Do you like pizza?”

My husband, Wade, and I both had church backgrounds, but our Christianity was little more than nominal. As newlyweds in our early 20s, we knew we needed a place to grow spiritually.

That was what brought us to an Assemblies of God church in Northeast Arkansas. What kept us there started with pizza.

Shannon, the church’s young associate pastor, invited us to join him at a local restaurant following Sunday evening service. Over a deep-dish pepperoni pie, Shannon shared a bit of his story, asked about ours, and offered to answer any questions.

By the end of the meal, we were all laughing like old friends. I knew we had found the right church.

It wasn’t long before Wade and I fully surrendered our lives to Christ. Soon after that, Shannon prayed with us at the altar as we received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The senior pastor, Mark, took an active interest in our discipleship.

When I began sensing a call to ministry, Mark affirmed me in that calling and helped me through the education and credentialing process.

Mark personally invested countless hours training and mentoring Wade and me, while giving us opportunities to serve and lead.

Pastor Mark walked alongside us through challenging times and celebrated our victories.

When I experienced serious complications with my first pregnancy, Mark prayed for healing. He was among the first to visit and rejoice with Wade and me upon the birth of our healthy son.

We attended the church for eight years before relocating to another state. The hardest part of that move was leaving behind the faith community that had loved and nurtured us so well.

The church had become our home and the congregation an extended family. The welcoming atmosphere and fellowship we experienced from the beginning testified that we were among true disciples of Jesus (John 13:35).

In every way, Mark and Shannon were pastors to us. The church’s flourishing — and ours — was a reflection of good pastoral care.

Old Testament Shepherds

It’s no coincidence that “pastor” sounds a lot like “pasture.” The occupational title comes from an antiquated term for shepherd.

This should serve as a reminder that church leaders are shepherds first — not CEOs, media personalities, or charismatic speakers, but caretakers of the flock.

The apostle Peter certainly saw it that way. Peter instructed other church leaders, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2–3).

Christ’s ministry is the ultimate model of shepherd leadership. Jesus is the “Chief Shepherd,” as Peter put it (verse 4).

In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” That declaration was loaded with prophetic symbolism and history.

Shepherding was a common metaphor for both kings and deities in the Ancient Near East.

Abraham and Isaac were pastoral nomads (Genesis 24:35; 26:12–14), but it was Jacob who first referred to God as a shepherd (Genesis 48:15; 49:24).

Moses was tending sheep in the wilderness when he heard God calling to him from a burning bush (Exodus 3:1–4).

Psalm 77:20 speaks of the Lord shepherding His people through the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Toward the end of his life, Moses implored God for a successor, lest the Israelites be “like sheep without a shepherd” (Numbers 27:17).

Joshua inherited the shepherding role after Moses, and a series of judges followed (Judges 2:8,16).

Church leaders are shepherds first — not CEOs, media personalities, or charismatic speakers, but caretakers of the flock.

Then came the time of the kings.

King Saul — who was a head taller than his peers — literally stood out from the crowd (1 Samuel 9:2). Had he been a television preacher, the handsome young man might have enthralled his audience as much as he impressed the Israelites.

Yet Saul did not have a shepherd leader’s disposition. According to 1 Samuel 15:23, Saul was both rebellious and arrogant, disregarding God’s commands.

So, God chose another leader — a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

The Lord had said of Saul, “He will govern my people” (1 Samuel 9:17). But God told David, “You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler” (2 Samuel 5:2; 1 Chronicles 11:2, emphasis added).

Like the patriarchs and Moses, David began his leadership training in the wilderness, where four-legged subjects daily depended on his skillful and attentive care.

When Samuel came to anoint the next king of Israel, Jesse explained that his youngest son was out tending sheep (1 Samuel 16:11).

The herdsman must have seemed an unlikely candidate for the throne, but God reminded Samuel that He sees the heart (verse 7). A shepherd was exactly what God wanted for His people.

“Rise and anoint him; this is the one,” the Lord said (verse 12).

With the smell of the field still clinging to his garments, David stepped into his divine destiny.

As Psalm 78:70–72 says, “He (God) chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

Psalm 23, traditionally attributed to David, uses pastoral imagery to illustrate the blessings of following and trusting God.

The psalm’s opening line exults, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

David identified as part of God’s flock. He recognized God as the supreme model of leadership, wisdom, and care.

The Hebrew word translated “shepherd” describes the work of tending, pasturing, and overseeing. In his commentary on Psalms, Allen P. Ross suggests Psalm 23:1 might be translated, “The Lord is my feeder.”

David saw himself as both a sheep and shepherd, dependent on God and accountable to Him for the flock. Even in his worst moments, this perspective guided David back to right paths.

When David’s transgressions brought a plague on the land, he pleaded with God to spare the people: “I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family” (2 Samuel 24:17).

Tragically, many of the kings who followed David did not share his humble and repentant posture. They doubled down on pride and selfishness — elevating their own interests over those of the divine Shepherd and His flock.

A divided kingdom spiraled into cycles of rebellion, idolatry, and injustice. This culminated in exile, loss, and woes.

The prophet Jeremiah issued a scathing indictment of the failed shepherd leaders of Judah: “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” (Jeremiah 23:1).

An exiled Ezekiel took up the same theme, thundering, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them” (Ezekiel 34:10).

Ezekiel’s language seems to recall David’s harrowing wilderness experiences. In 1 Samuel 17:34–35, David described instances in which he pursued and killed a lion and bear, prying sheep from their mouths.

David began his leadership training in the wilderness, where four-legged subjects daily depended on his skillful and attentive care.

Over time, Judah’s leaders had become the very predators they were to guard the flock against.

Caring only for themselves, these wicked shepherds exploited the sheep without meeting their needs (Ezekiel 34:3–4). They were neglectful, leaving strays unprotected (verses 4–8). And they were abusive, preying on the vulnerable.

In Shepherds after My own Heart, Timothy S. Laniak observes, “Abusing others was an expression of the arrogant assumption that power is primarily privilege rather than responsibility.”

This toxic attitude exists in many spheres of leadership today as well. And it is still antithetical to the divine Shepherd’s calling.

Scripture points to a better model of leadership — not worldly, but heavenly. Ezekiel foresaw a royal servant in the tradition of David who would perfectly exemplify God’s way of shepherding (Ezekiel 34:23–24).

The Gospels depict Jesus as this anticipated Good Shepherd (Matthew 2:6; 9:36; 18:12–14; 25:31–33; Mark 6:34; 14:27; Luke 15:3–7; John 10:1–18,26–27; 21:15–17).

The Good Shepherd

Neglecting the hurting and suffering was among the shortcomings of Judah’s leaders in Ezekiel 34.

“You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured,” Ezekiel said. “You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals” (Ezekiel 34:4–5).

By contrast, Jesus came healing, seeking the lost, and offering help and hope. He had compassion on the crowds, who seemed to Him like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34).

As the Savior Shepherd, Jesus “came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

When John the Baptist inquired about His identity, Jesus said, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Luke 7:22).

The Good Shepherd discourse in John 10 follows the dramatic healing of a blind man. After experiencing this miracle, the man expressed belief in Christ and worshipped Him (John 9:38).

Rather than celebrating, the Pharisees threw the healed man out of the synagogue. Not only had they failed to address the man’s physical or spiritual needs, but the Pharisees attacked him and rejected the Healer.

Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of these false shepherds, saying, “Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep” (John 10:1–2).

The Pharisees were certainly familiar with Old Testament shepherding imagery. And no text looms larger over Jesus’ rebuke than Ezekiel 34.

Like the exilic watchman, Jesus boldly called out corrupt leaders who were enriching themselves at the expense of the vulnerable. Many occupying positions of power had more in common with thieves and robbers than shepherds. Others were like hired hands who thought only of self-preservation (John 10:12).

Juxtaposing these poor leadership examples with His own ministry, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Jesus would indeed lay down His life on the Cross, and take it up again at His resurrection (verses 17–18). He didn’t just risk His life. Jesus poured it out so others could live and experience God’s blessings “to the full” (verse 10).

In short, Jesus is everything the false shepherds in Ezekiel 34 and John 10 were not. He embodies the divine Shepherd David envisioned in Psalm 23.

Church Shepherds

The pastoral metaphor does not end there.

Jesus sent out His disciples “like sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). He also entrusted them with the work of shepherding — seeking “lost sheep,” healing the sick, and caring for the hurting (verses 6–8).

Those who serve as Christ’s undershepherds must remember the flock belongs to God. “Feed my lambs,” Jesus told Peter. “Take care of my sheep. … Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–17, emphases added).

Christ’s followers do not accomplish His mission in their own strength, but by the Spirit’s empowerment (Acts 1:8). In fact, it is through the Spirit that ordinary men and women become shepherds of God’s flock.

During his farewell message to the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

This work of shepherding is not about a position, but a posture. It is leading as a follower (1 Corinthians 11:1), and serving with humility (John 13:14).

It is through the Spirit that ordinary men and women become shepherds of God’s flock.

Shepherding involves making, nurturing, and equipping disciples (Matthew 28:19–20; Ephesians 4:11–12). It includes compassionately looking after the suffering and marginalized (James 1:27).

Pastors should preach and correct, but always with encouragement and patience (2 Timothy 4:2).

Those with a heart for shepherding watch over the flock — not as bullies or tyrants, but fellow disciples who are eager to give of themselves. They model what it looks like to follow the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2–4).

Shepherding passages in Scripture point to several truths pastors should keep in view while following Christ’s example.

First, good shepherds know their sheep. The shepherd in John 10 calls his sheep by name (verse 3). Members of the flock respond because they have come to know the shepherd (verse 4).

Author Carey Nieuwhof suggests one reason for declining church attendance in the U.S. is a focus on content over connection — programming over personal relationships. The former is important, but the latter is the heartbeat of a shepherd.

Jesus said, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14).

Second, good shepherds protect. It is the shepherd’s care and watchfulness that allow the Psalmist to lie peacefully in green pastures (Psalm 23:2).

Among other dangers, pastors must guard against false doctrine.

Paul said, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!” (Acts 20:29–31).

Third, good shepherds seek the lost. In Ezekiel 34:11, the Lord says, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”

Jesus told of a shepherd who left the 99 to search for one lost sheep, adding that heaven rejoices when a sinner repents (Luke 15:4–7).

Leaders who represent Christ must have a heart for the lost.

Fourth, good shepherds guide the found. “He guides me along the right paths,” the Psalmist says (Psalm 23:3).

Nieuwhof observes that church engagement should lead to connection, community, and equipping.

Making disciples and teaching them to follow Christ is the Church’s calling (Matthew 28:19–20).

Finally, good shepherds are loving. The One who laid down His life for the sheep is the ultimate example.

Biblical love is not proud or self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres (verse 7).

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

It was that kind of love that attracted Wade and me to Jesus and made us want to dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).

I sometimes wonder where my family would be today if we had walked into a different church all those years ago. Had we not encountered a healthy spiritual community with loving shepherds, Wade and I might have remained lost sheep.

Pastoring is a sacred trust. It is a commission to feed Christ’s lambs and take care of His sheep. It is a calling to service and sacrifice — and an invitation to join in heaven’s celebration when a precious little one is found.

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will” (Hebrews 13:20–21).

This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of Influence magazine.