Being A Good Shepherd

Simon Sinek: Why Leaders Eat Last from 99U on Vimeo.


This talk by Simon Sinek intrigued me on so many levels. I found his insight into why we do what we do to be particularly fascinating. Why is it that I'll still head out for a run when the temps are in single digits? We do we incessantly check our Twitter feed or Facebook? Why is stress so  detrimental to our health? Turns out there's a powerful chemical reason.

Sinek's anthropologically flavored presentation is actually about leadership and the important role leaders play in facilitating healthy communities. He's not talking about instituting corporate wellness programs, rather he's talking about creating vibrant, healthy, missional communities. When I first watched this presentation, Jesus' words kept coming to mind:

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away - and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:11-15).

One of the signs of missional vitality that we've identified at Holy Cross is Christ-like Community. As Sinek points out, in healthy, missional communities, we sense that we are known, supported, and cared for. As a congregation grows, it's difficult to maintain an atmosphere where, as the Cheers theme song tells us, "Everyone knows your name." That needs to take place in smaller circles of care and accountability that are connected to the wider mission and vision of the congregation.

There's a lot of information to absorb in this presentation. I commend it to you for your own reflection and conversation. Enjoy.