TUESDAY
Yesterday we saw that Peter begins his exhortation to the elders by expressing his solidarity with them. Today, we are going to look at his three imperatives to the elders and his brief imperative to the church.
1 Peter 5:1-5a 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. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.
Leaders of the church are to shepherd the flock of God. Pastors are called to shepherd, i.e., provide spiritual food for the sheep, protect the sheep, and lead the sheep. They are to do this under the authority of the chief Shepherd—Jesus. In this culture when a flock was too big for one shepherd to care for, they would appoint a chief shepherd who would oversee the rest of the shepherds as they oversaw the sheep. This is the image of biblical leadership. Pastors shepherding the people of God under the authority of Jesus.
So much of our modern church culture substitutes shepherd with influencer and leader. These have been unhelpful emphases as they create a vastly different picture of church leadership. Shepherding is caring, nurturing, provisional work that is often boring. Influencing and leading connote moving, growing and making things happen. Of course, shepherding implies leading, but a shepherd leading sheep is a vastly different picture than a CEO leading a growing company. We need to return to this shepherding vision of leadership in the church today.
He first gives three imperatives to elders and how they are to shepherd and oversee the flock:
- Not forced but willingly as God would have you
- Not for greedy motives but eager to serve
- Not domineering but role models to the flock
Shepherds are not to be coerced into leading in any way. They are to do so willingly. This plays into the next one as well but so many shepherds feel pressured into leadership because that’s what their dad did or the church needs them to. This isn’t healthy. This willingness is because this is what God would have them do. God calls his shepherds to leadership and they are then to oversee the church, leading the people in the will of God.
Shepherds are to pastor and oversee the church not for greedy motives but being eager to serve the people God has placed under their care. This reveals that compensation for pastors developed early in the life of the church. With this compensation however came greed. It’s little different today. The sheep can be easy prey for manipulative shepherds. Prosperity gospel preachers prey on the fears and suffering of their people, promising healing if the sufferer will only send in “seed money.” Church leaders sold indulgences in the 15th and 16th century to fund building campaigns at the Vatican. Whereas, a livable wage can be expected, shepherds should not lead out of a greedy desire, but earnest love.
Jesus specifically speaks against this domineering form of leadership in Matt. 20:25-27 as well. The language of “over those in your charge” implies that the elders have been given the people in their care, by God. Shepherds and elders are to set an example in Christ-likeness for the rest of the church to follow. This Christ-likeness, as Peter has referenced a number of times, is to be humble like Jesus, to be willing to suffer like Jesus, to be holy like Jesus and to love like Jesus. The church desperately needs a return to this teaching today. Domineering “shepherds” in our culture are often valued more because they can draw a big crowd or get results. Yet, behind the scenes they are wolves harming the very people they are to be protecting, loving, leading and offering spiritually provision.
These three imperatives are certainly warnings to elders and pastors today, warnings that must be taken very seriously. They are, however, also teachings for every Christian. The church exists as an ecosystem where the leaders with serious character flaws in and of themselves are elevated to even greater heights by the large congregation that supports them and excuses their low character under the guise of results. So Christians must look to the character of their leaders. We are not just to look at the results they get: funds raised, salvation prayers prayed, staff mobilized, etc.
Peter next gives one imperative to the “younger.” This is likely a reference to those less mature in faith and therefore, not elders. This imperative is simply to submit to the elders. Submit is the same word for submitting to governing authorities and wives to husbands and servants to masters. So again, submission is to be an important part of the Christian life and the church. It’s impossible to shepherd rebellious sheep who are always looking to bite or run off.
Reflection
Reflect on what you look for in church leaders. If it isn’t character and Christ-likeness, commit to valuing those things over anything else.
I know this sounds weird coming from me as an elder and pastor, but in obedience to the word, reflect on your submission to the leadership of the church. This is rare today, and sadly has led to a lack of real discipleship in the church.