On being a Shepherd
“But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Complete the ministry God has given you.” (2 Timothy 4:6)
I have noticed a very interesting trend lately. It is a trend that to the outsider would seem completely foreign, but to those in the church should bring encouragement. (For those who are unaware of my full time job, I work at a gun store in Minnesota. I sell firearms for a living.) The trend that I have noticed is a recent increase in handgun purchases by church leaders. I am not talking about the stock piling of weapons to launch some coupe against the government, type of purchases. I mean pastors, youth leaders, and church members buying a pistol to defend their churches. There have been a number of attacks on innocent people sitting in Sunday services worshiping God, and unfortunately as a result, a number of unprepared people hurt or killed.
I personally carry a firearm every Sunday while at church (I carry every day as well), and know of a few others in my church who do the same. I hope I never have to use my firearm, but I have a family and a church to defend.
OK, so why title this “On being a Shepherd”? This in my opinion is the job of a shepherd; a shepherd guides his flock in order to find nourishment, a shepherd watches to make sure that the flock stays strong and healthy, the shepherd puts himself in harms way to protect the flock from danger. This is a Pastor’s role; the pastor guides the church to find God, the pastor watches to make sure that the church members are staying strong in the Word, and a pastor is responsible for making sure that their church is safe. The thing I hear over and over from church leaders is that God has put them in a position of guiding the church as as a result defending the church. I have yet to meet a pastor or church leader who is embarrassed about making the decision to defend their congregation. Most have thought and prayed about the decision and seem to echo Jesus’ words in John 10: 14-15
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know my Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.”
I applaud the church leaders that are willing to defend their churches. I encourage them to seek training from qualified persons to ensure that they have the appropriate skills to properly defend their churches. I also encourage the leaders to know who in their congregation is also carrying a firearm so that they know where help may come from if the worst happens. From experience, I would recommend keeping the fact that you are carrying on a need to know basis. It is still frowned upon by many in the church, but at the same time it preserves the ability to react with lesser force if possible. If using lesser force is not possible to stop a threat, carrying concealed may prevent the attacker from targeting you first, therefore giving you the ability to react.
Thank you to the Shepherds out there who are willing to lead their flocks, and who are willing to defend them as well.
God’s Peace to you all.