Last week I began sharing with you some of the lessons that I learned from Pastor Milo, starting with the attitude of humility that Pastor Milo modeled. This week I would like to write about how Pastor Milo modeled a shepherd’s heart. The Biblical model for a shepherd is found in the beautiful Psalm 23 and in Jesus’ analogy from John 15. However, the passage I would like to use to share what Pastor Milo taught me is found in I Peter 5:2-4 – “… shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
We can all think of pastors who have impacted us. They might have been great communicators, exceptionally kind and caring, or great visionaries. Those characteristics are important for any pastor, but under them all should be the heart of a shepherd. A friend of mine in Michigan who had been in ministry for over 40 years used to say, “Glyn, people won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Pastor Milo excelled in being a shepherd of the people entrusted to his care. I count myself as part of that group who were blessed to look to him as a shepherd.
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