“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28 NIV).

Visitor: May have concern for no one else, seeks novelty or fun experiences. Novice: Concern for individual self, seeks personal achievement and legitimacy. Member: Concern for one’s peer group, seeks success and respect for the group. Elder: Concern for everyone in the tribe everywhere, seeks the whole tribe’s success and respect. Principal elder:

“Who are we?”—the question of identity. “What has God called us to do?”—the question of purpose. “Who is our neighbor?”—the question of context.

That character will be exemplified by moral and spiritual courage, trust and trustworthiness, respect and respectability, excellence through self-leadership and adaptability, persistent growth, resiliency, and alignment around a shared purpose, vision, and mission. These are the seven commitments that will lead to total team engagement.

In order to maximize the mutual knowledge of the shepherd-sheep relationship it is essential that the members of the church be delegated among the elders of the church in order that each elder will know which sheep he is responsible for and the sheep will know the identity of their shepherd.