Marriage and the family is under attack today from a culture that wants to redefine marriage to not be between a man and a woman but also between a man and a man or a woman and a woman. In The Shepherd Leader Pastor Whitmer writes to address the “crisis in the family” (11). This book is a continuation of The Shepherd Leader which began with the words “there’s a crisis in the church” (11). In The Shepherd Leader Pastor Whitmer writes to address men in order to help them understand the importance of knowing their families, what it means to lead the family, provide for our families and protect our families.
The purpose of this book is to “help families by helping husbands and dads become loving shepherds of their families” (12). This strategy will help apply the biblical shepherding categories of knowing, leading, providing and protecting to leadership in the home.
One of the best parts about this book is the author writes not as one who has it all figured out but rather as one who is still a work in progress. Furthermore, Pastor Whitmer as a Pastor understands the daily struggles of marriage as he himself is married with children and ministers to people on a daily basis who are struggling in their marriages.
As a married man myself (my wife and I have been married almost six years now), I know well the struggles of leading well. Whether it is leading in prayer, studying the Bible or anything else, I’ve at various points in my own marriage failed to lead my wife. Marriage is an amazing demonstration of God’s power and grace: His grace in giving one to the other as a gift to share the joys and sorrow, of this life and His power to transform each heart into his likeness and enable each to fufill the role to which he or she is called.
Men we are called to make our wives a priority which means we are to love them throughout all of our days. It’s not just enough to say, “I love you” our actions need to demonstrate the reality of our words. Men the only reason we can show love to our wives is because we ourselves have tasted of the love of God in Christ. Men the only reason we can continue to love our wives as Jesus loves them is because we spend regularly time growing in an abiding relationship with King Jesus. The more we follow King Jesus our Chief Shepherd, the more we will be empowered to be shepherd leaders at home. The more we follow our Chief Shepherd the more we will be satisfied in Him and find our delight in Him. As we do this we will point our wives to the One in Jesus who will satisfy their deepest longings in Jesus Christ.
The Shepherd Leader is a very helpful book that will help men to not only learn the importance of what it means to be a shepherd leader, but it will help men of all ages to learn to address the crisis going on in their own hearts and in homes throughout the world. I recommend you read this book and allow God to use it to make you aware of the many issues going on in your own heart, home, and world.
Title: The Shepherd Leader at Home: Knowing, Leading, Protecting, and Providing for Your Family
Author: Timothy Z. Whitmer
Publisher: Crossway (2012)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Crossway book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
