PASSIONATELY DYING - THE CHURCH: SHEPHERDS FOR HIRE

Author: Nehemiah Muhiri Mahulo Sr.

Date: May 23rd, 2026

INTRODUCTION

The 21st Century has been mother to some of the most mind-bending inventions, activities, medicine, relationships, philosophy, and most importantly, theology. “Emancipated” Theology has always been the catalyst for cultural revolution. From medieval times till now, we have seen how changes in the church and its philosophy have affected the trajectory of the world. Companies, Conglomerates, schools, universities, and Families are all radically affected when theology changes, even if it is just swayed slightly. These seemingly small changes (“and some which are just blatantly radical”) are not by mistake or accident. The Bible teaches us that once we become Christians, we join a battle with the flesh, the devil, and the world. We have been made aware of the days when the Holy Spirit was under attack, where things were being attributed to Him that are contrary to scripture. We have seen the assault on Jesus Christ and His character. The most grievous of all is the assault on the character of God and his sovereignty, which is usually the first thing to go when the church does not have a firm stance on its Theology. In this article series, we are going to be looking at 8 things that are still going on today, especially in contemporary non-denominational churches, things fatal to the Christian, and when subconsciously embraced, they become death to the church, yet seemingly invisible to the church. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:5 that a day is coming when wolves will be in sheep's clothing. These wolves are fake pastors and elders in the church, inflicting small but critical errors. You might ask what day Jesus is talking about. Well, that day is here. In this article, we will be looking at the role of the congregation in this pandemonium.

SHEPHERDS FOR HIRE

Now, this is special, because of the severity of this subject, we will waste no time. Only matching straight to the Word of God. In John chapter 18:12, Jesus says, “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.” To fully understand the contrast Jesus is making here, you would have to go back to when the text was written. During those days, the biggest threat to the sheep was wolves. If you did not have a reliable shepherd, you might as well start counting losses. The shepherds played a very critical role in standing between the sheep and all kinds of dangers they would face, whether consciously or unconsciously. 

Now, why do I bring this up? Really, this is more of a rhetorical question. It is more than evident that the majority of the mainstream churches and some non-mainstream churches have come together into an unholy matrimony of biblical compromise under the pretence of accommodation. This is evidently to their own demise, but we shall look at that deeply later on. The growth of believers seeking God not only caught the attention of Pastors whose hearts are truly focused on being faithful shepherds, but also those who saw an opportunity for self-gain. 

Many true believers are now under the teaching of hired hands. Inevitably, this leads to less of the Word, if any, being preached. These are the pastors who change not only their doctrinal beliefs but the mission of the church altogether, just to accommodate a certain Board Member who contributes large amounts. These accommodations go beyond fincail again into emotional and physical gain, with some “shepherds” exploiting the sheep. Now, because of what they did, they later on have to be down and say Amen to everything the exploited sheep “suggests”.

The pluplit has become a reverse action, available to whoever wants to be paid more. This profit mentality has caused the church to be greatly affected, as now we see lines that the church was previously clear on being very blurry “intentionally” by those who stand to gain from this great worldly accommodation.

PROBLEM IDENTIFIED, ON TO SOLUTION 

The work must first begin in the hearts of the congregants. In my previous article, I talked about how the congregation has been compromised, handing cognitive thinking prowess to the elders and leaders of the church. To a great extent, this would be one of the main reasons churches are now getting Pastors who are available to the highest bidder instead of true shepherds. The reason being, the congregation does not think or read what the bible requires of a Pastor.

So step 1, the congregation has to smell the coffee.

Step number 2, the church leadership must be ready to sacrifice, even if it is a huge donor or a government board member who comes with benefits.

Step number 3, the church must come to a consensus on three things: 1. How do we evaluate Pastors coming in, 2. What is our church's Doctrinal Statement that the Pastor coming in must adhere to and assent to, 3. What mechanisms for accountability in the rank and file of the church are in place? 

In and throughout this process of purging the congregation, the church leadership and pastor MUST keep in prayer and stay in the holy with every decision and plan laid out; praying that God’s will and not their own happens.