Jesus Said Geed My Sheep.... Not Lead My Sheep.

This quote does a great job expressing every danger I see about about this current leadership conversation today.

" Our leadership fetish has created knuckleheaded, clenched-fist categories of clergy as leaders and laity as followers. Clergy are the high and lifted-up people. Laypeople just "lay" there and receive the ministrations of the high up and lofty. Such a view reflects an underfaithed understanding of the power of Christ and the mind of Christ that dwell in every disciple. Pastors tend to call the body of Christ followers and themselves leaders. But like leader, pastor is a term used but one time in the New Testament. This very fact should cause us to stop in our tracks. We have come to believe that most Christians cannot follow Christ on their own. They need mediating offices, intermediaries between Jesus and themselves. This has created in the church a culture of control that is fast approaching clericalism. Besides, we never forget the scriptural defensive: shepherds are the leaders, and sheep are the followers. But Jesus' charge to Peter was to 'feed My sheep,' not 'experiment on my rats," "teach my performing dogs new tricks" or even "lead my sheep to follow the shepherds of the moment," The disciples were instructed to feed the sheep, not lead them, Christ will lead them. Jesus is the Shepherd, We are the sheep. All of us. (Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 180)