Every true leader and shepherd of God's flock must possess both maternal and paternal qualities....He is at once tender and loving like a nursing mother, as well as firm and courageous like a confident father.
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children (1 Thessalonians 2:7).
For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Pastors Must Possess Both Maternal and Paternal Qualities
From John MacArthur's chapter, "The Pastor as Leader," in For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper:
