pastoral proximity. 
 
I do not believe that the primary teacher on Sundays has to be personally shepherding each attendee, but I do believe that "a" shepherd has to be in close proximity to each sheep.
 
Stage communicators alone cannot do this. Video productions can’t do this. Deacon meetings can’t do this.
 
Shepherding happens when leaders get close to sheep over the long haul. Be it a biblically qualified small group leader, Sunday School teacher, or formal staff pastor, the local church needs fewer professionals and more shepherds. This is why maturing worshippers of Jesus should, and must, take responsibility to care for and shepherd a defined group of people. 

Unless this happens, while the church may have trained professionals, it may not have shepherds close enough to the sheep to actually do their primary job – shepherd the sheep.