Wiser and Better Shepherds (Local Conferences 2025)

So many of the difficult decisions church leaders grapple with are not so much in the ‘right/wrong’ framework, but in the ever-changing, multifactorial, ‘good/better/best’ or ‘wise, very wise, very unwise’ frame of reference.

Developing on the 2024 Leaders’ Conference theme of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, our series of Local Conferences this year explored how church leaders might become ‘wise shepherds’ using material from the book of Proverbs.

Nearly 930 church leaders attended Local Conferences this year - the largest number to date - in more than 30 locations from Edinburgh to Jersey, from Cardiff to Suffolk. The hope was that leaders would resonate with the wisdom perspective, being better equipped to serve our wise and good shepherd, Jesus.

Wisdom from Proverbs

In church leadership, as in Proverbs, things are never simple, other voices (‘Lady Folly’) are always tempting, and no two circumstances are exactly the same.

So, the day started with teaching from Proverbs 1:1-7 where “the fear of the Lord” is the beginning of all wisdom. This provided a useful introduction to discussion about, certainly from a preaching angle, a neglected section of scripture.

Session two concentrated on the importance of listening well, as well as speaking with that “wisdom from above” (which is, ‘pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit’ James 3:17).

In session three, we had the privilege of listening to an extended discussion between Graham Beynon, an FIEC Associate National Director, and Zack Eswine, an American pastor who has written on this wonderful book. Zack described the ‘characters’ of the book:

• The simple/naïve
• The fool
• The cynical mocker
• The crushed in spirit.

That we can be all of these during of our lives (during a day?) was so helpful to recognise. And there were great insights into how we listen and speak when these ‘characters’ are before us in our churches.

All three sessions had extended discussion times; indeed, session two was wholly given to that. And the listening and talking flowed exceptionally well as leaders shared insights and helped one another.

The benefits of fellowship

Bringing leaders together like this and equipping them by getting them to talk over the trickier aspects of their work, proved to be a real plus. Throw in heartfelt worship, tasty food (each conference included lunch), and opportunity to share more personally with ‘fellow labourers in the harvest field’, then it was no wonder so many felt the days were a great encouragement.

Certainly the ‘Fellowship’ part of FIEC was warmly experienced.

We are all especially grateful to the churches, and their servant-hearted people, who wonderfully hosted these days. Thank you!

One of the conferences I helped with was in Cornwall, the far south west. The leaders there are conscious that they need to really encourage each other as they are spread over an exceptionally large geographical area. To do that, they have to travel – most over an hour, some nearly two, and one church has leaders who come over 2 ½ hours (each way!) to attend. But year on year, the brothers and sisters make the commitment to come: to both be a blessing to others and be blessed themselves.

I trust that if you attended one, you found the same level of commitment to the gospel and to learning how to be a wiser, better shepherd. I really hope that you were similarly encouraged.

And if you were not able to come this time, look out for the ones coming in your area next year – you won’t want to miss!