Articles
“Peter Addresses the Shepherds”
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:1-4
How do we know what God wants a local church to look like? There is no church manual, per se, in the New Testament. Rather, the book of Acts records the spread of the gospel and the founding and development of local churches throughout the Roman Empire. We decipher God’s design by reading Acts and the Epistles written to such churches with an eye for certain characteristics. For example, Paul’s introduction to the Philippian church addresses “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons” (Phil. 1:1). This text offers us insight into the makeup of a local church; it should consist of saints, overseers and deacons. We can cross-reference each one of these terms to learn more about them.
- “Saint” is a common term for God’s people, sanctified in Christ (1 Cor. 1:2). Far from being an exclusive term reserved only for some, “saint” applies to every person who is in Christ and set apart from the world for service unto God.
- “Overseer” is a term for the leaders of a local church who supervise its operation. Paul calls it an “office” within a church for which one must be qualified (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). The term is used synonymously with “elder,” a term descriptive not only of an overseer’s age but also of his wisdom and faith, and “shepherd” (from which the Latin ‘pastor’ is derived), one who guides, feeds and protects the flock of God’s people (Acts 20:17-35; 1 Pet. 5:1-5). Each one of these terms describes the same group of men but highlights a different aspect of their role as leaders.
- “Deacons,” when used in this context, are special servants within the church who minister to various needs (Acts 6:1-6). They too must be qualified (1 Tim. 3:8-13).
Taken together, these passages illustrate just how vital it is that every local church be organized with elders and deacons. Note that shortly after preaching the gospel to those in Galatia, Paul returned through the region and “appointed elders for them in every church” (Acts 14:23). Clearly God desires elders for “every church.”
Let’s consider the text of 1 Peter 5:1-5 to learn more about elders. Peter modestly addressed the elders as a “fellow elder” himself (1). Though he was an apostle, he also understood the work and challenges of being an elder from experience and could teach them sympathetically (Jn. 21:15-19). Also note that elders are to tend the flock “among” them (2). That is, elders are only to exercise authority over the church for which they were appointed to serve and not another—this nixes the practice of elders every overseeing multiple congregations at once. Whenever elders/overseers/shepherds are addressed in the New Testament, it is always in the plural, never the singular—this forbids there ever being a single leader or ‘head pastor’ of a congregation. And finally, in no way are elders to have any sense of possession over the church; the flock is not theirs but emphatically “the flock of God” (Acts 20:28).
Next, Peter tells them what they are to do (“shepherd the flock… exercise oversight”) and describes how they are to do it. He does this with both negative and positive language mainly focusing on their motives to warn them of the dangers of abusing their position. Jesus does much the same thing when he explains how leadership works in his kingdom—he focuses not on the exercise of their authority but the humility and restraint they are to show as leaders (Mt. 20:25-28). Elders are to lead:
- Not under compulsion, but willingly — There is a major difference between an elder who serves only because he has to (out of a sense of obligation or external pressure), and an elder who wants to because he understands how crucial the work is that he has been called to do. This doesn’t mean elders are always thrilled with the prospect of serving or that they ought to have some personal ambition to be a leader—this attitude would betray a real naiveté about the work. Rather, to be a Christ-like leader requires a sober willingness to do the work. No one should serve as an elder out of compulsion or be guilted into it against their will.
- Not for greedy gain, but eagerly — “Gain” probably refers to financial gain (1 Tim. 5:17-18). Elders can and should be financially supported by the church. Sometimes, out of necessity (as is the case at Dulles), elders serve without being paid. But Peter’s warning about “gain” extends beyond receiving money to include any selfish motive. Instead of serving only to promote himself or to profit in some way, he should serve “eagerly.” This is the opposite of self-promotion—he is to serve with the express intent of benefiting others. He is “eager” to jump in and help take care of others. He is “eager” to put the needs of the flock ahead of his own. This is the kind of Christ-like self-sacrifice that should motivate elders to lead.
- Not domineering, but as examples — This has to do with the style of leadership. Peter warns elders against abusing their position by leading in an overbearing, bossy way. Elders often face very difficult situations, obstinate attitudes, pushback or reluctance from members. The temptation is to respond to those challenges in a domineering way, to wield their authority and “lord it over them” (Mt. 20:25-28). Elders who resort to making threats to get members in line are “domineering.” Rather elders are to lead like shepherds, going on ahead of the flock. They must earn the respect of the flock before the flock will be willing to follow them.
Finally, Peter holds out the reward for elders who lead well: “when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (4) This is not a physical crown but the glory of being approved by God (Mt. 25:1). Part of the glory and joy of an elder’s job well done will be seeing all the Christians they have helped over the years in heaven with them. Next time, we will look at how Peter addresses the flock in v.5.
