The early morning mists rose lazily from the
pasture. The coyote had watched for four days as two huge white dogs
nonchalantly led the flock of sheep from their night pen to begin their day of
grazing. The weaned lambs recently rejoined the flock. Daily the flock scattered
as they began to graze. The coyote planned to unexpectedly dart in, quickly kill
a defenseless lamb, drag the dead lamb to a waiting partner, and retreat with
more than the two of them could eat in one meal.
The coyote left his cover full of confidence. Several yards from his cover he
suddenly was cut off from his chosen lamb as one of the huge white dogs appeared
before him. In disgust, the coyote quickly turned, intending to hastily retreat
to his cover. With the same unexpected suddenness, the other huge white dog
blocked his retreat. As the coyote quickly accessed his predicament, he felt a
sharp pain in his back near his tail. He whirled with bared teeth to confront
his rear attacker, only, again, to feel a sharp pain in his left leg. Again, he
whirled with bared teeth, assuming his best “don’t mess with me” expression,
only, yet again, to feel the sharp pain of something biting his rear left leg.
In moments it was over. The two huge white dogs walked away to continue their
duties of guarding the flock as the carcass of a dead, ripped coyote laid a few
yards from what was the coyote’s cover. With only a few muffled sounds, the
battle ended. The flock continued to graze securely under the vigilant eyes of
two Great Pyrenees dogs.
Janice Prater has two Great Pyrenees dogs and a Border collie (that loves to
round up and pen the sheep) to assist her as she cares for her small flock. Many
years ago when she started her flock, she estimates she lost fifty per cent of
her lambs to coyotes. Those coyotes were bold enough to kill lambs as she fed
her flock! Then an experienced shepherd introduced her to Great Pyrenees dogs.
For years she has lost no lambs to coyotes.
The bond between a trained Great Pyrenees and its flock borders on the
unbelievable. Though the dog is large (adult males weight 90 to 125 pounds and
adult females weigh 85 to 115 pounds), though it seems slow almost to the point
of being lazy, and though it seems to notice nothing, it is totally devoted to
the well-being of the sheep. The dog constantly observes more than humans
imagine! It even ignores Janice’s presence to care for Janice’s flock!
The Need
The need is enormous. Sheep are very dependent. Even though they are quite
dependent, the shepherd never knows if the sheep will cooperate or be defiant.
Sheep can be gentle on one occasion, and contrary on another. Though everything
is done for their own good (by a conscientious shepherd), the sheep often seem
oblivious to that fact.
Occasionally a sheep wanders off alone or gets itself in a situation it cannot
get out of. Finding a lost sheep is commonly exasperating. The sheep’s only
defense against predators is to be totally quiet and attract no attention to
itself. Even if the shepherd passes near the “in trouble” sheep, the sheep will
not make a sound—even if it is in dire physical need of food and water. The
search for a lost sheep literally can last for days. It does not end until the
searcher actually sees the sheep. Commonly the searcher experiences an enormous
sense of relief if the sheep is found alive.
A sheep’s dedication to its quietness cannot be exaggerated. Even in the painful
birthing process, the ewe remains quiet. During this period, Janice checks her
ewes every three hours day and night. The only way her ewes can be assisted with
a difficult birth (which is often needed) is for her to see the condition of the
ewes—no matter how dire the need, a ewe will not “ask” for assistance.
A close relative asked Janice why she continued to have a flock when the sheep
required so much work. Her reply: “I love my sheep, and I love working with
them.” Obviously, to take care of a flock requires a devotion of continuing
love. Only those who love it have enough patience to do it!
Observing the Obvious
Not everyone is “cut out” to be a shepherd. Only a person who loves sheep can
take care of a flock. The well-being of the sheep is the number one
consideration—always. Sheep cannot be “worked with” as though they were
cows—sheep take more patience, care, and time. Working with sheep is not for
those in a hurry that do not have the patience to experience the unexpected
(that often seems the unnecessary). Sheep are unique among domesticated animals
as they maintain a unique blend of dependence and individuality. Rarely can
something so dependent be occasionally (and unpredictably) so stubborn.
Yet, the characteristics of sheep are unique to the type of sheep. For example,
the mentality expressed in the herding instinct differs from breed to breed. To
be an effective shepherd, the person must be well-acquainted with the breed he
or she cares for. It must not be assumed if a shepherd is effective with one
breed, that shepherd will be effective with all breeds. Only if the shepherd can
make adjustments, changing when necessary, can the person be effective from
breed to breed.
For a quality shepherd, the sheep always must be the all-important
consideration. As a good shepherd considers the sheep, the consideration is not
on what the flock wants, but what the flock needs. What a flock wants and what a
flock needs may not be the same thing. To be redundant, it is not about the
acreage available—as important as that is; it is about the sheep. It is not
about the barns—as important as that is; it is about the sheep. It is not about
the pens—as important as that is; it is about the sheep. The acreage, the barns,
and the pens support the needs of the sheep, and never exist in their own right.
Insights
Not every person is capable of providing congregational leadership. The tools of
effective leadership in a business enterprise are not automatically the skills
of effective leadership in a congregation. In a congregation, effectiveness is
calculated by effectiveness in meeting the needs of the flock, not in bottom
lines or profit margins. The same could be said for any professional
pursuit—accounting, security work, community offices, banking, ownership, trade
skills, or a retirement existence.
This is not at all to say that the lessons learned in any professional pursuit
do not have usefulness or application to congregational well-being. It merely
says: