There is a small object on the doorframe of my office that probably doesn’t mean much to most people who walk past it.

It’s a mezuzah.

If you’re unfamiliar with one, a mezuzah is a small case traditionally attached to the doorpost of a Jewish home. Inside is a handwritten piece of parchment containing passages from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21.

These passages include the Shema, one of the most foundational declarations of Jewish faith:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

They also contain God’s instruction to love Him with all your heart, soul, and strength, to keep His words close, to teach them to your children, and to write them on the doorposts of your houses and gates.

For generations, the mezuzah has served as a tangible reminder of God’s presence, His covenant, and the call to live faithfully before Him. In Jewish tradition, it marks a home as a place where God’s Word is remembered and honored.

I love that.

But the reason I have one on my office door is a little different.

I keep it there to remind myself of two verses in 1 Peter 5.

A different kind of reminder

Peter writes to church elders and gives them instructions about how they are to shepherd God’s people.

“²Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

In 1 Peter 5:2-3 (NIV), he calls them to:

• Be shepherds of God’s flock under their care.
• Serve willingly, not reluctantly.
• Lead eagerly, not out of a desire for dishonest gain.
• Be examples to the flock rather than lording their authority over those entrusted to them.

Peter isn’t writing to people who are trying to figure out how to get a leadership position. He’s writing to people who already have one.

And he’s reminding them what that position actually means.

Being a pastor is not about having a platform. It’s not about having the final word. It’s not about having people follow your instructions, agree with your decisions, or recognize your authority.

It’s about shepherding. And there’s one phrase in that passage that I never want to forget:

“Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

Those words are sobering. Because the people sitting in our churches aren’t OUR people. They’re God’s people. The congregation isn’t our possession. The church isn’t our kingdom. The position isn’t our entitlement.

We have been entrusted with something that belongs to Someone else. That’s a responsibility I don’t ever want to take lightly.

The danger of forgetting

I think one of the greatest dangers in pastoral leadership is that we can become so consumed with leading the church that we forget why we were called to shepherd it in the first place.

We can become obsessed with attendance, budgets, programs, buildings, strategies, growth, and organizational health. And don’t misunderstand me. Those things matter. Good stewardship matters. Leadership matters. Vision matters. But none of those things should ever become more important than the people God has entrusted to our care.

It’s possible to build a growing church and neglect the people who make up that church.

It’s possible to preach powerful sermons and fail to demonstrate the character of Christ outside the pulpit.

It’s possible to demand that people follow us while forgetting that we are supposed to be following Jesus.

And it’s possible to confuse being in charge with being a shepherd. That’s why I need the reminder. Not because I think I’ve mastered pastoral leadership, but because I know how easily any of us can drift from the things that matter most.

Before I lead anyone, I must remember whom I serve.

Every time I walk into my office, I see that little mezuzah. I’ve kept one in EVERY single church office I have had since I’ve been a pastor. It reminds me that my calling isn’t about me. It’s about Jesus. It’s about His Church.

It’s about the people He loves enough to die for.

I want to be the kind of pastor who serves willingly, not because I have to. Who leads eagerly, not because of what I might gain. Who understands that influence is a responsibility, not a privilege to exploit.

I want to lead with conviction without becoming controlling. I want to have vision without losing compassion.

I want to make difficult decisions without forgetting that those decisions affect real people with real lives, real struggles, real families, and real faith journeys.

I want to be someone whose life is worth following, not because I’m perfect, but because I’m consistently pointing people toward Jesus.

And when I forget, when the responsibilities get heavy, when leadership gets complicated, when the pressure increases, and when the temptation to protect a position becomes greater than the desire to serve people creeps in… I want that little reminder on my door to bring me back to these words.

Shepherd God’s flock.

Willingly.

Eagerly.

By example.

Not because they’re yours.

But because they’ve been entrusted to you.

A prayer for every pastor

Jesus,

Never let me become so consumed with leading Your Church that I forget to love Your people. Never let me value a position more than the people You’ve entrusted to me. Give me the courage to lead, the humility to listen, the wisdom to make difficult decisions, and the character to lead by example.

When I’m tempted to control, remind me to serve. When I’m tempted to seek recognition, remind me whose name matters. And when I begin to think of the church as something I’ve built, remind me that it has always been Yours.

Let me be a shepherd who looks more like You.

Amen.

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