A Biblical Alternative to The Shepherding Movement

The purpose of this web site is to give a biblical response to a set of teachings popularly known as the “Shepherding Movement,” based on both experience with the movement and personal study of all the biblical passages I could find related to the subject. This project started because I wanted to talk to people I knew who were in the movement, but with the development of the Internet the opportunity came up to present this material to a wider audience.

The mention of names and quotes from men who founded the shepherding movement are included primarily to follow the principles of good scholarship to include accurate source material. In fact, I encourage everyone to read the original articles from New Wine Magazine on the subject, which are included on my Links page. Today there are a number of churches and groups which practice various forms of shepherding, and I am mainly trying to cover the ideas of shepherding rather than people and groups promoting them. For most subjects, though, the best source is to read some of the original articles which set forth the main ideas taught by the movement.

Many of my articles are based on the study of widely recognized scholarly works relating to the Bible. A list of these is on theBibliography page, under the heading “Biblical Commentaries and Lexicons.” I found a good collection of these books in the Oklahoma City University library, as well as at other libraries which carry the mainline Christian scholarly works. I believe the key to understanding many of the biblical principles in the topics discussed on this web site is in following the word definitions and interpretations of these scholars.

To me the main issue in shepherding is the idea of “covering,” or the concept that we need an elder or someone more mature than us to protect us from falling into spiritual traps. The article entitled Christian: Who Is Your Covering? explores some of the problems with “covering” as taught by the shepherding movement.

The primary biblical answer to the shepherding movement’s covering teaching is a simple concept from Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd.” I state quite often that Jesus Christ is the true shepherd of all Christians, but God the Father equally fulfills this role, as is made clear in Psalm 23. In fact, in Ephesians Chapter 1 Paul gives us an insight concerning how the Lord speaks to us (and thus functions as our Shepherd):

verse 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;

verse 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

The phrase “spirit of wisdom and of revelation” is really a more accurate description of how the Lord guides us than the idea that we might hear a voice from Him or expect to get a supernatural revelation about small details in our life (although we should expect revelations about the nature and purposes of God, as well as those things which He chooses to show to us). To me it seems that the burden is on us to study the word, get to know God through prayer and Bible study, and make decisions based on this rather than expecting that there be a “shepherd” available to give us easy answers to our questions. At the same time, we have the promise from Ephesians (and elsewhere) that God is there is guide us, protect us, and serve as our Shepherd:

verse 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

verse 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might

verse 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

God is all powerful, but Jesus Christ makes the Father accessible to us, and my contention is that Christ is the true Shepherd who leads us and protects us. I believe there was a reason Paul wrote these encouraging words to the church at Ephesus, so that they would know that they did in fact have a personal relationship with the Lord and that He would work directly in their lives.

Since we have such clear indications about how Christ leads us and protects us (the role of a shepherd), I am not sure how the shepherding movement gained so much traction in putting so much emphasis on relying on men for this. Nevertheless, I try to present articles that will encourage Christians and explain how true shepherding by the Lord works.

Following is some additional information found on this site:

Please refer to the following topics for more information:

Covering: Christian: Who is your covering … a man, or Jesus Christ?

Discipleship: True and false ideas about Christian discipleship.

Biblical Response: A list of some of the most egregious teachings of the shepherding movement, and biblical insights about the true nature of discipleship, shepherding, authority, obedience, trusting the judgment of spiritual leaders, and covering.

Articles: Index to other articles about the shepherding movement and related subjects.

Bibliography of recommended reading material.

Links to useful web sites on the subject.

Word Definitions and Background Information

Definitions of “Cover”

Kasah (├Ä├©├ìÔòØ├ì┬®├Ä├¡├ì┬®├Ä├Â) Verb

“hide, cover–1. conceal shame Pr. 12:16; knowledge Pr. 12:23. 2. pass. covered in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight).” Brown, Driver, and Briggs, p. 491.

“to cover; concealing Prov. 12, 23; pass. constr. covered Ps. 32, 1. — Niph. to be covered Ez. 24, 8; — Pi. 1) to cover… Fig. to cover sin, i.e. to forgive it Ps. 85, 3; to conceal Prov. 10, 18; to hide from, Gen. 18, 17, 2) to cover oneself…”Davies, pp. 301, 302.

Sakak (├Ä├¡├ì┬®├Ä├©├ì├Ç├Ä├£├ìÔûæ) Verb

“to protect, defend, hedge in” (Ex. 25:20; Ezek. 28:14; Ps. 91:4). Strong, p. 82 of the “Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.”

Kaphar (├Ä├©├ìÔòØ├ì┬®├Ä├▒├ì├Ç├Ä┬┐) Verb

“1. cover over, pacify, propitiate; Gn. 32:21 let me cover over his face by the present (so that he does not see the offence, i.e. pacify him; 2. cover over, atone for sin,… It is conceived that God in his sovereignty may himself provide an atonement or covering for men and their sins which could not be provided by men. 3. cover over, atone for sin and persons by legal rites,… and the priest shall make atonement Lv. 16:32.” Brown, Driver, and Briggs, p. 497.

“The third aspect of the program, ‘to make reconciliation for iniquity,’ seems to be a rather clear picture of the cross of Christ in which Christ reconciled Israel as well as the world to Himself (2 Co 5:19). As far as the Old Testament revelation of reconciliation is concerned, lexicographers and theologians have understood the Hebrew word kipper, when used in relation to sin to mean to ‘cover,’ to ‘wipe out,’ to ‘make as harmless, non-existent, orinoperative, to annul (so far as God’s notice or regard is concerned), to withdraw from God’s sight, with the attached ideas of reinstating in His favour, freeing from sin, and restoring to holiness’.” Walvoord, pp. 221,222.

Definitions of “Obey”

Peitho (┬ñ├çÔò¼├üÔò¼┬╗Ôò¼┬®┬ñ├½) Verb

“to persuade; PASSIVE: to be persuaded, listen to, obey” (Heb. 13:17). Thayer, p. 497.

“to persuade, to win over, in the Passive and Middle Voices, to be persuaded, to listen to, to obey, is so used with this meaning, in the Middle Voice, e.g., in Acts 5:36,37 (in ver. 40, Passive Voice, “they agreed”); Rom. 2:8; Gal. 5:7; Heb. 13:17; Jas. 3:3. The obedience suggested is not by submission to authority, but resulting from persuasion.” Vine, Vol. 3, p. 124.

“to persuade; to influence by persuasion; to seek to please, to conciliate; to appease, to render tranquil… to yield to persuasion, to assent, to listen to, to obey.” Berry, p. 77 of the “Greek-English New Testament Lexicon.”

“to believe” or “to follow”… “This sense of ‘to follow’ can even have the further meaning of ‘to obey’.” Friedrich, Vol. 6, p. 3.

Hupakouo (┬ñ├á┬ñ├çÔò¼ÔûÆÔò¼ÔòæÔò¼ÔöÉ┬ñ├¼┬ñ├½) Verb

“to hearken to, to obey” (Acts 6:7, Rom. 5:19, Eph. 6:1). Berry, p. 102 of the “Greek-English Lexicon.”

“to hearken, with the idea of stillness, or attention, signifies to answer a knock at a door.” Vine, Vol. 2, p. 206.

Definitions of “Submit”

Hupeiko (┬ñ├á┬ñ├çÔò¼├üÔò¼┬╗Ôò¼Ôòæ┬ñ├½) Verb

“to yield under or submissively” (Heb. 13:17). Young, p. 943.

“to retire, withdraw, hence to yield, submit, is used metaphorically in Heb. 13:17, of submitting to spiritual guides in the churches.” Vine, Vol. 4, p. 87.

Hupotasso (┬ñ├á┬ñ├çÔò¼ÔöÉ┬ñ├ñÔò¼┬╝┬ñ├ó┬ñ├ó┬ñ├½) Verb

“to arrange under, to subordinate; to subject, put in subjection… to subject one’s self, to obey; to submit to one’s control; to yield to one’s admonition or advice… to obey, be subject.” Thayer, p. 645.

Definitions of “Disciple”

Mathetes (Ôò¼ÔòØÔò¼ÔûÆÔò¼┬®Ôò¼├Ç┬ñ├ñÔò¼┬½┬ñ├®) Noun

“a learner (from manthano, to learn, from a root math–, indicating thought accompanied by endeavour), in contrast to didaskalos, a teacher; hence it denotes one who follows one’s teaching, as the disciples of John, Matt. 9:14; of the Pharisees, Matt. 22: 16; of Moses, John 9:28; it is used of the disciples of Jesus (a) in a wide sense, of Jews who became His adherents, John 6:66; Luke 6:17, some being secretly so, John 19:38; (b) especially of the twelve Apostles, Matt. 10:1; Luke 22:11, e.g.; (c) of all who manifest that they are His disciples by abiding in His Word, John 8: 31; cp. 13:35; 15:8; (d) in the Acts, of those who believed upon Him and confessed Him, 6:1,2,7; 14:20,22,28; 15:10; 19:1 etc.…A disciple was not only a pupil, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher; cp. John 8:31; 15:8.” Vine, Vol. 1, p. 316.

Definitions of “Shepherd”

Poimen (┬ñ├çÔò¼ÔöÉÔò¼ÔòúÔò¼ÔòØÔò¼┬½Ôò¼┬ó) Noun

“poimen, herdsman, shepherd, is an Indo-European word which is frequently used in metaphorical senses: leader, ruler, commander. It is also used as an alternative for nomeus, law-giver. poimaino means to be a shepherd, tend (act. and mid.); metaphorically, care for……The good shepherd of Jn. 10:1-30 is contrasted here, on one hand, with the thief and, on the other, with the stranger. The shepherd enters through the door, his sheep know him and follow him willingly. In typically Johannine fashion the unique relationship between this shepherd and his flock is expounded. It is a relationship which is elsewhere expressed in other mataphors (cf. the vine and the branches in Jn. 15; ├ö├Ñ├å I Am).…This unique relationship is made possible by the shepherd’s voluntary laying down of his life, something that the hireling is unable to do. He flees in the hour of danger. The hireling (misthotos), like thief and stranger, is introduced for the sake of the contrast……In Acts 20:28 poimne and ekklesia are juxtaposed. Paul, on the other hand, only uses the latter. In 1 Cor. 9:7 the apostle compares his claim on the church for hospitality with the shepherd’s claim on the produce of his flock. 1 Pet. 2:25, however, looks back once again to the image of the shepherd and his flock; Jesus is the shepherd and ├ö├Ñ├å bishop of souls. Christian elders were exhorted not to be self-seeking masters over the community, but examples of service to it, so that they might pass the test when Jesus, the chief shepherd (archipoimen), appears (1 Pet. 5:3 f.). In Heb. 12:20 Christ is the great shepherd (poimen megas) who, in accordance with the theme of the letter, has, once and for all, surpassed all prototypes, including Moses himself. Rev. 7:17, on the other hand, says that the ├ö├Ñ├å lamb (arnion) will be the shepherd of his flock and that they will gladly follow him (cf. Rev. 14:4). Brown, Vol. 3, pp. 564-568.

The Importance of Fellowship

A Balance Between the Pursuit of Truth and the Pursuit of Fellowship

In shepherding there is an emphasis on being in submission to church elders or your own personal shepherd in order to “hear God.” In other words, if you follow what they say is the correct relationship of being under “spiritual authority,” you will be better able to understand the truth. This “truth” would include both biblical truth and personal truth, in what God is speaking to you individually.

There may be a misunderstanding, though, of what happens if we reject this interpretation, and rely on Jesus as our Shepherd to lead us into truth (as I believe we should do). Does this mean that we do not really need any involvement with the church to hear God? Isn’t Christ able to speak to us directly, and lead us into all the truth we need?

Of course Christ is able to speak to us, and if we are in any situation where we need an answer I would say that we will always get it if we have given our lives to the Lord. It may not be in an audible form or in a manner that would really be clear to us at the time, but I believe those in the shepherding movement would have the same expectation about how Jesus speaks to us or gives us an answer through other means.

A philosophical question I have is that if Christ is always leading us, how do so many Christians get into traps such as the shepherding movement or other doctrines which stifle their growth or lead them into a less than productive Christian life? The answer for me was that when I became involved in the shepherding movement it was not because I was seeking it, but because other Christians taught it to me and said that I needed to have this type of relationship with spiritual elders in order to “hear God” (or in other words, to know the truth). This point is a little aside, but I want to make it–the people in eldership positions in this group were probably biblically qualified to be so and the group was a Christian group–it just got into this unbiblical position through a misguided zeal of wanting to follow the Lord and get into deeper truths.

If we are not involved in a church, then, we should theoretically be spared from other people leading us into false doctrine such as shepherding (since most people I have met are like I was, and are persuaded to get into shepherding rather than coming up with the idea on their own through their personal Bible study and communication with the Lord).

Therefore one main point to get across is that we should not fear being involved with other Christians just because other people may at times teach false doctrines or say things that are very confusing to us. Yes, there are potential problems with being involved in just about any Christian group, and we will probably hear things that are not in accord with scripture if we open ourselves up to learning as much as we can and sometimes getting out of our comfort zone for the sake of having fellowship with others. Our own church can sometimes give us false teaching, such as the ones which get into the shepherding movement. The article quoted in the next section of this page gives biblical principles that will help prevent a church from falling into these traps of false doctrine. If we do see false doctrines I think we need to acknowledge them as such, and then decide if we can stay in that particular group. I believe, though, that recognizing that Jesus Christ is our true Shepherd gives us more liberty to fellowship with people of different backgrounds and viewpoints, knowing that the Lord is able to keep us in the truth.

To be technical, it is the Holy Spirit who speaks to us (I John 5:6; Rom. 8:14). We can and should be willing to learn from elders and other Christians, and I believe this is not in opposition to following Jesus directly.

When I was persuaded to accept the shepherding teachings for a while, the Lord ultimately led me out of it. Listening to Christians got me into it, and listening to a Christian friend of mine also got me out of shepherding. Ultimately the Lord showed that He could set me on a better path because I believe I made myself teachable to hear His voice.

How to Have Fellowship With Others Without Being Led Astray

I believe God has purposely set up a tension between hearing Him directly and hearing Him through others. The Lord does not want us to blindly follow what the leaders in the church tell us (this is an extreme form of shepherding and would clearly be classified as being cultic). On the other hand, we can be in danger when we just rely on our own ability to listen to the Lord (this is what shepherding warns against, although their solution to the problem is less than optimum). God wants us to follow His Son Jesus as our Shepherd, but at the same time He seems to have placed a need in us for the fellowship, advice, and ministry we get from other believers.

These ideas, and the desire to find a biblical solution to them, are not new. I am not offering any original ideas about the subject, but hopefully this article will provide a balance to the fact that we should not get into shepherding in order to “hear the Lord.”

I know that through the years I have heard many things taught in the church which I either believed at the time or now know for sure were wrong. This is probably part of the process of learning the word of God and growing in our Christian life. I would rather not have to hear erroneous teaching or statements from the church, and if I could trust someone to be correct all the time there would probably be no danger in setting up a system along the lines of shepherding (although it would still be wrong because it would distract us from listening directly to the voice of the Lord).

I do believe that in most cases we should leave a group which goes into shepherding, but this is not so much because of the danger of us all of a sudden not being able to hear the Lord on our own, but because we would knowingly put ourselves in an unbiblical situation. The shepheding movement likes to use “covenants” and other means of forcing us to either accept their system or leave the group (this is why I think people confronted with this situation usually need to leave the group).

Simply because there may be a diversity of ideas, teachings, or doctrines in a church, though, does not necessarily mean we need to leave. I have yet to encounter a church with perfect teachings or doctrines. In fact, when dealing with Christians on a day-to-day basis in our normal lives, usually outside any church, there can be great intellectual stimulation by listening to different ideas. I do not think we need to avoid fellowship because others have different ideas than our own.

“As I Have Loved You” (Article in Searching Together)

One article which was recently published gives a good insight into the tension between maintaining fellowship in the body of Christ and allowing for different opinions which do not lead to false doctrine, church splits, or the de-emphasis of biblical truth so that we can maintain our “unity.”

I would refer the reader to the article “As I Have Loved You: Outworking the Life of Christ among His Ekklesias” by Jon Zens, published inSearching Together Vol. 39:1-2, Spring-Summer 2013.

Background of the Article: The article is addressed to believers “outside of the traditional churches,” primarily house churches. Mr. Zens was an early critic of the shepherding movement, and has proposed home gatherings or house churches as a way of addressing many of the problems found in the traditional church, including those pointed out by the shepherding movement.

My purpose in presenting this article is not necessarily to promote the house church movement, but to point out that fellowship, or “the church” has a broad definition, and I believe can include many different kinds of Christian groups. Christians should not be “Lone Rangers,” but this does not mean that the only alternative is to join a traditional church (although anyone can do so if this is what they believe is correct). I believe Mr. Zen’s article is important because it focuses on biblical ways of doing things rather than trying to make things fit into the denominational structure (as is frequently the case with traditional churches).

Following are portions of the article:

Believers who begin to practice ekklesia outside of traditional churches usually face a number of obstacles. Obviously, everyone brings their past churchy baggage with them to some degree. Folks can often see the problems with how most churches try to do things, but they are not always sure how to avoid such pitfalls in the fresh setting of home gatherings. In this article I would like to set forth some basic, fundamental perspectives that past experience tells me will go a long way toward helping the saints to get started on the right foot. First, we will look at the foundation we must work from, then we will examine some very practical issues about getting along with one another and working out problems together.

The article next points out that the church has to be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Having Christ as our foundation means that the church is built on His commandment that we love one another.

The author was struggling with the question about why there were so many church splits in Bible believing churches if our mandate is for love and unity in the body. The next section talks about the subject of this article:

Churches tend to illustrate the pendulum swing–they either pursue truth in an atmosphere without love and caring (which results in witch-hunts), or they emphasize acceptance and love with little interest in Christ’s revealed will (which results in gushy sentimentality). Why do we sever what God has joined together? Why can’t we cultivate and encourage an atmosphere of acceptance in which we will learn to speak the truth to one another in Love? Our tendency is to reject other Christians who disagree with our understanding of Scripture in what we regard as crucial issues. Or, there is the tendency to so underscore acceptance that there is no concern for revealed truth. To fully accept one another in the bonds of the Gospel and to instruct one another in an atmosphere of acceptance is a tension we must face and work out.

The author points out that we should “work together, study together, pray together and even fast together in order to seek the Lord’s mind and come to greater agreement.” Christians also have a duty to “point out what they feel to be the errors in other’s thinking” (Rom. 15:14).

One thing missing in many assemblies is this:

Much more important than having the truth is being in a position to receive the truth; thus, the life of the church always must be open-ended toward God.

The next section states:

When physical families have problems they don’t run away from each other. Hopefully, there is a commitment present that will stick it out during the process of resolving issues. How much more in the spiritual body of Christ should we be willing to persevere with one another in anticipation of the Lord by His Spirit enhancing our fellowship as we speak the truth in love?

The church in Corinth provided a case where splits were happening unbiblically, with some saying “I’m of Paul; and I’m of Apollos; and I’m of Peter; and I’m of Christ.” Paul gives instructions in 1 Corinthians concerning how a split church can come back together:

As used in the context of 1 Corinthians 1:10 we can see an important implication of being “perfectly united in mind and thought.” While we are not given any of the details as to how they worked this out, at a minimum we can say that the Corinthians had to work through this matter until the breach was “mended” and they finally “agreed.” A process that results in unity is in view. They were already split apart, so in order for the torn garment to be repaird they had to: (1) take the apostolic instruction; (2) come back together; (3) face and discuss the word of the Lord together; (4) repent of their sins; and (5) be restored again to their original oneness.

One further point is that Paul does not look to the elders of the church of Corinth to solve the issues, but to the whole assembly together.

What We Can Learn from 1 Corinthians

This article has so many implications for the shepherding teachings that I have to fight the urge to do my own commentary and instead let the article and the passages by Paul in First Corinthians speak for themselves. One thing is apparent to me, though–the men who started the shepherding movement were concerned with many of the same problems in the church addressed by 1 Corinthians.

The solution to divisions in the body, though, are not through a top-down approach of letting the leaders in the church decide issues and letting the church members “submit” to these decisions. Instead, I think Mr. Zens successfully argues that Paul was suggesting a more organic solution–one from the bottom up.

One of my main problems with shepherding is that it fails to recognize the individual believer’s right and duty to hear God and look to Jesus Christ as our Shepherd. At the same time we do not have to go off and be a “Lone Ranger” as the shepherding movement fears will be a result.

I do not know the whole answer to seeking truth versus maintaining fellowship with those who have differing opinions, but I have found in my studies that the approaches such as the one Paul lays out in 1 Corinthians provide a much better answer than trying to have a forced unity through “submission to shepherds” or other methodologies tried in the various shepherding movement groups.

A Personal Note

Please contact Searching Together for more information about the article “As I Have Loved You” or other articles. I would encourage everyone to subscribe to the Searching Together (the subscription price is quite reasonable, and issues are published several times per year). For me this magazine always provides food for the spirit as well as the mind.

Discipleship

The Shepherding Movement’s Interpretation

One of the factors leading to the rise of the shepherding movement was the belief that once the church made new converts, too little emphasis was placed on the discipleship process which would turn them into mature believers. One of the early teachers of shepherding described it like this:

acceptance of Christ makes one a potential disciple. Unfortunately, many people who have what they call a genuine conversion experience never seem to grasp what it means to be a disciple or how to live and grow in the faith. (emphasis his) –Don Basham, “Forum: Discipleship,” New Wine, March 1974, p. 27.

Along with this teaching was the clear belief that evangelism alone was not effective, to the point that new converts who were not properly discipled were in real danger of falling away:

Much harm is done when meeting after meeting is devoted to “soul-winning” messages at the expense of the teaching of the flock. –John Poole, “What a Shepherd Can Expect from His Sheep,” New Wine, May 1974, p. 7.

The same apprehension towards traditional evangelism is found in the following statement:

A lot of what we call “God’s servants” are organizers, professional sermonizers, (much of which is based on theory) who have dived head-long into mass-evangelism, mass-literature crusades, mass-TV programs. We pretend we have discovered a short-cut, a way of getting the “job” done quickly. But we are slowly awakening to the solemn conclusion that we have been laying bricks in the air, and have not been “building the walls of Zion.” (emphasis his) –Ivan Martin Baker, “Forum: Discipleship,” New Wine, March 1974, p. 31.

One of the biggest controversies about shepherding, however, involves the methodology devised to accomplish discipleship within the church. These teachers believe that discipleship can only occur through a submitted relationship to a “shepherd” (using their definition of a shepherd). They state the following:

All disciples of Jesus belong to Jesus. They are His, not ours (I Peter 5:3,4; Acts 20:28), but He “allots” or assigns them to mature brethren for overseeing and maturing. –Charles Simpson, “Making Disciples,” New Wine, March 1974, p. 5.

It means that after the Lord, who owns them, gives them to us as a sacred trust, that we make them in His image. –Charles Simpson, “Forum: Discipleship,” New Wine, March 1974, p. 30.

The process of assigning disciples to mature believers to be under their care, protection, and “covering” is the essence of the shepherding movement, to which this article will give some biblical answers.

Biblical Definitions of Discipleship

One of the problems in the above quotes is in the definition of discipleship. The Bible describes coming to Jesus Christ as the process that makes one a disciple. On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were together in one place (Acts 2:1). The believers continued to meet together, to break bread, to pray, and to receive teaching (Acts 2:42). In Acts 6:1, these believers were called disciples. Acts 6:2 says:

And the Twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples (NASB)

What does this mean? Were they called “disciples” because they were submitted under the authority of the Twelve apostles and thus taught by these men just as Jesus had taught the disciples? No, because right afterward the church faced persecution and was scattered from Jerusalem. As these disciples preached to non-Jews, new churches sprang up, with new disciples. Antioch became the first recorded church to be made up largely of Greeks (Acts 11:20). The Bible says:

the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch –Acts 11:26 (NASB)

This is significant because these and other passages give a more generic definition of disciple as being a Christian–not the contrived defintion put forth by the shepherding movement.

The word disciple was used in a Jewish context. The Pharisees said they were disciples of Moses (John 9:28), while they themselves had disciples (Matt. 22:16). John the Baptist had disciples (Matt. 9:14), and of course Jesus had His disciples. The fact that the Pharisees were disciples of Moses, a historical figure, shows that discipleship does not have to involve direct, one-on-one teaching as the shepherding movement assumes. My argument on the point of discipleship has more to do with emphasis than definition. All Christians are disciples of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible–they are not potential disciples. While the shepherding movement’s desire to teach young Christians is commendable, it reaches the point of error and spritual danger when Christians are in fear that they must have an elder or shepherd teach them or they cannot be true disciples.

Some Further Teachings on Discipleship from the Shepherding Movement

The following is from the article “Making Disciples” by Charles Simpson in New Wine, March 1974, pp. 4-8.

… a disciple is one who is under the discipline of another, for instruction to produce maturity …

So discipleship is a matter of one who is living in the way of the Lord, showing someone else how to live in the way of the Lord(Acts 9:2; 18:25,26; 19:9,23) …

We may make many converts and not make any disciples. Discipleship is vastly more than making converts. In fact, we may do many religious things and yet miss His commandment to make disciples. Be sure that though discipleship is Jesus’ own method of reproducing and maturing, it has been abused and will be abused by less noble causes such a communism and numerous false religions. But the method has brought success to them, erroneous as they are. Discipleship works. The more disciplined the approach, the better it works …

To produce disciples who will walk in Jesus’ ways one must himself be an example of Christian maturity and stability. Jesus is not only the pattern for making disciples, He is the pattern disciple. Isaiah refers to Jesus as the Father’s disciple and a servant (Isaiah 50:4-11), and Paul reminds us that Jesus emptied Himself and became an humble servant.

The first quality that is necessary for making disciples is a life that is an example of Christ’s ways. This is the very basis of our authority (1 Peter 5:3). When one ceases to be an example, he foreits (sic.) his right to instruct. Since life, not information, is being imparted, a man will only produce the measures of life that he has. Words are conductors which convey our spirit to people. A nervous man may teach on peace, but his very words will make people nervous. Weakness as well as strength may be imparted by example.

A second necessary quality is being under authority. This is where Lordship becomes a practical reality. An entire article could be given to discuss the necessity of this attribute. A rebel will begat rebels. One can only transmit the authority to which he submits (See Matthew 8:5-13) …

All disciples of Jesus belong to Jesus. They are His, not ours (1 Peter 5:3,4; Acts 20:28), but He “allots” or assigns them to mature brethren for overseeing and maturing. These brethren will give an account to Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, for each disciple …

Generally speaking, all true Christians are disciples of the Lord Jesus. However, the practical process of being discipled by someone has not been part of this experience, even though many of us have been “discipled” by several mature Christians in the course of our spiritual development. In the event that being discipled “by man” may trouble some of the readers, 1 Corinthians 4:14-17 may serve as an example. In Acts 9:1 (N.A.S.), the disciples were called “disciples of the Lord.” But in Acts 19:9-10, Paul drew away disciples and taught them daily. So again we say, disciples belong to the Lord, but they are shaped by stewards of His ministry …

Others will draw back because they are willing to “submit to God,” but they are not willing to “submit to man.” The Scripture teaches us that man is a rebel … in 1 Peter 5:5-6 humbling oneself under elders is equated with humbling oneself under the mighty hand of God.

The question is not whether to submit, it is where to submit. That should be the subject of much prayer and fasting … Wherever and whenever, submission must be done with the conviction that God has led you in it, and therefore you are relating to your leader as unto the Lord. The decision should bring peace and joy. The relationship as a disciple is not contrived or strained. His yoke is easy and His burden is light — but His yoke is a yoke …

The door to any flock is the shepherd (John 10:7). Desiring the fellowship of a body without a commitment to its leadership is spiritual thievery . . . “Something for nothing” (John 10:1) …

If we truly trust God, then we can trust those to whom He entrusts us.

When one truly denies himself he confesses, “I cannot run my own life . . . will you help me to bring it under the government of Jesus Christ the Lord. I want to be His servant.” …

Believing leads to discipleship. Discipleship leads to maturity . Maturity makes one capable of freedom. To grant undue freedom to the immature is to destroy. Our baby is not free to play in the street. If he continues in our discipline he will become mature and know the truth about the street. Then upon maturing he will be free to use it …

Jesus gave His disciples practical tests of obedience. He challenged their trust in Him …

Often a disciple is told to do something of no seeming value, other than its contribution to obedience training.

You pick up the stick and look at your playful dog. Showing the stick to the dog you throw it away.

“Go get it, Pal!”

Poor Pal probably thinks, “If he wanted the stick why did he throw it away?”

Why did you throw it? You did it to teach him obedience. One day obedience might save his life.

The purpose of a true disciple is to carry out the will of Jesus Christ. To do that, his own will must be broken. I believe it is accurate to say that our “cross” is where His will and our wills cross. Obedience puts our will to death, and reveals the will of God …

A true disciple cannot minister, or be promoted, beyond the recognition of his leader …

Wait for the recognition of your leader. Let him promote you. When he feels you are ready, he, as Jesus did, will begin to take you into his confidence …

By discipleship Jesus distributed His ministry and success. Instead of keeping the ministry to Himself, He taught ordinary men how to enter the extraordinary purpose and power of God …

Discipleship had left the disciples in a community or fellowship. That community had as its cornerstone their common Lordship. Without a willingness to be governed, we cannot know true disicpleship, fellowship and community. Protection and sustenance were found in community. That community was referred to as “The Way” (See Acts 9:2, N.A.S.). They were different from those who went “their own way.” …

I believe if Christianity is to return to these principles, and I believe it will, it will come about through a rediscovery and practice of New Testament discipleship. Then we may fulfill our commission: Go make disciples.

A Rebuttal

The article by Charles Simpson really gives a good idea of what shepherding is all about, and explains the true motivations of the movement. These long excerpts are included so the reader may see these statements in context.

The idea that “disciples” and “Christians” are different people has already been addressed. Of course, someone “who is living in the way of the Lord, showing someone else how to live in the way of the Lord” is a scriptural concept. The main problem with shepherding is the manner in which they try to spiritualize discipleship, turn it into a formal structure, and say that you must submit to the one discipling you. Instead, the Bible has a different emphasis, saying in Ephesians 5:21 “be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

One of the biggest problems with discipleship as taught by the shepherding movement is the “obedience” being asked of the disciples, analagous to a dog chasing a stick–in other words, blind obedience. The Bible does teach obedience, such as in Hebrews 13:17 which says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” (words in italics are not in the Greek text).

The word “obey” in this verse is the Greek word peitho which means, “to persuade; to influence by persuasion; to seek to please, to conciliate; to appease, to render tranquil… to yield to persuasion, to assent, to listen to, to obey” (George Ricker Berry, The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Green New Testament with the Authorized Version, Chicago: Wilcox and Follett Company, 1897, p. 77 of the Greek-English New Testament Lexicon).

While a dog may obey when you throw a stick, this is not the spiritual context for a Christian in a shepherd/ disciple relationship. The whole idea of obedience in Greek is to be “convinced” or “persuaded” by something to the point that you follow through with action. Only GOD has the right to teach us “obedience training.” When we obey human leaders it should be because we are persuaded, and this should be because it is in accordance with what the Bible says. It is not that our will must be broken to follow a shepherd when he “throws a stick to teach us obedience training,” but rather through God’s word the “old man” is broken and we obey those in the church as part of our new life of following Christ and His teachings.

A Personal Note

I included the above except so the reader can begin to see the full impact the shepherding movement has had on the lives of believers. This kind of teaching by some prominent church leaders has filled well-meaning Christians with fear and anxiety to the point that they have not been able to function effectively in the church (just the opposite result as that which was intended by the shepherding movement). Many young Christians and others have thought, “If God commanded obedience to my shepherd, then this must be right.” Many have had reservations about this kind of blind obedience (I believe these reservations come from the Holy Spirit) but have “submitted” anyway because of the strong teaching given by the shepherding movement. In some churches today a combination of this type of teaching and a lack of effective balance through the group’s inward emphasis is producing the same type of fear and anxiety. I am trying to show through the Word that the Lord does not want fear and anxiety in Christians. Let the full counsel of God persuade you as to the truth–not some new teaching that is trying to pressure you to submit in order to be spiritual.