My Dear Shepherds,

One time after a congregational meeting a CEO in our church invited me to breakfast. I don’t recall what issues had been before the church, but I’d kept a low profile. He said to me, “Pastor Lee, I think you’re leading from the rear. You might need to lead from the front.”

Now, I’ll grant you, pastors don’t hear that very often! I remember a Type-A leader who wouldn’t even let me speak lest I contradict him. And I also know that pastors can manhandle and manipulate people. But when it comes to shepherding the flock of God into the God-blessed life, shepherds must lead from the front.

Joshua’s breakfast meeting was with the two and half tribes who had been given God’s permission to make their homes east of the Jordan River if they guaranteed that they’d go with their brothers in conquering Canaan. With Israel poised to enter the land, Joshua reminded those tribes of their vow.

Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!” [Josh. 1:16-18]

How’d you like to hear that from your congregation! It was as resounding a vote of confidence as any leader could hope for. But I wonder if Joshua took it with a grain of salt, remembering the defiant faithlessness Moses had faced from their parents.

Joshua would face the formidable walls of Jericho and battle the Canaanite kings, but he also faced devastating defeat at Ai and was suckered by the Gibeonite deception because he failed to inquire of the LORD. Leadership is frightening.

Some of us have led churches through big changes but no one, not even corporate CEOs, face challenges more daunting than leading God’s people into the kingdom life secured for us by Christ. Whether our churches respond well or faithlessly to godly leadership, pastors and elders must be gutsy. We must surveil the spiritual terrain and guard against wolves.

Loving one another, walking by faith, praying together for fruitfulness, evangelizing the lost, battling the unseen powers of Satan—these are the front lines and frontiers of pastoral leadership. These challenges require more than education, talent, or leadership seminars. We must be “filled with the Spirit of wisdom” (Deut. 34:9) and we must “be strong and courageous.” Or as Paul put it to the Ephesians, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power ….” Or to Timothy, “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Or to the Corinthians, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”

I remember another congregational meeting with two major agenda items. The first was heartbreaking. The Elders told the church that we were in the process of expelling a man we all loved from our church because of his unrepentant adultery. It was the saddest thing we ever faced. But then we turned our attention to the culmination of months of hard work: asking the church to approve a bold building expansion, which they affirmed with gladness.

Pastoral leadership runs the gamut from the grim to the exhilarating. We aren’t called to be the boss of everything but we must boldly lead God’s people to inhabit the kingdom he has promised us. They’re depending on us.

Be ye glad!