About a month ago, the West Huntsville church, where I am a member, was blessed to see four new men become shepherds. This means we now have seven of the most capable, good-hearted, and diligent men I have ever known to lead this great church. I cannot thank God enough, ever, that I get to be part of this moment in this church’s history. This is not a board of directors. These are men who take seriously the role of pastor, bishop, elder. presbyter and shepherd. These are men who are in living rooms to discuss souls. These are men who are leaving the deacon work to the deacons and are making the tough decisions about the present and future spiritual condition of a congregation of God’s people. These are men who will come after you if you wander away…and, yes, men who have the courage to lead in discipline as First Corinthians five enjoins. These are men who are loved by the flock, but who are willing to do unpopular things in obedience to the Lord. I love the security of knowing they are watching for my soul.
I’m talking about these men:
That’s right. These are the seven little boys who grew up to be shepherds of the people of God at West Huntsville in 2013. Mothers, can I get you to see your little boys in a different light? Can I get you to look at their grins and see the “way” they can have with those who need encouragement? Can I get you to see their amazing energy one day harnessed up in the work of the kingdom? Can I get you to look at those dirty little hands and see big hands holding the Word in front of a congregation of the Lord’s people? Can I get you to listen to those simple prayers at your table and imagine that voice praying about lost souls for which he will give an account? Can I get you to look at him as he sleeps and pray that he will be one of those men who is willing to lose sleep one day because he cares so deeply about the unity of the body? Can I get you to be happiest at the soccer field, not because he wins, but because he learns some hard lessons about losing, about re-grouping and about getting along as a team–lessons that will help him be a great leader for God? When he cries about that broken toy, Mom, can I get you to imagine his tears one day being shed because of broken people? Can I get you to just embrace him tightly while you plant this dream in your heart and pray daily to transfer it into his?
See, what the church needs today is not primarily bigger and better facilities, bigger congregations, more talent, more programs, or more money. What the church needs today is more courageous leaders. more Calebs, more Joshuas, more Josephs and Daniels. We need men who are willing to do the hard things to keep the body faithfully united in Truth. We need men who are soft enough to cry about lost souls, yet tough enough to do what God says to do to keep the body pure. What we need, mothers, is your little boys. Can we have them?
