Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes

Voddie Baucham Jr. (DMin, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean of the seminary at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. The author of a number of books, including Family Driven Faith, The Ever-Loving Truth, and Joseph and the Gospel of Many Colors, Baucham is also a pastor, church planter, and conference speaker.

Voddie Baucham has captured the keys to equipping men to be a leader in their homes! This book provides a practical, biblical view to reform a man's life to reach new heights in leading his home with the future of the kingdom in mind! I highly recommend this book to any man daring enough to step up, press in, and become the shepherd and leader of his home and to help end 'spiritual fatherlessness' in this passivity-saturated nation.
-Joe White,
President, Kanakuk Kamps; author, FaithTraining

Scripture gives us a clear directive to 'look well to the ways of our household.' Unfortunately, for far too many Christian households, that mandate and responsibility gets relegated to anyone or anything but the precious institution known as the family itself. In this powerfully important and timely book, Dr. Baucham challenges the church to reinstate the biblical concept of father-headship of households and to establish and implement the principles of family discipleship. As a wife and mother, I celebrate the clarion call this book offers to those who want to see real revival in the nation by understanding it begins at home.
-Janet Parshall,
Host and Executive Producer, In the Market with Janet Parshall

In seeking to develop gospel-driven family ministry, there's an unavoidable question that too few resources have clearly answered: How do we develop a church culture that equips and mobilizes men? In Family Shepherds, Voddie Baucham goes beyond surface-level solutions that identify biblical masculinity with everything from& watching mixed-martial arts to participating in emotionally-charged stadium events. What Voddie provides instead is a simple and straightforward biblical vision for equipping men to embrace their God-ordained roles as servant-leaders. This vision flows from Voddie’s commitment to articulate biblically what it means for men to shepherd their families well.
-Timothy Paul Jones,
Associate Professor of Leadership and Family Ministry Director of the Doctor of Education Program, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Rarely does a church see the husband and father as the key to shepherding his own family. Instead we have developed ministry expertise in the local church that seemingly no longer needs a man to step up and serve as the spiritual leader of his home. There are few mistakes more tragic than this one, and generations have suffered and will suffer if we do not call men to step up and serve as the spiritual leader. Family Shepherds is the primary tool that pastors and church leaders need to bridge that gap and to execute the building of the local church as God intended and has communicated in his Word.
-Brian Doyle,
Founder and President, Iron Sharpens Iron

Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes by Voddie Baucham, Jr. is a thought-provoking discussion of the role of fathers and husbands. It vividly and accurately describes many of the problems facing the modern Church and traces the roots back to the failure of men to live up to their God-ordained roles. Because men are not taking responsibility for the spiritual lives of their families, the result is a generation of young Christians without a strong spiritual foundation.

When it comes to practical matters, Family Shepherds shines. The author supports his conclusions every step of the way with offerings of Scripture, logical arguments, personal experiences, and the writings of renowned theologians. It's hard to disagree with his cultural diagnosis, even for those who hold to vastly different suggestions on how to deal with modern society's ailments. Furthermore, the book discusses a vast array of family subjects, including building a strong marriage, methods of Bible study, and how to discipline children. Because of the subject matter, Baucham spends a good deal of time discussing (and explaining in a non-offensive way) passages such as Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church."

Though his arguments are defended with supporting verses, Baucham is writing from a Reformed perspective. Those who are more theologically Arminian may choose to skip several chapters. There's nothing unbiblical in the book (Baucham holds an advanced degree in theology, after all), but his views affect his writing. He has very strong opinions on child-rearing strategies and has a vehement distrust of psychologists.

While a solid resource for men desiring to take a more active role in their family's spiritual lives, Family Shepherds has a tendency to come across as intellectually or theologically firm. Though intended primarily for men, the book is not overly masculine and could serve as a useful aid for both husbands and wives, particularly those with young children. For married men of a Reformed-slant, Family Shepherds is well worth reading. - Ryan Dennison, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com