by Doug Rehberg
Ed Note: This month Doug shares the ninth and final installment in his series of “lessons learned.”
One of the joys and struggles of being the only ordained minister in my extended family is that I am often called on to do marriages and funerals. Over my 38-year-ministry-life I have had many such opportunities. On one hand, it’s an honor to be asked. On the other hand, I have often thought, “Don’t you have a relationship with a church and a pastor you can call?”
In the winter of 1989 I got a call from my brother and future sister-in-law asking if I would be willing to marry them in Georgia. After celebrating the news, I asked the obvious question, “What’s the date?” Lo and behold, they had scheduled it for my 34th birthday! “What a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday,” I thought. NOT! But, of course I said yes.
So, Barb and I loaded the car and headed for Atlanta with our 2-year-old daughter at the end of August. To say that it was hot would be a huge understatement. To say that our station in life presented some challenges would also be an understatement, for not only were we family, we were also cleric and babysitter.
But it isn’t the wedding itself that I have often called to mind over the years, it’s the rehearsal. There I had the privilege to meet Rev. Dr. Raymond Cook. Dr. Cook was my sister-in-law’s grandfather. At the time he was in his mid-90s, having preached in Alabama and surrounding southern states for over 70 years. He was clearly the longest tenured pastor and preacher I had ever met.
As we sat waiting for the rehearsal to begin we talked together. It was clear from the first moments of our discussion that he was the genuine article – kind, compassionate, grace-filled, and in love with Jesus. It was in that first interaction that “Papa” made a statement that I’ve never forgotten. In fact, it has been an a priori assumption that has guided my ministry ever since. He said, “Doooug, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all the years of my ministry it’s this – sheep breed sheep, shepherds don’t.”
In Phillip Keller’s classic, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, he writes, “The strange thing about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met. They must be free of all fear…free of friction with others…free of flies or parasites…free from hunger.” And it’s the task of the shepherds, the leaders of the church, to see that such freedom abounds in the church.
That’s what I have seen develop at Hebron over the last 31 years. By the grace of God we have intentionally sought to foster an environment of safety, freedom, and acceptance. We’ve sought to live up to our name – HEBRON—a refuge, a place where everyone is known and accepted. That’s why we’ve eschewed legalism. That’s why we have so often repeated our principle purpose in ministry in phrases like: “Come and See”… Come and find your ministry”… ”Lord, we pray for an outward gaze”…“Digging deeper, connecting with others, and giving the Gospel away”…“Going beyond”…“God loves you for who you are, not for who you should be”…“Tell me about you.” It’s only in an environment of freedom that sheep lie down. It’s only in an environment of freedom that sheep breed sheep – bringing others, as Philip did, to Jesus.
It was 32 years ago, but I remember his words as if they were spoken yesterday. I’ve had the chance to see the power of those words for only half the time Dr. Cook did, but their truth knows no expiration date.
