The newly formed Shepherding Service Team targets needs to develop more relationships, more elders and help with conflict resolution.

At the 2007 International Leadership Conference in Los Angeles the Shepherding Service Team was one of ten service teams to be formed at the request to the delegates. Sam Powell (New York) was asked to be chairman of this team. Along with Sam, Al Baird (Los Angeles), Wyndham Shaw (Boston), John Brush (Miami), Sam Laing (Athens, Ga.), Jeff Balsom (Chicago), Bill Hooper (Dallas), and Ron Brumley (Seattle) are the brothers who make up the Shepherding Service Team. 

After a meeting via conference call on January 31 we wanted to make brothers and sisters aware of our desire to be a helpful resource.

Without question one of the greatest needs in our brotherhood is for more qualified elders to serve in our churches. Even in churches with an eldership there are times when we need advice, counsel and input from shepherds and leaders in sister churches. This committee was born out of the awareness and acknowledgement of this need. We want to encourage and initiate more elder interaction and have stated our mission as the following:

· To build relationships and ongoing communication between elders and churches in the brotherhood
· To provide assistance, counsel and teaching to help churches raise up and prepare more elders for works of service
 
· To provide an objective and unbiased resource for conflict resolution in relationships and in churches
 
We do not believe we have authority over churches outside of those in which we personally serve. Yet we do believe we need one another and that God’s plan is for churches and elderships to be supporting ligaments in the worldwide Body of Christ (Eph. 4:16). Our hope is to use the experiences, talents and resources God has given us to help build and strengthen elderships in churches throughout the brotherhood. We are volunteering our services to those who wish to call on us for assistance.
 
So here we are; eight brothers who want to work with fellow elders and church leaders to help make our family of churches stronger. Let us know if we can be of assistance to you.
 
With sincerity and humility,
 
The Shepherding Service Team