--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A time will come when instead of…" description: "\"A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats\" — Charles Spurgeon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/charles-spurgeon-82_church_a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepher_1569120.png" --- # A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the… ![“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats” quote by Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/charles-spurgeon-82_church_a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepher_1569120.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/charles-spurgeon-82_church_a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepher_1569120.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/charles-spurgeon-82_church_a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepher_1569120.png) > “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats” [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The church will become foolish, entertaining trivialities instead of guiding the faithful, likening clergy to clowns and believers to goats. **In simple terms:** Church may become absurd and neglect its duty. Key Takeaway Guard against superficiality in religious practice. Themes faith institution leadership folly entertainment Mood cautious critical hopeful Type theological social satirical When to use this quote - church services - media criticism - public discourse Key Concepts institutional decay secularism spiritual neglect Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions stay true to their purpose? - What signs indicate a loss of direction? A Different Perspective Even devout communities can lose focus, but many remain sincere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Clowns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-clowns-5903517/) [Clown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clown/) [Entertaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertaining/) [Entertaining Goats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertaining-goats-5903519/) [Feeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeding/) [Goats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goats/) [Instead Shepherds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instead-shepherds-5519597/) [Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) [Sheep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheep/) [Sheep Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheep-church-5903518/) [Shepherds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherds/) [Shepherds Feeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherds-feeding-5903520/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad - sad priests - in some sense becoming collectors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/this-is-precisely-the-reason-for-the-dissatisfaction-of-some-who-end/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [No matter how much I wanted all those things that I needed money to buy, there was some devilish current pushing me off in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-matter-how-much-i-wanted-all-those-things-that-i-needed-money-to/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Goats are naught but bones and bleating, and their hair was not warm nor their bodies soft. Of course, there was the smell, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-e-turner/goats-are-naught-but-bones-and-bleating-and-their-hair-was-not-warm/) [Nancy E. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-e-turner/) > [Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/every-man-can-tell-how-many-goats-or-sheep-he-possesses-but-not-how/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Men may die like lambs and yet have their place forever with the goats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/men-may-die-like-lambs-and-yet-have-their-place-forever-with-the-goats/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [I hate pigs. I hate goats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-shelton/i-hate-pigs-i-hate-goats/) [Blake Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-shelton/) > [“I'm for traditional marriage, mostly because I want to know how many goats I'm worth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-zbasnik/i-m-for-traditional-marriage-mostly-because-i-want-to-know-how-many/) [Sabrina Zbasnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-zbasnik/) > [The constantly recurring question must be: What shall we unite with and from what shall we separate? The question of coexistence does not enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-constantly-recurring-question-must-be-what-shall-we-unite-with/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I noticed that all the prayers I used to offer to God, and all the prayers I now offer to Joe Pesci, are being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-noticed-that-all-the-prayers-i-used-to-offer-to-god-and-all-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Go along, go along quickly, and set all you have on the table for us. We don't want doughnuts, honey buns, poppy cakes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/go-along-go-along-quickly-and-set-all-you-have-on-the-table-for-us-we/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [The male has more teeth than the female in mankind, and sheep and goats, and swine. This has not been observed in other animals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-male-has-more-teeth-than-the-female-in-mankind-and-sheep-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [If we didn't live venturously, plucking the wild goat by the beard, and trembling over precipices, we should never be depressed, I've no doubt;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-we-didn-t-live-venturously-plucking-the-wild-goat-by-the-beard-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [As in 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'?" The skull howled with laughter. "You just got your ass handed to you by a nursery tale?""I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/as-in-the-three-billy-goats-gruff-the-skull-howled-with-laughter-you/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we're supposed to make. We waste so much time making decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-think-most-of-us-are-raised-with-preconceived-notions-of-the/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) ## More by Charles Spurgeon > [The more holy, the more humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-more-holy-the-more-humble/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [He is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/he-is-not-humanity-deified-he-is-not-godhead-humanized-he-is-god-he/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/lord-send-your-life-throughout-the-entire-church-visit-your-church/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Christ came to bring healing to those who are spiritually sick-you say that you are perfectly well, so you must go your own way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/christ-came-to-bring-healing-to-those-who-are-spiritually-sick-you/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Who among you today is doing the most for your Master's kingdom? I will tell you. Lend me a spiritual thermometer by which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/who-among-you-today-is-doing-the-most-for-your-master-s-kingdom-i/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [I do not know when I am more perfectly happy than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-do-not-know-when-i-am-more-perfectly-happy-than-when-i-am-weeping/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Light physical is said by Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/light-physical-is-said-by-solomon-to-be-sweet-but-gospel-light-is/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [If you are to go to Christ, do not put on your good doings and feelings, or you will get nothing. Go in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-you-are-to-go-to-christ-do-not-put-on-your-good-doings-and/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Don't you know that day dawns after night, showers displace drought, and spring and summer follow winter? Then, have hope! Hope forever, for God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/don-t-you-know-that-day-dawns-after-night-showers-displace-drought/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“A mother can translate baby-talk: she comprehends incomprehensible noises. Even so doth our Father in heaven know all about our poor baby talk, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/a-mother-can-translate-baby-talk-she-comprehends-incomprehensible/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [God is our portion, Christ our companion, the Spirit our Comforter, Earth our lodge, and Heaven is our home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/god-is-our-portion-christ-our-companion-the-spirit-our-comforter/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Jesus poured out his soul in life before he poured it out unto death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/jesus-poured-out-his-soul-in-life-before-he-poured-it-out-unto-death/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [There are believers who by God's grace, have climbed the mountains of full assurance and near communion, their place is with the eagle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-are-believers-who-by-god-s-grace-have-climbed-the-mountains-of/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [If we want revivals, we must revive our reverence for the Word of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-we-want-revivals-we-must-revive-our-reverence-for-the-word-of-god/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Believe only half of the praise and half of the criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/believe-only-half-of-the-praise-and-half-of-the-criticism/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) [Explore all 1,523 Charles Spurgeon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Spurgeon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepherds-feeding-the-sheep-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepherds-feeding-the-sheep-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/charles-spurgeon-82_church_a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepher_1569120.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/charles-spurgeon-82_church_a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepher_1569120.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/charles-spurgeon-82_church_a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepher_1569120.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the…” — Charles Spurgeon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Spurgeon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A time will come when instead...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepherds-feeding-the-sheep-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/a-time-will-come-when-instead-of-shepherds-feeding-the-sheep-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```