Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
However, the church should be structured much more like a family in which everyone has a stance and stake in the family. A father is not a dictator. A grandfather presumably would have something at stake in every child, not just a favored son. The Lord talked about the shepherd versus the "hired hand". A father is not a "hired hand", which is certainly a key safeguard. I would like my "leaders" to be invested in my success and well being.
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Love is essential in any family environment. Same goes for where each of us fellowship on Lord's Day morning. When ZNP says he would like his leaders to be invested in success and well-being, that is simply more than setting meeting times, making announcements, or shaking hands after the meeting is over.
Just as a father knows his children and is involved in his children's lives, same goes for leaders of the church.
The difference between a shepherd and a hirling (aka steward of a system), a shepherd goes after the one that has gone astray. A hirling doesn't concern himself about the ones that go astray, only the ones that are present. If a church leader wants to be a shepherd, a brother or sister hasn't been attending for a while, he has to go after them. Otherwise if a church leader has the mindset "if you want to be part of the churchlife, you have to be here", that's an indication the church leader is more like a hirling than a shepherd. Even more so if you feel more responsible to the feeling of the Body enimating from Cleveland or Anaheim.