Discussion Questions

The speaker describes shepherding as “unending patience…going after wandering sheep…treating the wounded…knowing all your sheep by name.” What does that picture suggest about God as the “chief shepherd,” and where does it expose how unlike God our leadership instincts can be? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says shepherding means patient care, chasing wandering sheep, helping the hurt, and knowing each one by name. What does this show about what God is like, and how does it reveal where our leadership habits are not like his?

Peter identifies himself as “an elder” and also “a witness” (martus) of Christ’s sufferings; the speaker says Peter was not just an onlooker but “a full participant.” How does tying leadership authority to shared suffering challenge modern assumptions about what qualifies someone to lead in the church? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Peter links his leadership to being a witness who shared in Christ’s suffering, not just watching from the side. How does this challenge our usual ideas about what makes someone “qualified” to lead in the church?

The speaker contrasts “throwing feed down” like dairy cows with “tending as a shepherd,” including being “bedraggled” and even smelling like the sheep. What would “smelling like the sheep” look like in real congregational life, and what kinds of “clean,” professional ministry models might this critique? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker contrasts “throwing feed down” with staying close enough to “smell like the sheep.” What would that kind of close, messy care look like in a real church, and what “clean and professional” ministry style might it question?

The phrase “feed the flock of God which is among you” stands out to the speaker as “focus on what’s right in front of you,” warning that pastors “spread themselves way too thin.” How would early Christians—meeting in smaller, local communities—have naturally embodied this, and what modern ministry practices make it harder? JumpstartAnother way to ask: “Feed the flock…among you” sounds like “take care of the people right in front of you,” not doing too much at once. How would that have been easier for early Christians, and what modern church habits make it harder today?

The speaker wonders whether mega-church pastors can experience people as “individual sheep” or just “the flock of sheep after a while.” What does this raise about scale, celebrity, and “connection” as a theological issue (not merely a practical one) in church life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker wonders if mega-church pastors can still know people as individuals. What does this question raise about church size, celebrity, and real spiritual connection—not just what’s practical?

On “taking the oversight…not by constraint, but willingly,” the speaker describes Anabaptist ordinations that feel like “a cloud of gloom” and leaders who look like “a whipped puppy.” What does Peter’s command imply God intends leadership to feel like, and what fears or church-culture expectations might be producing the gloom the speaker describes? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Peter says leaders should oversee willingly, not like they are forced to do it. What does that suggest church leadership is meant to feel like, and what fears or church pressures might make leaders feel gloomy or beat down?

The speaker says “not for filthy lucre” points to avoiding “dirty or underhanded” motives—serving rather than “harvest[ing] something off the people.” Where are subtle forms of “gain” (status, control, admiration, platform, emotional dependency) more tempting than money in your context, and how would a “ready mind” expose or replace those motives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: “Not for filthy lucre” means not serving with sneaky, self-serving motives. In your setting, what kinds of “gain” besides money (like status, control, praise, platform, or needing people to need you) are tempting, and how would a “ready mind” change that?

The speaker rejects “lords over God’s heritage” and ties true leadership to modeling Jesus washing feet—even Judas’s—saying, “We do not coerce people into the kingdom…we lead them by example.” What forms of coercion (spiritual pressure, fear-based control, shame, social leverage) can masquerade as “faithfulness,” and how does Judas’s foot-washing confront our instincts toward enemies? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says leaders shouldn’t “lord over” people but lead like Jesus washing feet, even Judas’s. What kinds of pressure or control can look like “being faithful,” and how does Jesus washing Judas’s feet challenge how we treat enemies?

The speaker redefines submission using the “subcontractor” picture: not “under somebody’s thumb,” not “subpar, but substantial,” funneling energy into God’s shared project. How does this reframe challenge both anti-authority independence and unhealthy passivity, and what would “substantial submission” look like in a concrete church decision or conflict? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says submission is not being under someone’s thumb, but putting your strength into God’s shared work, like a subcontractor. How does this challenge both “no one tells me what to do” and “I’ll just go along,” and what would healthy submission look like in a real church disagreement?

The speaker warns that Satan’s subtle strategy is to sit on the fringe, shake the bushes, and lure a curious sheep away—then says one of the sneakiest church intruders is “mistrust,” countered by remembering “the same afflictions” are happening to your brethren. Where has mistrust taken root in your relationships or congregation, what “bush-shaking” bait tends to draw people off, and what specific practices would help you resist “foreign” thoughts and “cast all your care upon him, for he careth for you”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says Satan often pulls people away through mistrust and small temptations, and the answer includes remembering others suffer too and casting your cares on God. Where has mistrust grown in your church or relationships, what usually “pulls people off,” and what specific habits could help you fight those thoughts and trust God’s care?