Dec 14, 2011

Recently I received a package in the mail from my publisher. I was a little perplexed thinking that it was a new book for me to review. However, when I opened it I was pleasantly surprised to see The Shepherd Leader with a completely new cover. “What is this?” I thought. Enclosed was a note that explained that what I was holding in my hands was the first Indian edition of The Shepherd Leader published in Hyderabad, India, by Authentic books. This edition is in English but will be marketed in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. How humbling it is to see the Lord using this work. Of course, every flock of Christ everywhere needs shepherds who will care for them. Please pray with me that the Lord will use The Shepherd Leader in these nations for his glory.

Nov 28, 2011

How can you grow in your mutual knowledge as a couple? It requires that we practice the principle of presence. As you think about it, a clear evidence of the Lord’s relationship with his people has been his presence among them. In the very beginning, the Lord walked in the garden with the first couple.
After the Fall, the Lord ordered the construction of the tabernacle complete with its sacrificial system so that he could be present with his sinful people, and they not be consumed. The temple represented his gracious presence among them as well. The consummate evidence of his determination to be with his people was the coming of Immanuel, God with us. It is through the incarnate Son of God that we can know the Lord. In your relationship with your wife, you must be present with her. You must spend time with her. Remember all the time that you spent with her when you were trying to win her over? What has happened since then? You must set aside dedicated time regularly to be with your wife to grow deeper in mutual knowledge. When you are there, BE THERE. When you go out to eat do you turn your cell phone off? Please do so and give the wife of your youth your full, undistracted attention.

Nov 21, 2011

As promised here are some thoughts on knowing your family.

Knowing is a shepherding function that has its roots in the mutual knowledge that at the heart of every relationship. Jesus said, “I know my sheep and they know me.” This mutual knowledge is basic to our relationship with our wives. The husband-wife relationship is designed to be the most intimate of all human relationships. In fact, it is a mysterious reflection of the union between Christ and his church.

It is no surprise that the Hebrew expression “know” is used to describe physical intimacy. However, that physical union is the icing on the cake of spiritual and emotional union. Unfortunately, many spouses experience alienation and loneliness instead of this union. How can we grow in our mutual knowledge? How well do you know your wife? In the next couple of blogs we will look at some ways to grow in mutual knowledge.

Nov 14, 2011

I am pleased to report that the manuscript for The Shepherd Leader at Home has been submitted. Crossway is planning to publish the book in September, 2012. The purpose of this book is to apply the fundamental shepherding functions of knowing, feeding, leading, and protecting to leadership in the home. It has been a joy to work on this project and in coming blogs I will give you a taste of what is to come. My prayer is that the book will encourage men to be faithful leaders of their families.

Aug 25, 2011

I recently had the opportunity consult with elders who are striving to develop a shepherding ministry though they are in the search for a new senior minister. Some might think that they should wait until the new pastor arrives. Don’t wait! This is exactly the right time to begin a shepherding ministry. In fact, there is no better time to initiate regular contact with the sheep than when members might be concerned about the continuity of care without a pastor in place. You will probably preclude some of the straying away that happens whenever a pastor leaves a church. Last summer I had the privilege of having lunch with Phil Ryken just a couple of weeks before he left Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia to become President of Wheaton College. Our conversation included Phil’s confidence that the flock at Tenth would be well-cared for in the time of pastoral transition due to the elders’ commitment to maintain regular contact with its 1200 members. So it was that member care did not miss a beat in the year between Phil’s departure and Liam Goligher’s installation. By the way, if a pastoral candidate isn’t happy that you have developed a shepherding plan before his arrival, that should raise some eyebrows. He should rejoice that he will be partnering with other shepherds in caring for the flock.

Aug 18, 2011

As you contact your sheep you will be privy to personal matters pertaining to your sheep. How much of this information should you share with your wife? There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, concern for the sheep. Most people in your flock will assume that you pray with your wife but it is probably a good idea to ask folks if they would allow you to share requests with her. This is particularly important if there are sensitive matters involved (marital discord, problems with another congregant, struggles with temptation). When in doubt, ask the congregant. Second, concern for your wife. I have discovered that it is important to protect my wife from certain information. If there are matters that will unduly stress her, I don’t share it. If there is information that will make it difficult for her to interact with others, I don’t share it. Wives have different tolerance levels for these matters. You must also be honest with yourself to know whether or not she can keep the matter confidential. When it doubt, err on the side of confidentiality.

Aug 11, 2011

My publisher (Presbyterian and Reformed) recently informed me that the sales of The Shepherd Leader have crossed the 25,000 mark. This is very humbling and at the same time very encouraging to know that so many leaders are striving to improve the ministry of shepherding their flocks. I say thanks to our Chief Shepherd for his goodness and I am also grateful to so many of you for your words of encouragement along the way. I am also thankful to those who have invited me to come for on-site consultations. I have learned from you as we have talked together about the application of these biblical principles. Along those lines, if you have questions or examples of how you have applied shepherding principles in your flock or ministry, please send them along and I will seek to pass them along through this blog. Please write to me at tim@theshepherdleader.com

Jul 26, 2011

I recently received the following words from a former student of mine: "Comprehensive and encouraging, Dr. Witmer's The Shepherd Leader is a key resource for how we shape our youth leaders." - David Plant, Director of Youth Ministries, Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New York City. As I read this email I wanted to remind you to encourage the ministry leaders of your church to take a shepherding approach to those for whom they are responsible. If small group leaders, youth leaders, men’s, women’s and music ministry leaders, etc. all take this relational approach to ministry seriously it will only enhance the shepherding ministry of the elders of the church.

Jun 27, 2011

As I have had the privilege of teaching in several venues across the country over the past few months it has been great to meet with leaders who are trying to work out a strategy for establishing regular contact with their church members. This, of course, is a key to getting to know their sheep and care for them effectively. As I have continued this contact work in my own congregation I have had to remind myself that my caring does not end when I complete my contact. When I secure prayer requests from the flock I must remember to pray for the requests that I have just heard! Sometimes after I have worked through my list and recorded the requests I sigh a sigh of relief that I have completed my duties for this month. However, I have had to remind myself that the contact is not an end itself, it is the end of the beginning of care. Take some time after your conversations to pray for the needs you have just heard expressed. You will find that this will motivate you to follow up personally with your flock the next month and even before if that seems appropriate. Don’t forget to pray!

Mar 28, 2011

I had the privilege this past week of leading a breakout session at the first national PLANT Conference held here in southeastern Pennsylvania. The conference was co-sponsored by Sovereign Grace Ministries, 9Marks, Acts29, and the Southern Baptist Convention. There were nearly 800 planters, pastors, prospective planters, and team members in attendance. Firstly, Covenant Fellowship, the anchor church of the Sovereign Grace movement, did an outstanding job in serving all participants. Thanks! I was humbled to learn from C.J. Mahaney that he is using The Shepherd Leader as a required text in the Sovereign Grace Pastors’ College. This is such an encouragement!

Being among so many committed to church planting reminded me once again that shepherding isn’t just for established churches, it is something that must be engaged at the very beginning of your church planting effort. Having been involved in a church plant right out of seminary I learned the hard way that unless you have a structure for shepherding the first sheep that you gather, you will fall behind, they will not be cared for, and they will slip out the back door. Therefore, to my church planting friends, take this seriously at the outset and be sure the prospective elders and team members around you have a heart for the sheep. OK, I’ll say it. You need to create a culture of shepherding at the very beginning which is nothing less than a culture of pastoral care
which we must provide for those we have the joy of gathering for His glory.

Finally, I am grateful to all of you whom I had the privilege of meeting at the PLANT Conference. Thanks for your encouraging comments about the usefulness of The Shepherd Leader. May the Lord continue to bless you as you care for His sheep.

Have a great week in his service.

Mar 22, 2011

As I have reflected on feedback I have received about The Shepherd Leader, it appears that the most positive input relates to Part 2: “What’s A Shepherd to Do?” in which we examine the fundamental shepherding functions of knowing, feeding, leading, and protecting the sheep. The macro/micro distinction has also been helpful. I am not surprised inasmuch as this is one of the distinctions which has personally helped me the most. What has surprised me is how creative readers have been in applying the principles to their particular ministries. For example, Scott Thomas of the Acts29 Network and a colleague are developing a manual for coaching their church planters. They will be using the shepherding matrix presented in TSL for this purpose. Wow! What a great idea!

I was also encouraged by the positive feedback from one of the pastors at Redeemer PCA in New York City who said that he has actually laid out his job description according to the macro/micro functions of the shepherding matrix. What a great application! This has all been so very exciting to see. It has also been very humbling and I am thankful that you have found this to be useful. On this blog I intend to hang around the Shepherding Matrix for several weeks. If you would like to share how you have used the Matrix, or if you have a question, please let me know and I will pass it along.

Mar 07, 2011

Wow! How time flies! It has been one year since my last post and a lot has happened. First of all, please accept my apologies for failing to keep my optimistic plan of posting every week on this important subject. My hope is to bear fruit in keeping with my repentance and to keep my original commitment! Secondly, allow me to express my appreciation to you for the overwhelmingly positive response to The Shepherd Leader. It was distributed at MacArthur’s Shepherd’s Conference last year. It was the Westminster Bookstore’s top-seller for 2010 selling 6,000 copies in the first two days of availability) as well its publisher’s second top-seller of the year. It received many wonderful reviews and at year-end was on several 2010 “best reads of the year” including Kevin DeYoung’s list. Most gratifying of all has been the emails that have communicated to me how the book has helped the leadership teams, sessions, and boards your churches. I have also had the joy of consulting personally with several sessions, boards and presbyteries. It has also been remarkable to see how you have creatively applied the principles of The Shepherd Leader. You have also offered criticisms, suggestions and fine-tuning applications arising from your ministry contexts. Sooo, here we go! I intend to share a sample of all of the feedback to The Shepherd Leader and let’s continue to pray for a shepherd’s heart as we seek to care for his flock!

Feb 10, 2010

Welcome to the inaugural posting of The Shepherds’ Blog! The purpose of this blog is to provide an opportunity for me to interact with church leaders (and members!) about the subject of shepherding the flock. Please send your questions to me at tim@theshepherdleader.com and I will do my best to answer them. When a question raises an issue that I sense will be of interest to many I will use this blog to present some of my thoughts. I am hoping that the readers of The Shepherd Leader will send questions about the book. My goal will be to put up a new post roughly every week. Now for a couple of comments about the website. First of all my thanks to Smith Lab (fiendofdesign.com) for the design of the website. You will notice that there is link to “Shepherding Resources” where you will find downloadable resources and forms, including those mentioned in the book. You will also find a link to “The Shepherds’ Institute Consulting Services” which is a non-profit that I started in 2000 to advance the cause of shepherding in the church. The consulting services include my offer to review your shepherding plan for a fee ($50). Click on the link and it will open a form for you to fill out and also upload your plan. You can use your credit card for payment. My goal will be to return my comments within 30 days. There is also an opportunity for you to extend an invitation to me to come for an on-site consultation. I can only accept a limited number of such invitations and I will let you know if I am available to come to your church, conference, or meeting. Again, click on that link and provide the details and I will respond as soon as possible.

My prayer is that the book and the blog will help you to become more effective in shepherding your flock and that it may be said of you as it was said of David:
“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”
(Psalm 78:72)