My Dear Shepherds,

Our work might be easier if we could bring in a homiletical hired gun every year or so to have “the talk” with our church that we find rather awkward. This talk:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Heb. 13:17, ESV)

There have been a few times when I wanted to have that text on the screens as recalcitrant people came into a worship service or a business meeting. (And all God’s pastors said, “Amen.”) On the other hand, no pastor should be able to read that verse without some jitters.

The words obey and submit are dangerous for church leaders, like playing with matches. God doesn’t give pastors authority so we can get our way. Granted, we do have a certain authority to get things done around church, but I call that Authority the Lesser. Authority the Greater is the Elijah-cape that God lays across our shoulders when he calls us to Wordworking.

Hebrews here tells our people that their shepherd’s calling is to “watch over your souls.” We are overseers, not of an organization, but of souls. Eugene Peterson wrote in his article “Reforming Spiritual-Health Care”: “The cure of souls is the Scripture-directed, prayer-shaped care that is devoted to persons singly or in groups, in settings both sacred and profane. It is determination to work at the center, to concentrate on the essential.”

Spiritual leaders “will have to give an account,” not of the stewardship campaign, attendance metrics, or how many weeks we preached through Romans, but of our care for the souls of the flock entrusted to us. C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “The clergy are those particular people within the whole Church who have been specially trained and set aside to look after what concerns us as creatures who are going to live for ever.”

Our people are charged with seeing that their leader’s ministry balance sheet is in the black, not the red, characterized “with joy and not with groaning.” (I see those grimaces!) Shepherding isn’t meant to be easy work but the real burden is those who refuse to mature in Christ no matter how diligently we serve them, no matter whether we feed them milk or meat. They bite us and butt heads with one another. The Greek word “keep watch over” literally means “lose sleep over.” These folks are often the reason why!

But there are seasons when the accounting of our work brings joy akin to farmers at harvest or fishermen whose nets are full. I suspect strongly that you have people who are deeply grateful for your preaching because they want to grow in Christ. You’ve counseled marriages that are better, and help discouraged brothers or sisters who have gotten their feet back on the rock. You pursue some lost sheep and brought them home safe and sound. You have people in your church who love having you as their shepherd.

It’s Pastoral Appreciation season. I hope you received some nice cards or gifts in gratitude for your service, but we know that what makes ministry a joy is seeing God’s beloved people shaped by the scriptures, loving one another, persevering under pressure, and forward-reminiscing about heaven. Like John said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Be ye glad!

Lee Eclov recently retired after 40 years of local pastoral ministry and now focuses on ministry among pastors. He writes a weekly devotional for preachers on Preaching Today.