Bishop Dag Heward-Mills is a man known for his preaching, teaching, writing, and global leadership. But at the core of it all, he is a shepherd. His heart for people is not a performance—it is genuine. He does not see the ministry as a platform to be admired from, but as a field to work in, one sheep at a time.
He teaches that shepherding is more than preaching to a crowd. It is caring for the one. Visiting, calling, praying, teaching, correcting, guiding. It is knowing your sheep by name and laying down your life for them. This is the heart Jesus had, and this is the heart Bishop Dag continues to model.
Long before he became an international figure, he was a young man moving from house to house, checking on church members, praying with them, and helping them grow in the Lord. That same spirit of care has not left him. It has only expanded.
Teaching Others to Love the Sheep
Bishop Dag doesn’t keep the shepherd’s heart to himself—he trains others to walk in it. His book The Art of Shepherding has become a manual for thousands of pastors around the world. In it, he teaches that the true work of a pastor is not in the lights, the stage, or the microphone. It is in the quiet, consistent, sacrificial work of loving the flock.
He emphasizes the importance of follow-up, counseling, teaching, and feeding the sheep with the Word. He teaches that no member should be lost without the shepherd knowing. No soul should fall away without someone fighting for them in prayer.
He trains his leaders to be shepherds, not hirelings. To stay when things get hard. To correct with love. To listen with compassion. And to lead with humility. The ministry must never become a show. It must remain a place of care.
A Ministry Shaped by Compassion
What drives Bishop Dag’s pastoral ministry is not just duty—it is compassion. He genuinely feels for the people he leads. He weeps for them. He intercedes for them. He sacrifices for them. This compassion has become the foundation of the pastoral culture across his churches.
He teaches that the shepherd must carry the burdens of the people in prayer. That pastors must make time for their flock, even when their schedules are full. And that nothing should be more important than the soul of a person.
He often speaks about the importance of visiting the sick, comforting the grieving, and restoring the backslider. These are not extras in ministry—they are the essence of it.
Leading With a Shepherd’s Heart
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills leads with the heart of a shepherd. He is not distant from his people. He is present, involved, and accessible. His pastors carry the same heart. And his churches are filled with members who feel genuinely loved and led.
In a generation where leadership is often seen as a position of power, Bishop Dag continues to remind us that true leadership is service. True authority comes from care. And the greatest among us must be the shepherd.
Through his life and ministry, Bishop Dag teaches us that the shepherd’s work is not outdated. It is the very heartbeat of God’s kingdom. And those who walk in it will build churches that last, disciples that grow, and lives that are changed forever.