Sheep Without a Shepherd

I’ve learned there are two primary reasons people get involved in a church plant prior to it launching. 

The first reason is that they have been so blessed by being a part of a healthy, wonderful, life-giving church that they want to replicate it in a new area. 

At their previous church, they had been loved, cared for, and well fed. They have been shepherded under the care of humble pastors, elders, and leaders who “exercise oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have them; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” (1Peter 5:2-3)

They have been faithfully taught God’s Word in a way that compels them to respond in faith and repentance by pastors who “reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2Timothy 4:2-3)

They have experienced gospel grace that frees them to confess sin and find healing and forgiveness, knowing “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1John 1:7)

They have been nurtured in an environment that “rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep” inside the body of Christ. (Romans 12:15)

They have enjoyed the harmony that results from diverse people laying down their personal preferences because they are “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

And they are humbled to be sent out by their church because they believe, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” They are willing to leave their comfort zone because the church has prayed for “Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2)

And then there are others. 

They have left their previous church because they have experienced the opposite of the things mentioned above. They may have experienced church hurt. They may be wounded. They may have even been harassed for attempting to instill healthier systems before they left. They may not believe healthy churches exist in their area, or maybe they just don’t feel safe enough to enter one. They may believe the safest thing would be to start one from scratch. 

But church planting is hard, and it requires people who are healthy and strong enough to carry the weight involved in getting it off the ground. So, no matter what church we attach ourselves to, there will be pain involved because there are people involved. 

If that is you, know that Jesus feels our pain. He knew God’s sheep surrounding him had experienced some pretty lousy shepherds. Reflecting on Ezekiel 34, where God announces, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” (Ezekiel 34:15-16), Jesus says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36-38)

Jesus is the great Shepherd of his sheep. He welcomes all who are harassed and need compassion, all who are helpless and in need of strength, all who are sheep and in need of a shepherd. 

I pray that all of our churches will open wide their doors with a welcome from Jesus, the helper to the harassed, the shepherd of his sheep, the Lord of the Harvest.