Shepherding Ministry: Who are the Shepherds?
Who can or should be shepherds in the church involved in Shepherding Ministry?
Shepherding can happen at various levels, by people in different roles, and in different ways.
Ideally the shepherd would have the gift of pastor but everyone can do the work of shepherding. Elders of a church and parents must especially work at it if they are not so gifted as it is part of their God-given responsibility to shepherd those entrusted to them (1 Pet. 5:1-4; Eph. 6:4). But, shepherding can happen through a number of venues or persons:
Click on one of the venues below to take you to training on that means of shepherding.
- discipleship strategies
- elders
- equipping ministry
- mentoring relationships
- ministry teams
- parents
- pastors
- small groups
- Sunday School teachers
- support groups
While each of the above may not be a primary shepherding ministry, they do involve an aspect of it and the person may take his/her role beyond to a deeper investment into the lives and spiritual welfare of those to whom he/she is ministering.
The Shepherding Ministry Manual provides input on each of the above shepherding venues as it relates to shepherding along with some questions for further evaluation and reflection. Click on the link to learn more and order it.