Protecting the Young Church
The church planter must have the heart of a true shepherd that Jesus described in John chapter ten. To the hired man it is just a job – he has no love for the sheep, no relationship with them, no sense of responsibility. He doesn’t care if the sheep are scattered as long as he is comfortable. But a true shepherd cannot rest while the sheep are in danger, and will fight to protect them, even at the risk of his own safety (Jn. 10:12-13). In a well-established church a “hireling” may coast along for a time, since the mature sheep may have learned to detect danger and defend themselves to some extent. But he that would shepherd a newly-planted, developing ministry must watch for the souls of his flock, recognizing that to the “Chief Shepherd” he must give an account (see Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; Heb. 13:17). Tender lambs are easy prey for the enemy.
The faithful shepherd will protect the sheep personally from the natural enemies of the believer – the world, the flesh and the devil. Although sheep are ultimately responsible for the consequences of the decisions they make, the shepherd does have a responsibility (Heb 13.17). He must be vigilant in watching over the sheep and faithfully warn them when they are in danger. He must be diligent in teaching “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:20, 27). A balanced diet of Scripture will help them clearly see the path, quickly return to it when they get off track, and continuously learn how to walk in God’s way (2 Tim. 3:16). The shepherd must himself be walking in fellowship with God so that he will have the discernment and sensitivity to the needs of the sheep that only the Holy Spirit can give.
The faithful shepherd will protect the sheep from potential disasters that can occur when the flock meets together publicly. The wolves of which Paul warned (Acts 20:29-30) can take a variety of forms.
The shepherd must lead the flock to both adopt and operate under adequate foundational documents. The articles of faith and constitution are the charts that will keep the developing flock on course. Future pastors may have different beliefs or ideas about how things should be run, but a firm commitment to following the church’s documents will provide safety and stability for the church as it moves forward.
He must carefully guard the sheep from false teaching. It is his job to ensure that both the message and the ministry (yes, and even the music) remain true to sound Bible doctrine.
The shepherd must be on the lookout for seeds of disunity or roots of bitterness that may crop up in the flock. He must faithfully protect the rest by being willing to deal with the one who insists on causing division (Rom. 16:17-18).
He must lead the flock to carefully follow sound financial procedures that will help avoid fraud, abuse, misunderstanding and accusations along the way. More than one church has had their candle snuffed out by carelessness.
He should insist that the flock implement safety policies which will protect both the people and the testimony of the church from accidental or intentional abuse. One pastor backed off when he met some resistance to the establishment of some safety guidelines, only to have an incident occur in the months that followed. It was only when the church’s ministry and testimony were seriously threatened that the church got serious about protecting the sheep. (Editor’s Note: Take advantage of the free material on this subject available at http://www.churchplantingna.org/resources).
Let the church-planting pastor take seriously the protecting nature of the shepherd’s job. When reporting to the Chief Shepherd, may each one be able to follow his example, saying, “Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost” (Jn. 17:12).