On many occasions, the Bible refers to God's people as His sheep.  The Bible draws the logical conclusion in this allegory and refers to the church, a group of God's people who gather together, as a flock.  Every flock needs a shepherd, and the shepherd that guides and directs our flock is Jesus Christ.  One of the titles given to Jesus in the Bible is the Chief Shepherd.

​

In order to understand the role of the leadership team within our local church, the role of a chief shepherd is very important.

 

In the nomadic Bedouin culture to which this reference is made, extended family groups lived together and constantly roamed the wilderness regions of the middle-east with vast flocks of sheep.  In every clan, a patriarch in the family would have the responsibility of leading the family to places where he knew suitable water and grazing would be found to nourish the animals in his care.  The patriarch was known as the chief shepherd and would often choose and elevated vantage point from which he could monitor the entire flock. 

 

Working alongside him would be a number of other members of the clan that would be in the midst of the sheep, providing 'hands-on' care for the well being of the flock.  They would ensure that the animals were receiving the proper diet, protect the flock from predators, care for the sick sheep, and lead the flock as they journeyed, again, all under the direction of the chief shepherd.

​

Our leadership team functions in serving the church in the role of 'under-shepherds'.  Following the instructions God has given us in His Word, our leadership team seeks to obey the Chief Shepherd in leading and caring for the flock of God at Fort St John Evangelical Mission.

​

Much like the Bedouin shepherds of the ancient middle-east, our leadership team works together to ensure the church is receiving a nourishing diet from God's Word, protection from false doctrine that might try to gain a foothold in our thinking, care for the sick and hurting, and leadership as we strive to follow Christ.