In the New Testament, God gave a plan for church leadership, which included spiritual leaders known as elders, bishops, or pastors. Their role was to teach, shepherd, and care for the church. Peter, himself an elder, in 1 Peter 5:2-5, charged his fellow elders to “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; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””
Lead by Example
Elders are called to willingly lead by example. They shouldn’t drag their feet or show unenthusiasm. They have been entrusted with a great charge, that of shepherds watching over the flock; their leadership should not be like pulling teeth. And the church is called to listen to them, in turn; “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17). And an earlier verse in the same chapter:“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).
Elders are leaders, yes. They make decisions on behalf of the congregation, allocate funds, hire ministers, and watch over the spiritual wellbeing of the church. But the first century and New Testament’s vision for elders was to be teaching examples for other Christians.
Character Matters
1 Timothy 3 describes the characteristics exhibited by a good leader. An elder (called overseer in the ESV) is: “above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:2-7).
Titus 1:5-9 does the same: “ if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
Between the above verses, we know an elder must be or have:
An elder cannot lead by example if his example isn’t worth following.
Building Up Our Shepherds
Of course, elders are still people. They make mistakes and sin just like the rest of us, and when they stumble, their congregation ought to encourage and build them up. It’s easy to criticize from the backseat, but our congregations and relationships would be more fruitful if we instead encouraged and built each other up—and especially if we encouraged our leaders.
Reflection Questions
