They Smell Like Sheep

This was an easy and practical book for church leadership.

This book is an easy read, but there are profound insights here. The author didn't intend to give us an exhaustive analysis of biblical church government. [For that, Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch is the standard.] In fact, when he strays too far into exegetical territory he begins to get into trouble. But where the book really shines is when he's showing us the heart of what it means to shepherd God's people. The wonderful nuggets of wisdom throughout the book are not only worth the purchase price, but worthy of repeated reading. Even for those of us who may be very familiar with these principles, this is a healthy, refreshing reminder of what this leadership thing is really all about.

Anderson divides the book into two parts. In the first part, he presents three interrelated models of spiritual leadership (especially true of church elders). These models are shepherding, mentoring, and equipping. This is definitely not a book on theory. He writes with the pressures of the real world in mind, to elders who have families and demanding careers to maintain. Anderson gives us a vivid picture of the three models, and makes clear the necessity of each. Again, many elders may already know most of these principles, but it's so easy for us to begin to lose our priorities. This book helps bring them back into proper focus.

The second part describes elders and what kind of people they are to be, i.e. men of experience, men of character, and men of vision. His exegetical work is the weak point of the book, but it's not the main focus. He rightly brings out the plurality of pastors (elders) in each church, but many of his illustrations seem to show a distinction between himself and the elders. Since this book isn't primarily about the doctrinal aspects of eldership, these differences can actually make the book more accessible to people with different understandings of eldership.

I thought that his frequent anecdotes were a valuable addition to the book, effectively illustrating the relevant principles. I found many sticking with me, such as the man who resigned as elder so that he would have time for shepherding(!), or the stories showing the problem of ineffective assimilation (ouch). His stories of the wonderful men who had mentored him reminded me of the godly men that modeled Christian leadership and shepherding for me, and also that I need to be doing the same for others.

As I mentioned, Strauch's book is best for the biblical teaching on church elders. And for a 'nuts-and-bolts' book on 'eldering,' "Christ in Church Leadership" by Winslow and Followwill or Swartley's "Eldership in Action" are great. But for a book on the heart of shepherding, with many gems of wisdom and practical insight, this is one of the very best.