Shepherding Ministry Desciption: General Responsibilities for How To Shepherd God's People

Training Category: Shepherding Ministry
 

Shepherding Ministry Position:

The person engaged in shepherding ministry may be the pastor of a church, an elder in the church, a small group leader, a Sunday School or Bible study teacher, a discipler, a mentor, a parent, etc.
 

Shepherd Responsible To:

Anyone doing shepherding ministry is ultimately responsible to the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4).
 

Conditions for Serving as a Shepherd:

First and foremost, this person, also a sheep, must be part of God's flock through a personal relationship with the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Loving the Chief Shepherd is a primary qualification for tending to His sheep (Jn. 21:15-17).
 

Purpose of Shepherding Ministry:

Tending to the spiritual welfare of believers over the course of time by watching over, guiding, and nurturing them, is intended to help the sheep become more Christ-like.
 

General Ministry Responsibilities of a Shepherd:

(Scripture listed below may be that which uses the example of the Chief Shepherd or may speak specifically of certain shepherds and are used here as a pattern for all shepherds.)

  1. Loving the sheep:
    • Isa. 40:11; Jn. 10:14
       
  2. Serving the sheep:
    • 1 Pet. 5:2; 1 Thess. 2:7; Jn. 10:15
       
  3. Being an example to the sheep:
    • 1 Pet. 5:3; 1 Cor. 11:1
       
  4. Leading the sheep gently:
    • Isa. 40:11
       
  5. Equipping the sheep:
    • Phil. 1:9-10; Col. 3:16

The Chief Shepherd Provides a Shepherding Ministry Description

Also Read: Specific Shepherding Ministry Duties

The Shepherding Ministry Manual briefly comments on each of the above responsibilities. In addition to this content, the manual also guides you through a study on the qualifications that should be in "shepherds of God's flock" based in 1 Peter 5:1-4 and thus incorporated into their ministry description.

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