The Shepherding Superintendent

By Dr. Barrett Mosbacker

April 19, 2014

When I was in undergraduate school, a classmate encouraged me to become a pastor. His encouragement stemmed from his assessment of my teaching gifts, which he considered at least adequate for pastoral ministry.

He was kind but wrong. While I do have the gift of teaching, I would make a poor pastor. For one thing, I dislike hospitals, weddings, and funerals.

Although my friend was wrong about my vocational calling, I have come to realize that he was right about a critical element of my role as Superintendent. I am called to fulfill a pastoral role in my school. I am to be a shepherding Superintendent — shepherding my staff, students, and parents, a responsibility I take seriously because eternal souls are at stake. As C. S. Lewis observed:

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously — no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.¹

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Jesus’s restoration of Peter’s ministry after his cowardly denials. Jesus commands Peter three times — echoing Peter’s threefold denial — “Feed my sheep.” Every time I read or teach from Peter’s epistles I am reminded that over two thousand years later I am one of the sheep he is feeding.

We are to feed our sheep. From tender six-year-olds to seasoned sixty-year-olds, our schools are filled with sheep, and they all have one thing in common: they need to be fed spiritually. They need to be counseled. They need to be encouraged. Some need to be admonished. They need The Shepherd and a shepherd.

I have learned to embrace and even love this role, although it does not come naturally to me. By God’s grace I am getting better. Because shepherding does not come naturally, I have established consistent practices that help ensure that I am being a faithful shepherding Superintendent. Perhaps these examples will be helpful to you.

Practices of a Shepherding Superintendent

I cannot give what I do not possess, and I cannot bear fruit unless I am abiding in Christ. I cannot fake this for long. The shepherd must be healthy to feed his sheep. He must be fed by The Shepherd: “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me” (John 15:4).

Abiding in Christ is not complicated — it is just hard. It requires consistency in personal devotions and prayer, in worship, and in participating in the means of grace, including the Lord’s Supper. There are no shortcuts. If we are to be used by Christ to shepherd the students, staff, and parents entrusted to our care, we must be well fed.

To foster the habit of a personal devotional and prayer life, I schedule morning devotions on my calendar each workday morning from 6:00 to 6:30. When I am consistent — and I am not always — I arrive at the office at 6:00, make coffee, and have my devotions. I do not check email, phone messages, or mail. I stay in the office, read God’s Word, and pray. This keeps first things first and ensures that my soul is being nurtured so that I might have something to share with others.

I have the privilege of sharing God’s Word with my staff every month. The devotions are not long, but I take time to prepare them well. Nearly all come directly from God’s Word rather than from a devotional book. In fact, my devotional topics nearly always arise from my personal devotions. When reading God’s Word I am often inspired — little “i” — with an idea for a devotional, which I capture quickly and flesh out when I sit down to write.

I have made monthly devotionals mandatory for all school staff. Lunchroom helpers, grounds crew, bus drivers, teachers, administrators, and all other staff are required to attend. Why? Because we are all part of the same team and the same ministry. God can and does use everyone to impact the lives of our students and parents. Therefore, everyone needs to be nurtured by God’s Word as a means of abiding in Christ so that everyone might bear spiritual fruit.

In addition to the monthly devotionals, I send out a weekly written devotional to all staff and parents.

I do not have the hours necessary to craft well-written, theologically sound devotions each week. Accordingly, some weeks I simply share a few Bible verses with little comment. Last year, for example, I shared selected verses from Proverbs each week. This year I am sharing selected devotionals from the Olive Tree One Year Daily Devotional, with proper citation. I typically send the devotionals out on Saturday mornings.

The devotionals have been well received. I often receive appreciative emails from parents who tell me that the Lord used the devotions in their lives and that they pass them on to friends and relatives. One never knows where God may send and use such seeds.

In addition to the Saturday devotional, I send staff a weekly email asking for prayer requests and praises. Requests may be submitted anonymously, and I compile them for our Tuesday morning prayer time.

On Tuesday mornings at 6:30, I meet with the division administrators on our south campus and pray through all of the requests and praises. The most obvious benefit is that God answers prayer. But I have discovered several unexpected benefits as well.

First, sending out a weekly prayer request form and faithfully praying over the requests reminds the staff that we care and that we desire to be intercessors and shepherds in their lives. Second, it has made me far more understanding and empathetic. Because the requests can be anonymous, staff share struggles and trials they would never share in person. When I read through them I am struck — and sometimes shocked — by the hard trials many of our employees are facing. This makes me careful to avoid placing undue burdens upon them. Third, it sets an example. Staff are called to pray for each other and for their students. Prayer and shepherding are everyone’s responsibility and privilege.

Parents seeking enrollment for their children must attend an hour-long Parent Orientation Meeting. These take place on Saturday mornings in the spring and summer.

Briarwood Christian School is not a covenantal school. This means that we do not require parents to have a profession of faith in order to enroll their children. Realizing that my orientation audience is composed of both believers and unbelievers, I have learned to be intentional about sharing the gospel during my presentation. One way I do this is to quote Jesus: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–37). I remind parents that it would be tragic if their children are accepted into the right college, marry the right person, join the right company, move into the right neighborhood, and enjoy an illustrious career — but in the end lose their souls. I am convinced that the Lord uses this to convict both Christian and non-Christian parents alike.

I am asked to pray at many school functions. This presents a wonderful and frequent opportunity to weave the gospel into prayers at sporting events, plays, concerts, and similar occasions.

I do not have the gift of evangelism, but I am called to be faithful in sharing the gospel. I have yet to see fans pouring from the bleachers to kneel in repentance at the free-throw line, but God promises that his Word will not return void. These prayers are intended as small seeds planted or small drops of water in the lives of those listening. I plant and water; the Lord gives the increase.

Remember what I wrote above about disliking hospitals, weddings, and funerals? The Lord has a sense of humor. While I manage to avoid most weddings — I know, I am a scoundrel, but a shepherding scoundrel — I nevertheless visit students in the hospital and attend funerals and visitations whenever a parent or student passes away.

I am not naturally gifted in these situations, but I have learned that what I say matters far less than the fact that I am praying for them and that I show up. It is this simple gesture that the Lord uses to demonstrate a caring heart and to encourage those who are grieving.

As school leaders we wear many hats, but we are also called to carry the shepherd’s cane — that wonderful instrument for protecting and guiding the sheep.

How are you using yours?