Casting the Net, Sowing the Seed, and Tending the Flock: An Introduction to Fish Farm Shepherd

Welcome to Fish Farm Shepherd!

Our mission is to help you become a follower of Jesus and to equip you with what you need to raise up other disciples of Jesus alongside you. We do this in response to the great commission of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV), which says:

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There are thousands of resources out there that provide tools and tips for discipleship and disciple-making, and we will connect you with some of the best available here. However, after nearly 20 years of work in discipleship, we have returned to the foundation of scripture and Jesus' teachings about discipleship and serving in His Kingdom. There, we found three main themes that occur over and over as metaphors and illustrations of the work: Fishing, Farming, and Shepherding.

These three themes are the basis for this site. They are the scope and sequence of our work as God calls us from death to life, from sin to salvation, and asks us to step out and follow Him. These themes show us how Jesus nurtures and develops our faith over time and invites us to nurture and invest in others as well. These themes show us how His love cares for and through us to the end.

Fishing for Souls: The Call to Evangelism

Fishing for men is one of the first metaphors that Jesus used to describe how He works with us and through us to bring others into a saving relationship with Him. He used it specifically with a group of His first disciples who were fishermen by trade to show them that He wanted them to abandon their old lives and allow Him to redeem and repurpose their skills. In Mark 1:17 (NIV) we read:

17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

While that illustration spoke directly to those four men in the boat in Galilee in the first century, the broader metaphor of redeemed and repurposed skills can be found throughout scripture. This metaphor of fishing, presented as one of the first teachings of Jesus, shows us the importance of the call to evangelism and its placement in the larger work of being and making disciples of Jesus. Returning to this foundational teaching, we can find many other examples in our daily lives of how Jesus seeks to redeem and repurpose our skills to bring others into a saving relationship with Him.

Farming Faith: Cultivating Spiritual Growth

Farming is another major metaphor in the teaching of Jesus. Throughout the gospels, as Jesus preached, taught, healed, and cast out demons, He routinely used agricultural metaphors with the people he spoke to, especially to His disciples. In fact, Jesus used the “Parable of the Four Soils” as one of the most descriptive examples of how God’s Word is planted, grows, overcomes obstacles, and finally bears fruit in us. (Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:2-9, Luke 8:4-8)

Jesus’ farming metaphor teaches us two foundational concepts for discipleship and disciple-making. First, it teaches us that our spiritual growth takes time. It is not immediate. There is a process and challenges to that process along the way. Second, that growth and any results of that growth are not dependent upon our work. We have a role in participating in this process, but without God working in us, it is impossible. Paul illustrated this in his letter to the Corinthians, which said:

6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. -- (1 Corinthians 3:6-8, NIV)

The farming metaphors in Jesus' teaching teach us that everything we do matters. Everything is important. But nothing we do is complete when God does not lead and empower our work.

Shepherding with Love: Guiding and Caring for Others

The last metaphor we focus on is shepherding. This theme was also very culturally relevant in Israel during the first century. It has close ties with the farming metaphor but pares that work of nurturing and encouragement down to a more focused level.

Jesus spent much of His final days with His disciples using shepherding metaphors in His teaching. Rather than allowing them to get caught up in the size of the crowds following Jesus, He pulled them back and helped them remember that He knew and chose each one of them individually. He knew their names, and in some cases, He gave them new ones. He cared for them, provided for them, protected them, and ultimately died for them.

His shepherd metaphors have become one of the greatest legacies of all, especially regarding our understanding of authority and leadership in the community of faith. He called Himself the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-21 and called us to shepherd those we disciple with Him. He replaces the concept of power with love and prestige with humility, turning the community structures we know upside down. These shepherd metaphors give us a lasting vision of our ideal relationship with Jesus and each other.

Connecting the Dots: Integrating the Metaphors

Neither Jesus’s teachings nor their presentations in the Gospels are set up as checklists of things to do or a collection of random opportunities to choose from. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 teaches us, there is a time and a place for everything. These teachings were given to us in a particular order and fit in our spiritual lives’ overall development. By following these teachings faithfully, implementing them as we can, and returning to them as we grow and call others to follow Jesus, we will encounter a holistic and integrated approach to following Jesus.

Without this attention to the scope and sequence of what following Jesus entails, we will miss important opportunities for growth and service, we may find ourselves held back by impassable obstacles, and ultimately, we will miss the full gift of life that Jesus calls us into by following Him. These teachings interact in key ways that help us grow closer to Jesus, closer to each other, and as a community of His disciples when we follow them faithfully.

There are other metaphors that Jesus used to teach us about following Him and serving Him. However, the three themes of fishing, farming, and shepherding are used more frequently, and we believe they serve as a greater metaphor for the development of discipleship itself. Other metaphors should not be neglected, but it is essential that each teaching finds its proper place in relationship to the others so that we can faithfully teach everything that Jesus gave to us.

Join the Journey: What to Expect from Fish Farm Shepherd

If you are willing to join us on this journey, you can expect to find resources to help you in your own journey following Jesus and resources to help you as you bring others along with you. These resources will find homes under the themes of Fishing, Farming, and Shepherding, and often they may find connections with more than one theme. These resources will also come in three different categories.

1. Teaching Articles (Long and Short Form) — These articles will provide instruction, inspiration, encouragement, and discussion content.

2. Resource Lists — Lists of books, courses, tools, networks, and other resources, with short descriptions and links provided, so you can access quality content beyond our site.

3. Resource Reviews—We will review some of the best and most popular resources in depth to help you make the best decisions about allocating your personal resources (money, time, and energy) as you seek to follow Jesus and bring others with you.

We plan to provide additional resources beyond these weekly resources, such as podcasts, ebooks, and Bible studies.

If you follow us on social media, you will be notified of the new content we provide each week. We will help you find sales and deals on these resources as they are available, so please visit often. Please do not hesitate to contact us in the comment section with your thoughts and experience in this endeavor. Your stories are important, and we want to encourage you in your challenges and celebrate your growth with you.

Conclusion: Stepping Forward Together

Again, our mission is to help you become a follower of Jesus and to equip you with what you need to raise up other disciples of Jesus alongside you by teaching you to fish, farm, and shepherd with Him.

If you have other questions or suggestions on how we can help you with this work, please do not hesitate to contact us. We know the harvest is still plentiful, and the laborers are still few, and we want to help all our fellow laborers as we fish, farm, and shepherd alongside Jesus together.