I have often heard church leaders use a phrase like, “sheep bite and kick,” to describe challenges and conflict in church life. In this metaphor “biting” signals hostility and stubbornness.
Though it sounds biblical, this phrase troubles me. I want to weigh it against the Bible’s use of pastoral language to demonstrate that it is both unbiblical and very unhelpful.
Let me be clear: I’m not aiming at anyone as I write this. I’ve heard this phrase for many years from different people. My concern is with the trajectory of this kind of thinking and why we ought to stop using it.
Why do we use this phrase?
Leadership is hard—especially in the church, where we’re leading volunteers with varying convictions, preferences, maturity levels, time limitations and expectations. A leader may experience pushback, whether as unwillingness or active resistance.
When these challenges arise, we rightly reach for a biblical framework to make sense of what’s going on. This is a good reflex. Given that we already frame so much of what we do with the pastoral metaphor—shepherds and sheep—it’s understandable that leaders might answer the question, “why is this painful?” with “I am a shepherd and sheep bite.” It sounds biblical. It feels intuitive.
But is it biblical?
In short, no. The Bible does not support leaders speaking of God’s people as “biting” and “kicking” sheep.
In fact, pastoral imagery is never used to critique God’s people but is used to underline their value and vulnerability.
Aside from two possible exceptions (Hosea 4:16 and Acts 26:14), Scripture never uses pastoral imagery to criticise God’s people. Instead, the image underscores their value and vulnerability.
a) Valued by God
Throughout Scripture, God’s people are called his sheep to emphasise that they belong to him and are precious and deeply loved.
Psalm 100 reminds us, “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture” (v 3). In Ezekiel 34, God repeatedly calls his people “my sheep,” promising to rescue and care for them. Isaiah 40:11 paints a tender image: God will gather his lambs “in his arms” and “gently lead” them.
When Jesus identifies himself as this Good Shepherd in John 10, he emphasises laying down his life for these sheep (vv 10-11). When he commissions Peter to care for the church, he makes clear the sheep belong to him: “feed my lambs”, “tend my sheep” and so on (John 21:15-17).
Paul calls the Ephesian elders to “shepherd the church of God, which he [God!] obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28, 31). Peter echoes this, urging elders to care for “the flock of God,” not domineering over them but leading with humility (1 Pet 5:1-4).
The consistent message: God’s people are precious—purchased with his blood—and leaders are entrusted with their care.
b) Vulnerable to danger
This valuable flock is also vulnerable to danger. Sheep are prey, which is why the image of a lamb and wolf lying down together (Isa 65:25) is a picture of new creation, for God has secured peace and safety by bringing predators to heel. By calling them sheep, God indicates that his people are vulnerable, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:26).
Paul warns of “fierce wolves,” who come from outside to devour the flock with damaging and abusive behaviour (“not sparing”) and of men who come from within with damaging and deceptive teaching (“twisted things”), causing a sheep to forfeit her eternal inheritance (Acts 20:29-32).
Behind these false people stands the Devil (2 Cor 11:12-15; cf. Eph 6:10-13), who roams like a lion seeking to devour (1 Pet 5:8) and ensnare the saints (2 Tim 2:26), possibly driving them from the faith (1 Pet 5:9).
Notably, biting does not come from sheep in these texts but from predators. They may look like sheep (Matt 7:15), but their actions show their fleece to be a facade.1 Moreover, these predators are usually those of influence: false-prophets, false-teachers, false-apostles, men who teach twisted things. These are not, then, ordinary church members wrestling with decisions or expressing concerns.
Conversely, the Bible uses pastoral imagery to critique leaders, not sheep.
To care for his precious and vulnerable flock, God provides leaders who are to be watchful and shepherd them (Acts 20:28, 31; cf. 1 Pet 5:2, 8). They do this by teaching and living out the Shepherd’s voice (Acts 20:20-32, 1 Pet 5:3; cf. John 10, 21). To be careless with or harm the church for which God bled would be a great sin indeed!
And so, leaders are doubly accountable, and God reserves some of his sharpest words for those who are corrupt and careless.
For example, Jeremiah says, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture” (23:1-2).
Ezekiel says, “Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep” (34:2). (See also Isaiah 56:11; Jer 10:21, 12:10, 23:35-36, 50:6; Ezekiel 43:8, 10, Zech 10:3).
New Testament writers echo this accountability. Leaders will be judged “with greater strictness” (Jas 3:1), must “give an account” (1 Pet 5:4; Heb 13:17), and should never “lord it over” over those in their care (1 Pet 5:3), for that is a worldly form of leadership which Jesus himself condemns (Mark 9:42, 10:31-45).
In contrast to calling church members “biting sheep” Scripture consistently warns leaders not to become domineering, self-serving, or negligent—that is, to “shepherd themselves” (Jude 11-13).
Why is this phrase problematic?
Aside from being unbiblical, this phrase can be deeply unhelpful. Here’s why.
First, it belittles the people of God.
The pastoral image is meant to remind us of the flock’s value and our accountability. But using language like “biting” or “kicking” reduces people to animalistic behaviour. It is belittling, dehumanising and dismissive. They become beastly in our minds.
How will our hearts become tender toward these same people? How could we not, over time, train ourselves to look down on them or devalue them?
Second, it distances the pastor from the people of God.
In this metaphor, the distance is ontological—that is, sheep and shepherds are different kinds of beings—which can lead to an “us vs them” mentality.
It might mean that, rather than coming to conflict thinking we are alike, a leader may think we are unalike and give precedence to their own thinking over the sheep.
This dynamic may also result in an echo chamber in a leader’s mind where any criticism or pushback is explainable and validating—“I must really be shepherding well with all this biting!”—and short-circuit any process of mediation or genuine collaboration.
Paul Tripp warns that isolation is a common factor in leadership failures: the leader becomes isolated from members and then insulated by the leadership group. Calling people “biting sheep” is one subtle way to wall ourselves off.
In Scripture, however, leaders are never identified as “shepherds”—they are called elders or overseers. “Shepherding” is an activity entrusted to them by Jesus, the true Shepherd. Moreover, Scripture highlights the closeness of this leader to the people: the flock are “in” or “among” the elders (Acts 20:28, 1 Pet 5:2).
In other words, leaders are not distinguished from the flock by their identity but are distinguished within the flock by their activity.
Third, this can all lead to a misdiagnosis and a faulty response.
If we assume “sheep bite” then every disagreement with a church member becomes inevitable and not worth exploring in depth because it has already been explained away.
This mindset can stifle curiosity, humility, and responsibility. It prevents us from asking: Did I communicate poorly? Were expectations unclear? Is this person hurt? Are there trust issues I’ve ignored?
Conflict in church is rarely simple, and often reveals deeper layers of pain, history, or misunderstanding. A lazy diagnosis—“they’re just biting”—short-circuits the kind of wise, prayerful discernment leaders are called to exercise.
A different framework
So, what category of thought does the Bible use to explain church conflict?
The New Testament authors again and again locate conflict in the war between the desires of the old self and the new.
James asks, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you” (Jas 4:1). This wrestle within bears witness to a lingering desire for “friendship with the world” (4:4) that is rooted in pride and a failure to resist the devil (4:5-8).
Both Peter and Paul testify to this (1 Pet 1:14, 2:11, 5:8; Gal 5:15, 17, Eph 4:17ff., 6:10-17, Col 3:8-15). Paul in particular highlights that this is the common human experience, as we seek to keep in step with the Spirit in fallen human flesh (e.g. Rom 7:17-25).
A worked example
Imagine you’re a paid church worker who looks after music teams. After a decision—perhaps even with collaboration—someone becomes angry and refuses to show up on Sunday.
You feel frustration, disappointment and anxiety. To steady yourself, you remind yourself, “sheep are going to bite, and I can’t let that stop me shepherding”.
But consider how this phrase is shaping your thoughts and where it may lead:
- The church member is belittled. Their reaction is reduced to animal instincts, rather than being treated as a complex human reaction worth exploring.
- You distance yourself as a leader. In your mind, they are the “sheep” and you are the “shepherd”—a separation of kind, not just role. This creates an unhelpful sense of superiority and detachment.
- Understanding is unlikely. While the leader might address the behaviour in a one-on-one meeting, the work of empathy—seeking to truly understand—is unlikely. The phrase has already dismissed the member’s concerns as irrational or disobedient.
- Misdiagnosis is likely. Perhaps the person has a legitimate concern—they’ve been on the team the longest and remember a similar decision in the past that led to problems. Or maybe their anger wasn’t justified, but there’s a personal wound or fleshly passion being triggered, presenting opportunity for discipleship and growth.
A better way forward
When conflict arises, it may be tempting to reach for the pastoral image and say, “sheep bite.” But this isn’t the biblical picture.
Scripture portrays God’s sheep as precious and vulnerable, and leaders as doubly accountable. The image is meant to draw us closer to the sheep and encourage us to lead with care, empathy, and humility.
Instead, let’s lay aside harmful thinking and language and remember: it stems not from ‘sheepiness’ but from our shared struggle between flesh and Spirit.
- See Will Timmins’s recent reflections on ‘Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing’ on Bible By Day: Will Timmins, 9 March 2023. ↩︎