What kind of shepherd are you? Driver or builder? Apostle Yvan Castanou

What kind of shepherd are you? Leader or builder?

It is impossible to fail when God is the one building. If the work falters, if the mission is stalling, if the flock is wasting away, the first question to ask is not: “Why isn’t the church growing?” but rather: “Lord, have I built according to Your heart?”

The challenge is not spiritual opposition. It’s not the attacks of darkness. It’s not hostile circumstances. The real problem is the shepherd’s heart! Are you a leader or a builder? The building up of the flock does not simply depend on organization, strategies, or spiritual marketing. Above all, it depends on the nature of the shepherd you are.

“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” (Acts 9:31)

The Church was being built up, and that is how it grew. Growth is ALWAYS the result of building, not just of gathering people. Are you a builder invested in the spiritual, emotional, and mental edification of the flock? Or are you a leader merely concerned with fulfilling a personal vision, indifferent to the real condition of God’s people?

The leader shepherd: Focused on numbers, disconnected from souls

The leader rejoices when he sees people behind him. His eyes are fixed on numerical progress, on visible expansion. He gets excited whenever a project advances, a program works, or an event is well attended. But has this shepherd taken the time to examine the state of the souls? Has he sought to heal those suffering in silence?

He sets goals, gives directions, but he truly does not know where the sheep stand. He does not know their sorrows, their doubts, their inner struggles. All that matters to him is that they walk behind him, regardless of their invisible wounds. For many, ministry has become a platform for personal achievement rather than a divine burden for the restoration of souls.

Look around you:

How many churches are focused on Sunday celebrations while ignoring the reality of the believers’ Mondays?
How many chase the crowds without even discerning the pain hidden behind well-dressed faces?

Jesus revealed the betrayal consuming many ministries when He distinguished the good shepherd from the hired hand:

“The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.” (John 10:12)

A leader may raise up armies, organize massive gatherings, but in times of trial, the hired hand flees, because he never truly bore the burden of the souls.

The builder shepherd: A craftsman of destinies

The builder does not first seek crowds. He does not rush to have his ranks filled. What concerns him is not how many follow him, but how many lives are being transformed. His eyes are not fixed on the crowd—his burden is captured by each individual.

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” (Proverbs 24:3-4)

A builder relies on solid foundations. He shapes lives through the Word, using divine knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. He does not rush the process. He knows that true growth flows from deep spiritual elevation, renewed understanding, and inner restoration.

When God finds a builder, He builds with him! A builder never sees his mission stagnate, because the one building the Church is CHRIST HIMSELF.

“I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Notice the difference: He didn’t say “I will lead my Church” but “I will build my Church.”

Builders know why God entrusts them with a work: to build men and women who are spiritually strong, able to grow in peace, freed from the chains of the past, and rooted in their divine identity.

You can’t build if you yourself are not solid

An incompetent mason builds structures that collapse. A pastor without inner structure produces fragile disciples. If the shepherd is unstable, the church will never experience lasting expansion.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

An approved worker, a qualified shepherd, is one who has invested in his own development. Before attempting to build others, he ensures he himself is a solid dwelling, founded on divine wisdom. What transforms souls is not just a good sermon—it is the anointing resting on a life constantly filled with God.

Look at yourself:

Do you have the spiritual stature to break the chains of the captives?
Can you set free those whom Satan holds in bondage?
Do you have the anointing to confront disease and restore the brokenhearted?
If not, why are you surprised the church isn’t growing?

God only approves what He builds

Don’t ask God to bless what He didn’t build. If He is not the architect, the building will collapse under the weight of the storms. If you want to be a true builder, then commit to building with the Master of divine works.

Let us pray together

Father, today I acknowledge that I need to be a true builder according to Your heart. I renounce the mindset of a mere leader who seeks to mobilize without building. I refuse to be a hireling. Lord, give me a heart concerned with the edification of souls, filled with Your wisdom, Your understanding, and Your grace. Break in me every form of weakness that prevents the flock from growing by Your Spirit. Let my life become a tool in Your hands to build according to Your will. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.