1:9 Alliance: Church Leadership
Dan Wetzel
In 1 Peter 1:1, Peter identifies himself as an apostle of Christ, but he does not appeal to apostolic authority when he writes to the leaders of the Christian community. Instead, Peter appeals to them “as a fellow elder” (1 Pet 5:1, ERV). He urges them 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” (1 Pet 5:2–4). As an apostle, Peter spoke authoritatively on behalf of the Lord. But like Jesus, he did not rely on the power his position implied. Rather, he appealed to the elders with humility and grace, as did the Lord.
Apostles were “sent ones.” By appointing the Twelve as his emissaries, Jesus gave them unquestioned authority to lead. They were to do so by baptizing repentant believers and teaching them to obey all that the Lord commanded. Their authority was derived. It was their message, rather than their position, that mattered. And in obedience to Christ’s command, the apostles devoted themselves to preaching and teaching in the temple, as well as going from house to house (Acts 5:42). When the administrative demands of the growing Christian community threatened to distract them, they instructed the church to appoint others to handle the distribution of food. According to the account in Acts 6, “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:2–4). So, the apostles continued to lead by preaching and teaching, and they permitted the church to choose others to care for the community’s less urgent needs. They followed the example of Jesus, who, as Mark writes, “…saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). But at this point in the life of the fledgling church, there is no mention of elders.
In fact, it is difficult to trace the organizational development of the early church. Obviously, Jesus’ twelve disciples were recognized as the first leaders in the Christian community. Theologians and historians generally trace the origins of the office of deacon to the appointment of seven Spirit-filled men who were given responsibility to administer assistance to the growing Christian community in Jerusalem. But still, there is no mention of elders, and it is not clear when elders emerge as congregational leaders. Apparently, congregations structured themselves after the familiar pattern of the Jewish synagogue with which most believers were familiar. The scant evidence that is available suggests that elders began to emerge relatively quickly.
Stephen, who was one of the seven appointed by the church to oversee the distribution of food, was martyred around 36 A.D. That was about three years after the Spirit gave birth to the church on the Day of Pentecost. Later that same year, Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus, where he was commissioned as an apostle to the Gentiles. Subsequently, Paul made a trip to Jerusalem to consult with Peter and James, the half-brother of Jesus. That was before he embarked on his first missionary journey, about 44-46 A.D. There is no mention of other leaders in the Jerusalem church. However, when a church council was called in 49 A.D. to resolve questions concerning the obligation of Gentile believers to the Jewish Law, the leadership in the Jerusalem church did include elders, who played an important role in decision-making alongside the apostles. According to Acts 15:22, the Council’s conclusion was reached by “the apostles and the elders, with the whole church…” The position seems to have been well established by 58 A.D., at the end of his 3rd missionary journey, for when Paul returns to Jerusalem this time, he meets with the elders of the church as well as James. After arriving in Jerusalem, Luke writes in Acts 21:18, “On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.” Interestingly, there is no mention of the other apostles, many of whom were presumably dispersed by this time. It seems apparent from the record in Acts, as well as Paul’s instruction to Timothy and Titus, and his own practice of appointing elders in the new churches he started, that from a very early time, the government of the local church was vested in men who were chosen to give oversight to the spiritual welfare of the church. These men were known as elders. Their responsibility was to care for the church and pass on apostolic teaching (see 2 Tim 2:2.). The word most often used in the Bible to describe that function is shepherd.
“It seems apparent from the record in Acts, as well as Paul’s instruction to Timothy and Titus, and his own practice of appointing elders in the new churches he started, that from a very early time, the government of the local church was vested in men who were chosen to give oversight to the spiritual welfare of the church. These men were known as elders.”
The New Testament places greater emphasis on the character of the men who were chosen to shepherd the church than it does on their duties. However, some of those responsibilities can be deduced from the lists of qualifications in 1 Timothy and Titus, as well as Paul’s address to the Ephesians elders in Acts 20. For instance, Paul warns the Ephesian elders to guard against false teaching and to protect believers. He writes, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Paul does not call the Ephesian elders “shepherds” in his address. Nonetheless, it is apparent that he does have the metaphor in mind, for he calls the elders to care for “God’s flock.” He equates the elders’ responsibility to care for, that is, to shepherd, God’s flock with their role as overseers. The words are used interchangeably, as they are in Philippians 1:1 and again in 1 Timothy (1 Tim 3:1–2; 5:17–20) and Titus (Titus 1:5–7), as well as Peter (1 Pet 5:1–2). Elders are spiritual shepherds responsible for overseeing the church. Shepherding and overseeing are not two different functions. These are two different ways of referring to a singular responsibility. As overseers, elders lead, guide, protect, and provide for God’s people like a shepherd who watches over his flock.
Most twenty-first century believers have no experience with sheep or shepherds. Still, the metaphor effectively communicates the responsibilities of the men who are charged with leading the church. Indeed, it is the most common way of speaking about leaders and leadership in the Bible. In the Old Testament, both the civil and religious leaders of Israel are called shepherds. Even Cyrus the Great, a Gentile, is called a shepherd by the prophet Isaiah (Is 44:28). Thus, both Peter and Paul are employing a well-understood image. The church’s elders were its shepherds. Though some English translations have continued to use the word pastor in Ephesians 4:11, where Paul speaks about ministry gifts, the best translation of the Greek term poimen is shepherd. The English word pastor is a Latin import. In every other instance where the Greek term is found in the New Testament, it is rendered as shepherd. Thus, it is doubtful that the apostle Paul was referring to another leadership position.
In Ephesians, Paul is arguing for the unity of the church. God equips the church for ministry by gifting the church with a variety of persons whose role is to contribute to that end. Among them are shepherds. But as Gene Getz notes in his book Elders and Leaders, Paul’s instructions to Timothy and Titus concerning the qualifications of elders, make no mention of spiritual gifts [1]. Elders must be able to teach. It is very clear that the elders of the local church are responsible for the oversight and leadership of the congregation. They were the church’s shepherds.
So, who shepherds the church? Well, the only unquestioned Shepherd is, of course, Jesus. He is the Chief Shepherd. The Church belongs to Christ. The apostles led in his place by teaching and preaching what Christ taught and preached. The church chose deacons so the apostles would not be distracted from this primary mission. Soon, elders were also chosen and given the responsibility to pastor—that is, to shepherd—newly formed churches. They, rather than the apostles, became the immediate overseers of “God’s flock.” But they led following the example of the apostles and armed with the teaching of the apostles. Elders do not only teach the gospel, but they must also lead by it. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.”
Dan Wetzel - Former C&MA VP for Church Ministries, Transitional Pastor - MidAmerica District
[1] Getz, Gene. Elders and Leaders (Moody Publishers, 2003), 189.