The Shepherd's Cross: The Pastoral Calling in Community Life

To those who are called, the shepherding ministry is meant by God to be one of life's greatest joys. Yet like a clipper ship sailing past the tip of a great unknown continent in the dead of night, this joy is vast, unexpected, and easy to miss.

For many, the initial joy of shepherding souls fades into exhaustion, resentment, even burnout. It does not last. It was not meant to. Much of the early reward of ministry done well is rooted in the gratification of the natural self. The immature she...