Wayward Members

Back when I was in large animal practice one of the issues we had to deal with were “Crypt” horses. Those are male horses with hormone producing tissue in their abdominal cavity. “Crypt” horses behave like Stallions and are barely manageable.

The treatment is surgery which has some risk involved. You can imagine laying down a 1000 horse behind your clinic with less than perfect anesthesia and going in to find that hormone producing tissue. Clients usually ask if there is any risk involved. Yes, your horse might die. An old time Veterinarian told me he would tell clients… “If he dies, you don’t really have a horse anyway do you?”

Often in congregations we have those members who wander away from our services. As Shepherds we have the responsibility to try to herd those sheep back to the flock. Usually that means a phone call or two, sending a card/note, texting, messaging on Facebook or trying to set up an appointment to go visit.

Many times those things don’t work. As a last resort I try to just go knock on their door. Some people aren’t comfortable with that and feel like it’s an invasion of privacy or it just goes too far. I know this, that God is going to hold me personally responsible for the sheep in our flock and I’d better have a good answer for Him when he asks me about what I did to take care of His sheep when I meet up with Him on the Judgment Day.

Those wayward members may never respond to any of our efforts but let’s try everything we can possibly do and if the “surgery” is a success then it’s worth whatever risk it took. Because after all… we don’t really have a horse any how do we.