Our Mission
Why Shepherding?
Every Godly pastor/director and their governing board desire to be spiritually healthy. Together they seek to build a spiritually healthy ministry. This is God’s desire. As in physical health-care, so too in spiritual care, it is good to have checkups on a regular basis. Mentoring can greatly assist in maintaining a healthy life and ministry. Shepherding the Shepherds is designed to provide such care.
It has been said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound a cure.” Taking time to schedule a yearly checkup is not difficult. However, when you are feeling well, it is easy to overlook its importance. At the same time, when you are in failing health you’re tempted to believe nothing can help. This same pattern is often experienced in the ministry. Therefore, Shepherding seeks to be a timely reminder to pastors/directors and their ministry boards to evaluate their lives and ministry. It’s never too early to begin and where there is breath, it’s never too late. Spiritually healthy leaders assure a spiritually healthy ministry.
Supporting
In many cases, due to the rigors of their calling, pastors/directors experience unusual spiritual pressures from within and from without. These come in many forms: burnout, perfectionism, apathy, discouragement, depression, domineering control, indebtedness, a false sense of failure, pride, moral failures, bitterness, marital and family stress, criticism, unrealistic expectations, the list is seemingly endless.
Encouraging
While ministering to others, pastors/directors often unwittingly neglect their own spiritual care. At the same time, the ministry boards God desires to use to build up and assist the pastor/director, are either unaware of or neglecting their responsibility to esteem, encourage, and hold accountable their servant leader. The results can be devastating to the pastor/director, his family, and the Family of God.
Strengthening
It is not uncommon to find pastors/directors, who are discouraged and disillusioned. Regardless of their size or prominence, this is universal in all denominations and para-church ministries. Some have abandoned their call in defeat. Others have fallen to various temptations. Many leaders find themselves with little energy, no vision, and a mere maintaining of the outward image of their position and purpose. The destructive effects go beyond the leader’s life and call. His spouse and family are negatively impacted, his staff and volunteers experience disunity and dysfunction, and the local church or ministry perishes for lack of a vision.
For these reasons, Shepherding, has been established in order to provide the following spiritual care: rekindling, nurturing, evaluation, healing, instruction, and vision casting for pastors, directors, and spiritual leaders.
This will enable the purposes of God for the pastor/director, his family. and the congregation/ministry to flourish unto the glory of Jesus Christ. Thereby, Satan’s attacks, which are meant to kill, steal, and destroy God’s servants and church/ministry, will be thwarted.
The Mentoring Model
This mentoring model will consist of both onsite visits and offsite accountability contacts. Using the Scripture as our authority, we will actively seek the Holy Spirit’s rekindling and renewal in the life of the pastor/director, lay-leaders, and congregation/ministry. The desired result is that God will be glorified and His eternal Kingdom expanded.
“Shepherding’s ministry was one of the key turning points for the church and in my own personal ministry. Your visits to our congregation helped us look forward to the future and your availability on the phone has helped me through many a crisis as a pastor. Your insights have been incredibly valuable and our council still speaks of your visit with a deep sense of appreciation. Colleen has also been a huge blessing to my wife and I appreciate that immensely as well. May God continue to strengthen you both in the ministry that He has called you to.”
— Pastor J.S.
“What a gift to pastors, who so often feel they live on an island in many ways, to have a fellow pastor with the time and past experience of Pastor Brandt. He is willing to dive in and encourage, lift up, as well as speak truth into areas of life and ministry that will build pastors. How valuable a resource, as you think of not only the health of the pastor, but the impact for the entire congregation as well. Thank You and God bless".”
— Pastor M.R.