The Function of Elders in the Church

Lucy and Linus are sitting at the window. They’re staring outside at a torrential downpour. Lucy says “Boy, look at it rain. What if it floods the whole world?” Linus replies “It will never do that. In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow.” With a relieved look on her face, Lucy says “Thanks, you’ve taken a great load off my mind.” To which Linus replies, “Sound theology has a way of doing that.”

Sound theology lifts burdens. Sound theology soothes the hurting heart. Sound theology helps us to know that God loves us and provides for us, because sound theology is from the Bible. Nowhere is this more true than in relation to the life of the church.

The Bible has a very interesting perspective on God’s people. It isn’t the most flattering view, to be sure. It’s rather homely and humbling. The Bible says that God’s people are like sheep.

Now if you know anything about sheep, you know that they are not the most glamorous animals in the world. They are rather stupid, they scare easily, they have no means of defending themselves, and they’re very quickly led astray. They’re not resourceful, or courageous, or cunning. They need a lot of attention and care if they are going to flourish. And the Bible calls us sheep. To describe God’s people, the Bible uses the familiar illustration of a flock. And a flock obviously needs a shepherd.

Savior like a shepherd lead us

Much we need thy tender care.

In thy pleasant pastures feed us

For our use thy folds prepare.

Jesus is called the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd.

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

When it comes to the local church, the Bible teaches us that God has appointed under-shepherds to tend the flock. These are godly men who have a shepherding function in the local church, serving and doing their work under the leadership of Jesus Christ, who is the Chief Shepherd.

Let’s look at a few key passages.

Acts 20:17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Now there are two things I want you to notice in this passage.

1. Paul sent for the elders (plural) of the church (singular)

2. It was the elders (plural) who were to “be shepherds of the church of God.” They were the ones who were to do the work of shepherding.

When Paul addressed these elders and said “be shepherds”, he was using the verb form of the Greek word “poimén”. Now when that word is a noun, it is usually translated “shepherd”. For example, in Luke 2 - the Christmas story - you have the shepherds (poiménes) in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. So the elders are shepherds. They are to do the work of shepherds. They form a shepherding team in the local church. You never read in the Bible of there being just one elder-shepherd in a church.

This is beautifully clarified in a passage written by a fisherman who changed careers in mid-life and became a shepherd…

1 Peter 5:1-4 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Here you have a beautiful picture of a group of elders serving together in a local church as shepherds and overseers of God’s flock. They are to do their work carefully and gently. They are to be humble and willing to serve - not doing it for what might be in it for them, in terms of fulfilling their ego needs, or getting rich from it. And especially significant is what Peter says about the matter of accountability. These elder-shepherds serve under the leadership of the Chief Shepherd. They are accountable to him. They never usurp his role as the Chief Shepherd of the flock. And when he comes, he will reward them for their work.

What is their work? Well, it falls into three categories:

1. Watching over the flock

2. Feeding the flock

3. Guarding the flock from danger

1. Watching over the flock.

Elders are sometimes called by another name in the NT. It is the word overseer. In Greek, that word is “episkopos”, which is a word that has to do with seeing, or watching. The root of it is “scope”, and we get our words telescope, microscope, periscope from it. An overseer is one who watches the flock carefully, making sure that the sheep are being well cared for and are content.

A man named Philip Keller is Canadian who has written much on the subject of being a shepherd. He studied agricultural science at the University of Toronto, and became a specialist in land management and ranch development in British Columbia. He specializes in raising sheep. He is a modern-day shepherd. He also happens to be a Christian.

You remember the line in the 23rd Psalm that says “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” Well sheep are very nervous, timid animals. They have no defense against danger and predators except to huddle together and run. Keller tells the story of how one day a visitor came to his ranch. When the visitor stepped out of his car, out jumped a little Pekingese dog. There were over two hundred sheep grazing peacefully nearby, but when they took one look at that strange little dog, they stampeded. Keller says that sheep will never lie down unless they feel absolutely safe and content, and for them to be content, four things need to be true.

1. They need to be free from fear. Fear of danger, fear of the unknown, fear of predators. The only thing that will comfort them and help them to feel secure is the presence of the shepherd. When the shepherd is there with them and they can see him, then they will feel secure. That’s why shepherds have to spend a lot of time with their sheep.

We used to live in Colorado. That’s cattle country. We would drive past huge ranches and you could see the cattle grazing out on the range. And there was never a human being in sight. Just the cows - and they didn’t seem to care whether there were many other cows nearby. Sheep aren’t like that. They like to stay together. They need to feel the presence of the shepherd nearby. That’s why the shepherds in the Christmas story were out in the fields with their sheep. The sheep needed them to be close.

2. Sheep need to be free from friction in the flock. Every flock of sheep has a social order. With chickens in the barnyard, you call this the “pecking order”. With cows you call this the “horning order”. But with sheep you call it the “butting order”. When there is competition in the butting order, the sheep won’t lie down. When there is conflict and jealousy in the flock, the flock is in turmoil. There is only one thing that will settle them down, and that again is the presence of the shepherd. When the shepherd comes into the flock, and when the sheep catch sight of him, they forget all about their petty competition for the best place at the salt lick, or at the watering hole. But occasionally, the shepherd must discipline an ornery sheep who is upsetting the flock.

3. Sheep need to be free from pests and parasites. In the summertime especially, sheep are plagued with flies, and ticks. A sheep that is distracted in this way will not lie down - she’ll stamp and shake and be restless. The sheep need to be dipped in chemicals by the shepherd to get rid of the ticks. They need to have insect repellent applied. And to get further relief from the flies, the shepherd must lead them to pasture where there is shade and bushes where they can escape from these insects.

4. Finally, sheep need to be free from hunger. A sheep that is hungry will not lie down, but will stay on its feet in search of pasture. Sheep that are hungry will often wander away from the flock and into danger. Many sheep have been lost simply because they were hungry.

Now in the church, it is the responsibility of the elders as overseers to make sure that these four needs are met for the flock:

1. Free from fear

2. Free from friction

3. Free from pests

4. Free from hunger

This is the ministry of oversight - the elders are watchful and alert for the safety and well-being of God’s people.

2. Feeding the flock:

In John 21, Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved him. Each time, Peter answered that he did. And Jesus replied, “Peter, if you love me, then feed my sheep.” One of the most important jobs of the elders in the local church is to serve as spiritual nutritionists for God’s people. And the Bible indicates that not only are the elders to recommend what kind of spiritual food the people should be getting, they are to prepare it and serve it too!

There are a number of Scriptures which indicate this…

1 Timothy 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Here we get the two concepts: oversight - directing the affairs of the church; and feeding - the work of preaching and teaching

1 Thessalonians 5:12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

Here again, you get the two ideas: oversight - those who are over you in the Lord; and feeding - and who admonish you. The word admonish means to help someone to do the right thing when he isn’t doing it, but to help him in such a way so as not to shame him. It is a strong word but also a gentle word.

There are a number of qualifications for eldership. The only one that really has anything to do with ability, is that an elder must be able to teach. This is because the elders are entrusted with feeding God’s flock from the Word of God.

1 Timothy 3:2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach

Titus 1:9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Some of the elders may be especially gifted by the Spirit of God for this ministry.

Ephesians 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

Now I want you to notice that the word pastor appears there. It is that Greek word “poimén”, which means shepherd. This is the only time that the word pastor appears anywhere in the NT, and it could equally well have been translated “shepherd”. The reason for the term “pastor” is that it’s an old English word for shepherd. That’s how it was translated in the KJV in 1611, and that’s why it’s there today. The word came from the Latin pastore, which means pasture - a place where animals feed. It has the idea of feeding. We sometimes speak of a meal as a “repast”. Same root. Would you believe that the Italian “pasta” is also from the same root. So next time you sit down to a plate of spaghetti, remember your elders!

Now hear me well. I don’t have any axes to grind, and I don’t like to stir up controversy just to make a big deal of something. But the whole idea of calling a man a pastor rests for its support on the fact that some old English scholars back in 1611 decided to write pastor instead of shepherd when they translated Eph. 4:11. The word is shepherd, and everywhere else it appears, it is translated shepherd. What I’m getting at is that the NT doesn’t support this idea that we have that one man is the pastor of the church, or even that there is a church office called “pastor”. The shepherding ministry of the church is provided by elders, and there are multiple elders in each local church. This is what you see in every church in the NT. What you don’t see is one man who is called the pastor.

Notice also that the word pastor is closely linked to the word teacher. It doesn’t say “and some to be pastors and some to be teachers”. The reason it doesn’t read that way is that there is no definite article in front of the word teacher, which means that it should be lumped together with the word pastor. In fact you could almost say that there should be a hyphen between the two: “and some to be pastor-teachers” or even better, “and some to be shepherd-teachers”.

This is because the ministry of shepherding requires the ministry of feeding. And God has specially gifted some individuals to be effective shepherd-teachers. Under their ministry, the flock is fed and the flock flourishes.

3. Finally, elders are to guard the flock.

Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!

Philip Keller tells the story of how one night, not long after he had become a shepherd, a mountain lion raided his flock and killed 9 ewes, all of whom happened to be carrying lambs. From that day on, Keller kept his .303 rifle and his flashlight by his bedside. At the least sound of disturbance, he would rush out, ready to protect his sheep.

Another time, there was an outbreak of sheep-rustling in his area. While that was going on, he actually slept out in the field with his sheep under the stars. Pretty soon word of his watchfulness got around the valley, and the rustlers never bothered his flock.

The shepherd is the defender of the sheep. Remember David, who as a young lad, encountered lions and bears as he watched his father’s sheep.

There are lots of lions and bears out there waiting to raid the flock of God. They come in the form of false teachers, and false philosophies - new religious movements that promise the world but deliver only heartache and despair. Notice that Paul said that some of the wolves will come in sheep’s clothing. Some of the wolves will rise up from among church leaders. We’ve certainly seen that in America in recent days, and we will continue to see it.

That’s why Paul said that the elders should not only guard the flock, but they should guard themselves as well. They must keep watch over themselves and over each other. This is, I believe, one of the primary reasons why God designed the shepherding ministry of the church to be a team ministry. It’s just too easy for one man, entrusted with it all himself, to go astray, to become unbalanced. Too easy for him to yield to temptation, to become drunk with power, to go on an ego trip. The undershepherd needs the accountability that can only come when he works alongside other men who are also shepherds.

These are the three main duties of the shepherding team - the elders:

1. to watch over the flock

2. to feed the flock

3. to guard the flock

Please pray for your elders as they seek to serve you in this way.