As we read Scripture, we find shepherds using a defined set of tools. The rod and staff seem to be the most recognized of the shepherd’s tools with one used to protect and the other to persuade. But we also read about slingshots, flutes, lyres, horns, and harps being associated with shepherds. Knives, a flask of olive oil, and a supply of salve may have rounded out the ensemble. Each item was necessary for the shepherd to do his job well.
Leading a Bible study group and shepherding go hand-in-hand. People will approach us with their needs and hurts, looking for an empathetic ear and some salve. Some on our ministry list will go missing—both figuratively and literally. And we will be called upon to lead the search for those missing sheep. Each action will require us to use different tools we have for shepherding.
The Bible is a given tool, providing the wisdom and counsel needed to shepherd the people assigned to us. But other tools available can help us as well. Here are four other tools that can help us shepherd the people in our group well.
Tool 1: Plans for Leading Our Group
In the Leader Guide, you find not only commentary but also group plans designed to help you lead your group to interact with and respond to the Bible passages being examined that week. Having a plan frees us to do the shepherding we may be called upon to do. We are not left to create our own plan from scratch, but instead have a starting point that can be adjusted and tweaked to fit the personalities of the sheep in our group.
Tool 2: Personal Study Guides
We are to shepherd everyone on the ministry list we are assigned, including those who rarely or never attend. Personal Study Guides give us a tool for connecting with those who may have wandered off the farm. The study guide gives us a natural reason to reconnect, and to remind them that they are still a part of our flock. The time taken to deliver a copy of the Personal Study Guide to everyone on our ministry list will be worth the effort.
Tool 3: Under-Shepherds
Being responsible for the needs of everyone in the group can be a daunting task. We can depend on others to help us at this point, under-shepherds to us. These individuals become a link that helps us keep up with the needs of people in the group. They already attend the group and are asked to pray with each person in their micro-flock each week. They may be called on to help us deliver the Personal Study Guides as well. These individuals will need to be trained in some basic caring skills, encouraged to focus on the future (“Next week we are looking at Micah”), as opposed to the past (“We missed you last week”), and be provided direction for how to respond to confidential information shared with them.
Tip: If you lead a co-ed group, these micro-groups headed by your under-shepherds will need to be formed with gender in mind—men assigned to contact men, and women assigned to contact women.
Tool 4: Shepherd’s Logbook
Many modern-day shepherds use a logbook of some type to keep track of their flock, recording health information and important dates, such as the sheep’s birthdates. Doing so makes them better shepherds. We can create our own logbooks for the people we shepherd. We can include important dates like birthdays and anniversaries, prayer requests, needs discovered or expressed, hobbies, interests, and other information that can help us be better shepherds to our assigned micro-flock. Having a logbook assumes that we have met the people in our flock (delivering the Personal Study Guide to everyone helps us also get to know all the people in our group). Having a logbook also assumes that we review it regularly and add updates along the way. The logbook can be physical or virtual. The point is not the format as much as it is having a system in place to keep track of the people in our group.
These four tools, in addition to our Bibles, can help us be more effective shepherds to the group we lead. The people assigned to us need our attention, and our church needs us to give them our caring attention. Using our shepherding tools can help us accomplish just that.
Dwayne McCrary is manager of the Adult Ongoing Bible resources team at Lifeway. He also shepherds two Bible study groups in his local church.
Avis Poston says
I am very interested in seeing how this will help me for Sunday School
Connie Shafer says
Log book. I will definitely set that up! I have a very small group, praying for growth both in number and in relationship with Jesus. A nice birthday card and a special treat in our sessions would help solidify us, and bring about a very loving, caring atmosphere. Also, having someone in the group help with those special touches will be very helpful. Thank you.