Our current eldership is asking for the church to appoint more elders, more shepherds. This is the most important, or at least one of the most important tasks the church family has. As we study the work and the qualifications of the elders, we will see that they have the most important role of anyone in the church – the responsibility to keep us faithful to Jesus Christ and His word.
Let’s begin by looking at Jesus as our Chief Shepherd…
THE EARTHLY MINISTRY OF JESUS:
The goal of Jesus to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) is a ministry that His church also participates in. God wants all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). It is the church’s role, then, to make the Gospel message known to the world, to live that message in our own lives, and to share that message with others.
When Jesus assembled in the midst of His disciples and then chose twelve of them, He gave them the same challenge, the same mission, the same responsibilities that He Himself had. One key statement that is appropriate for our study, from Matthew 9:36 where Jesus sends out His disciples, is when Jesus says the people were “distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”
We need to understand this point if we are going to really understand the role of shepherds in the church of Christ today… Christians multiply the presence of Jesus on earth and we fulfill roles He has set in the church as extensions and continuations of His ministry.
JESUS AS THE CHIEF SHEPHERD:
From the end of the Gospel of John, before Jesus goes back to heaven, He challenges Peter with these words: “shepherd my sheep” (John 21:16). The flock of Christians belong to Jesus Christ. He is their Chief Shepherd. Jesus gives to a human being, as imperfect a human being as the apostle Peter was (!), the responsibility to continue shepherding the flock of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the “Chief” Shepherd; He is the “Great” Shepherd (Heb. 13:20-21) and all other shepherds serve under Him. The key passage to understand the role and nature of Jesus, as our Chief Shepherd, is of course, John 10. Let’s make a few notes from that text…
Verse 2 – Jesus is the legitimate Shepherd of the sheep.
Verse 3 – Jesus is the intimate Shepherd of the sheep.
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Verse 5 – Jesus is the trustworthy Shepherd.
Verse 10 – Jesus, as our Shepherd, has our eternal interest at heart.
Verses 12-15 – Jesus is the protective Shepherd.
Verse 16 – Jesus is the Shepherd who is interested in unity.
Verse 18 – Jesus is the willing Shepherd.
That is a great point to lead us into discussing the work of the elders, the under-shepherds…
“UNDER-SHEPHERDS” (ELDERS):
Paul begins discussing the work of the elders in the church by saying that we need elders who are willing to serve us as shepherds (1 Timothy 3:1). It is not sinful for a man to eagerly desire to serve as an elder. Why? Because he loves the church of Christ and, like His Chief Shepherd, he is willing to give his life in service to the flock.
While the decision for a man to serve as an elder is very much a personal decision, along with his wife and children if he still has children at home, it is also the decision of the church. The congregation plays a role. We find the pattern for this in Acts 6 which deals specifically with deacons, special servants of the church, but the pattern will be appropriate for elders as well. In fact, when we study the qualifications of elders, we will see that they must have the support of the congregation and that support is initially shown when we, as a congregation, appoint men whom we know, love, respect, and trust.
Every time a church of Christ appoints new leadership, it is an important decision. Pray for our process as we select men to shepherd our congregation and for those men who need to accept that responsibility.
Paul Holland
