by Mike D. Hollis
On most Sunday mornings after gathered worship, I stand in the church foyer and talk with people as they make their way out the door. One person may share good news. Another mentions a family member who is struggling and needs prayer. Someone else asks a question about the sermon or about getting together during the week ahead. By the time I make it home, I have a few names and needs to pray for and a few conversations I should follow up with on Monday.
That is an ordinary Sunday for most pastors. And I am grateful for it. I also know that I do not always get those moments right. I can miss what someone is trying to tell me, even when looking right at them. I can offer an answer too quickly when all someone needed was a listening ear. I can intend to make a call to see how someone is doing and yet somehow let the week get away from me.
Psalm 78:72 gives us direction for the kind pastor we should want to be. It says of David, “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand” (ESV). These closing words of Psalm 78 describe David’s shepherd-leadership over Israel. The psalmist reflects on David’s upright heart and skillful hands in leading God’s people. But these words come at the end of a long story.
Psalm 78 recalls how often Israel forgot the Lord, doubted His care, and turned away from Him. Again and again, God showed them covenant mercy. The psalm closes by telling us that God chose David and “took him from the sheepfolds” to shepherd His people (Ps. 78:70–71). After all that happened in their history, the Lord still provided them a shepherd. God took David from among Jesse’s sheep to shepherd His own.
As a pastor, this gives me a solid place to begin in thinking about my role and responsibilities as one who shepherds God’s people. After all, a pastor is one of God’s gifts to His people (Eph. 4:11), and the people are God’s gift to the pastor (1 Pet. 5:1). The people I shepherd are Christ’s people first and foremost. They have graciously been entrusted to my care until “the Chief Shepherd appears” (1 Pet. 5:4). For my part as an under-shepherd of Christ’s flock, Psalm 78:72 gives me two things to pursue and pray for: an upright heart and a skillful hand.
The Character of a Shepherd — “with upright heart he shepherded them”
An upright heart speaks to the kind of man doing the shepherding. The word “upright” conveys integrity. As a pastor, I want the man people listen to on Sunday to be the same man they look to during the week. I do not always get that right, I confess. My life as a Christian does not become less important when I step out of the pulpit. The way I treat my people during the week either supports or weakens what I say as their pastor on Sunday. Furthermore, I especially want the man my wife and children see on Sunday to be the same man they see at home, for they are my most valuable ministry.
Paul told Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching” (1 Tim. 4:16). I need to balance both parts of that instruction. So do all pastors. I can spend hours in my study asking what a passage means for the congregation I serve and yet give too little thought to what it means for me. I can preach the need for patience as a mark of the Spirit’s work in the life of a believer and yet speak sharply to my wife or children when I get home tired from a long day of ministry. I can encourage prayer as a spiritual discipline for my people and let the demands of ministry crowd out my own praying.
David’s personal life also reminds us that an upright heart does not mean a sinless one. He failed seriously and needed God’s mercy, as do I. When I have wronged someone, I need to say so plainly and ask forgiveness. I need Christian friends who can ask me hard questions and hold me accountable. I need to receive the Word as a disciple before I teach it as a pastor. Character matters in the quieter decisions people may never see. Will I keep someone’s confidence? Will I give time to a member who cannot do anything for me? Will I follow through when I say I will call? Will I listen fairly when someone disagrees with me? Will I take a concern seriously even if it arrives at an inconvenient time?
Those questions have names and faces attached to them. Paul told the Ephesian elders to care for “the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Christ gave his life for the person asking me for help again, for the member who sees an issue differently than I do, and for the quiet believer whose faithfulness may go unnoticed (and even underappreciated). I want to remember these things before I speak, make an important decision, or address a concern from those under my pastoral care.
Ultimately, I want to be the same man at home, in my local community, and from the pulpit where I feed God’s people. I will not always succeed at this. But I know that an upright heart keeps returning to the Lord, speaking the truth, keeping its promises, and asking for grace to love God’s people well. My godliness matters more than my giftedness. And yet, there is giftedness that is mentioned regarding the shepherding of the flock of Christ.
The Competency of a Shepherd — “and guided them with his skillful hand”
Psalm 78 also says David guided the people “with his skillful hand.” His good intentions alone could not give them the guidance they needed. He had to know how to lead. Knowing how the lead requires competency. If I love the people entrusted to me, I should want to grow in my ability to serve them. That means studying the Scriptures carefully, sharpening my own doctrinal commitments, learning to be a better listener, seeking counsel from other believers and brother-pastors, and paying close attention when I have handled something poorly and need to course correct. It also means spending intentional time with those the Lord has called me to pastor to ensure I know how to best care for them, preach to them, and overall lead them.
Paul gave a picture of wise care when he wrote, “Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thess. 5:14). People will need different kinds of help from me in different seasons of life. Someone drifting into sin may need an honest conversation. Someone worn down by grief may need encouragement to make it through the next day. Someone who is persistently absent from the life of the church and expresses no desire to return needs my patient care and attention. In each situation, a pastor must know God’s Word and take time to know the people entrusted to them.
That is one reason the ministry of presence is a vital part of pastoral skill. There is a time to open the Bible and speak of Christ’s promises. There is also a time to sit quietly, let someone share their heart, and pray when you do not have the words to say. Knowing what to say matters; so does knowing when to say it. Regardless, there is no substitute for being present with people. The popular adage is true: “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” A pastor demonstrates a skillful hand when he prioritizes being present with his people.
Skill matters in preaching as well. Paul charged Timothy to preach the Word “with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). I want to understand a passage of Scripture personally before I see to explain it to others. I also want to explain it in such a way that my people can carry it into the upcoming week and hold on to it for the rest of their lives. The person in my congregation who has read the Bible for decades and the person who is just learning what it means to follow Jesus should both be able to hear what God is saying, understand it, and know how to apply it from my preaching. That takes serious work in the privacy of my own study and careful attention to the lives of every person in my congregation.
In addition, churches will face decisions that require patient servant-leadership. People may have honest questions or see a matter differently as it pertains to changing an established tradition that has been a staple for many years, starting a new ministry program that requires adjusting the schedule, or approving a ministry expense outside of the operating budget. A pastor needs to explain the reasons for these things, hear concerns without becoming defensive, and know when to speak plainly and when to give people more time. I am still learning how to balance this, and I am sure your pastor is too.
One thing is sure – a skillful hand in ministry takes time and effort. It requires time spent in God’s word, prayer, and in the trenches of ministry. It requires effort in the precise way a pastor disciplines himself for godliness, develops ministry competency, and cares for the needs of others. Peter charged elders to shepherd “the flock of God that is among you” (1 Pet. 5:2). I realize the people “among” me are real people with histories, burdens, strengths, and questions. They need a pastor who is skilled in both handling Scripture and caring for sheep who belong to a greater Shepherd.
How can you pray for and support your pastors?
If you wonder how to help your pastors, here are a few simple ways to begin. Since October is devoted to appreciating pastors (something that should be considered throughout the year and not merely for one month), I trust these practical suggestions will help you love and care for the shepherd(s) God has given to you.
Pray for their character. Ask God to keep them close to Christ, faithful in their homes, honest about sin, and willing to receive correction. Pray that they will love the people they serve (1 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 5:2–3).
Pray for their skill. Ask God to help them understand and preach his Word clearly, listen carefully, and know when to encourage, warn, or seek help from others (2 Tim. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:14; Jam. 1:5).
Tell them when Scripture has helped you. If a passage they preached strengthened your faith, led you to repent, or helped you through a hard week, tell them. A short conversation or note can encourage them to keep working faithfully in the Word.
Help care for the people around you. Take notice of who is missing from Sunday worship. Welcome a visitor sitting alone. Take a meal to someone, make that phone call to a discouraged brother or sister, or pray with a friend who may be struggling. You may see a need before your pastor does. Member care is a whole church responsibility, not just a pastoral one.
Care for your pastors as fellow believers. Ask how they are doing. Include their families in your kindness. Let them know you are praying for them. Listen attentively to the sermons or lessons they have spent hours preparing to feed your soul. Take them a meal when a member in the family is sick or visit them when they are in the hospital. Pastors are human too, and they require the same grace and Christian friendship everyone does.
Our Good Shepherd
When I think back over the names and conversations from Sunday, I know I will not care for every person as well as I want to or hoped to. I may forget to make a call, or I may need to return to a conversation because I did not listen carefully enough the first time. So, I am working to write down the names as I can, follow up where I should, and pray for the people I cannot help by my own wisdom. Pastoral ministry is a holy burden I never want to take for granted.
David was chosen to shepherd God’s people, but David needed a shepherd himself. Every pastor does. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He knows every name and every need, including the ones I missed. He also knows my name and my needs, including the ones I am presently unaware of or afraid to admit. Thank God for a gentle Shepherd who knows what we need before we ever ask Him!
So, I will keep asking Him for an upright heart and a more skillful hand. And I will entrust the people I love and serve to Him. They belonged to Him before they were entrusted to my care, and His care for them does not end when Sunday is over.
