First, what is “shepherding”? In my view, biblical “shepherding” involves caring devotion to helping others become all that God has designed them to become, in particular, helping them achieve two main objectives in their life:
(1) grow to spiritual maturity, generally, and
(2) recognise, and outwork, the specific ministry that God has appointed for them.
I use the term “prophetic shepherding” to describe a comprehensive approach to biblical shepherding that:
(1) aims to achieve both of these objectives above, and
(2) gives primary focus to the second objective…because it’s evident to me that it’s possible to aim for the first objective and never recognise—let alone achieve—the second objective…but I don’t think it’s possible to aim for the second objective and not achieve the first objective in that process.
In what ways is this approach to shepherding “prophetic”? Prophesying involves ‘seeing’, and communicating, what God sees and wants to communicate. An example of this prophetic insight is ‘seeing’ someone’s calling…and helping them ‘see’ their calling. If someone wants to fulfil the ministry that God has appointed for them, they will need to have some understanding that God has appointed a specific ministry for them and some understanding of what that ministry might be. Paul, the apostle, ‘saw’ the ministry potential in a young man named Timothy, and this prophetic insight shaped his understanding of the role he could play in helping Timothy become all that God had designed him to become…another apostle of Jesus Christ.
We can develop this type of prophetic insight…to help others recognise God’s purpose for their life, so they can align themselves intentionally with that purpose and become all that God has designed them to become.
How can we develop this type of prophetic insight? The best way is in an interactive small group, where we can:
(1) Develop some important personal attitudes and practices that will promote prophetic insight.
(2) Learn relevant Bible principles.
(3) Apply various life-mapping analyses, designed to reveal prophetic patterns that point to God’s purpose.
(4) Develop certain spiritual gifts that will help in this process.
But it’s not always easy to form, and maintain, such connections in person. An e-group, that connects electronically, makes it possible for people to connect, regardless of where they are located in the world, united by a common interest in helping people become all that God has designed them to become.
If you would like to express your interest in joining such a group, or find out more about what is involved, please complete the Contact form below. Item 3 (“Reason for contact”) gives you a drop-down menu with three options.
