Good Shepherd Baptist Church was known as a good church. It was one of the larger churches in its corner of the county, located in a small town that some might call a village. The church counted educators, business owners and a few other professionals among its members, but most were farmers or workers in the light manufacturing plant on the edge of town.
Even though there were about 100 families at Good Shepherd, everyone still knew what was going on in the lives of everyone else. That is just the way life is in a small southern community.
Pastor Rae was proud to serve Good Shepherd and worked hard to be a good pastor. Every time he stepped into the pulpit he was prepared through study and prayer. His Bible teaching was easy to understand. He even carried peppermint candy in his coat pocket to give to the children who flocked around him after church. Pastor Rae loved little children.
In fact Pastor Rae loved everybody and everybody seemed to love him. One day he told his wife he would be content to spend the rest of his ministry right there serving Good Shepherd. The feeling was mutual. The members and townspeople would have been pleased for him to stay too.
No jobs nearby
Things were going well until the local plant closed. The plant manager was transferred by the company to an out-of-state location but all other employees were laid off. Many found work elsewhere but one of the leading church families was not so fortunate. The father had been a production manager at the plant and there was nothing available for him anywhere nearby.
Weeks stretched into months and soon the family’s financial resources were used up. Financial difficulties created stress in the family. Arguments between husband and wife became more frequent. Accusations began to fly back and forth. The couple tried to put a good face on the situation but it was obvious to Pastor Rae things were not going well.
The anxiety in the family took its toll on the children. Their teenage son began to act out in unhealthy ways. Their vivacious young daughter became moody and withdrawn. Her schoolwork began to suffer. The whole family became less active in church.
Pastor Rae prayed for the family regularly but as their circumstances became more dire he decided to exercise pastoral initiative and see if he could help. A visit with the couple in their home validated many of his concerns. Pastor Rae decided to do whatever he could to help. He wrote letters of recommendation for the husband and even called friends in surrounding communities to see if he could find a job opening for which the husband could apply.
He shared books with the family and even arranged for some professional marriage counseling at his expense.
Pastor Rae spent time with the son listening to his complaints about how life had changed, about what was going on at home and, eventually, remorseful confessions about his unfortunate choices. One afternoon the pastor bought the young daughter a Dairy Queen sundae and the two talked about a lot of things including what was going on at home.
One conversation became five and five became 10. Days of helping the appreciative family became weeks and then months. Other families at the church began to grumble. Pastor Rae spent less time visiting the homebound, they charged. Pastor Rae rushed in and out for hospital visits. Pastor Rae didn’t check on those who missed church last Sunday. Pastor Rae even missed a committee meeting once in order to help the couple’s son with a special problem.
The rumble of unhappiness began to build in the congregation until complaints were widespread. Some said the pastor was playing favorites by spending so much energy on one family. Some said the pastor was shirking his responsibilities by spending so much time with the needy family.
In a community where everyone knows everything about everybody, Pastor Rae soon became aware of the storm that was brewing over his ministry. He was going to have to make a decision and that decision would have consequences for him, the church and the needy family.
Would Pastor Rae conclude he had done enough for the family and he could help them no more? Would he agree he had neglected the needs of the other families in Good Shepherd Church and now needed to devote his attention to them? Would he decide he could not jeopardize his ministry at the church just to take care of one family?
Most pressing needs
Would he determine he had to tend to the most pressing needs in the church congregation (the hurting family) and trust God for the consequences?
In Luke 15:4, Jesus said, “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
In Matthew’s version of the story Jesus adds that when the shepherd finds the sheep “he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 who did not wander off” (Matt. 18:13).
One longtime authority on pastoral ministry interpreted that parable to teach that “the wise minister will know how to weed out the trivia. … He will be able to leave the 90 and nine who make unhappy noises and spend useful time with the one who is quietly withering under the curse, famished for the blessing.”
What do you think it means? What advice would you give Pastor Rae?
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