Shepherd or one of the sheep: revisiting the biblical metaphor of the pastorate
Date
2010
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Publisher
Academy of Religious Leadership
Abstract
This article investigates the shepherding metaphor as used throughout the biblical narrative in contrast to how that metaphor is used in the modern church. In particular, it implies that our current approach to modern church leadership may actually hinder the kind of leadership necessary in changing situations and times. By investigating Old and New Testament usages, this article demonstrates that much of the modern tendency toward expert, professionalized leadership, as exemplified by the office of pastor, may be out of touch with the main metaphor used to describe pastoral leadership. Suggestions are made as to how revisiting the dangerous memories of the biblical understanding of shepherd leadership can benefit the church and its leaders, toward a more holistic and integrated form of leadership that will encourage reliance on the church’s one Shepherd during times of transition and difficult change.
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Keywords
Clergy--Office--Biblical teaching
Citation
Kinnison, Quentin P. "Shepherd or One of the Sheep: Revisiting the Biblical Metaphor of the Pastorate." Journal of Religious Leadership 9, no. 1 (Spring 2010): 59-91.