"One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing shepherds say, 'Ministry would be great if it weren't for the people,'" writes Craig T. Owens. "In essence they are saying, 'I am happy to do this, as long as there aren't any difficult sheep to deal with."

He goes on to conclude: "Sheep are your ministry! Even the sheep that bite you, kick you, betray you, and abandon you."

The question pastors need to ask is how to minister to people who cause them pain.

That's the question I ask Owens in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Craig T. Owens is pastor of Calvary Assembly of God in Cedar Springs, Mich.; cohost of The Craig and Greg show, a leadership podcast; and author of When Sheep Bite.

—————

This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.

The Bible Engagement Project library includes free adult small group resources that build Bible-based small groups. With these resources, your small group will learn how to dig into the Bible and apply it to life. Enriching videos and intriguing discussion questions will create the kind of moments that inspire members to continue engaging deeply with the Bible all week long.

Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to create your free account and get started.