Theology of Ministry

One of the classes I am taking this semester is Theology of Ministry, taught by Dr. David Fleer. Last weekend our class met for discussion of three books that help shape a vision for shepherding a flock. I plan to share a quick summary of each book on the blog.

As is often the case, I need to write a short disclaimer here. Churches of Christ have clear separations between minister and shepherd roles. Other churches have pastors that function as "ministers" who bear shepherding responsibility as well. This discussion will have nothing to do with who ought to bear which role. Suffice it to say that these books are about church leadership and service to the Bride of Christ. I was just assigned to read these books, and I'm sharing some thoughts about them.

So with that in mind, here are the three books I'll summarize (I'm not including my critical review).

Dr. Lynn Anderson's They Smell Like Sheep, Volume 2: Leading with the Heart of a Shepherd


Timothy Laniak's Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions And Leadership in the Bible



Jackson Carroll's God's Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations

Through the last 2,000 years, shepherds of the church have embodied many different roles, executed those roles through a wide array of forms and methods, and have achieved their goals according to their respective world views with varying success. The great variance in church structures, doctrinal beliefs, traditions, and scriptural interpretations have, not surprisingly, yielded a great variance in church leadership. Nevertheless, one constant throughout the history of Christendom, is that local congregations have leaders, whether formal or informal, who shape the congregation’s culture and individual members’ journeys of faith for good or for ill.

Specifics on each book to follow.