Creation 2.0: Shepherding 2.0, Part 1

We Americans are free-enterprise, consumers deep in our bones. Therefore, we drink deeply from the well of retail.

“The customer is always right.”

“Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.”

“Thirty days free trial!”

We sell Christianity by trying to make it low cost, high value.

It’s been argued that elders should really be shepherds (well, they should be both, per the Bible, right?) It’s been argued that elders should be first and foremost about the emotional health of the flock, dealing with divorces, funerals, and illnesses (and, of course, this really does fit squarely within their job description!)

But what is the ultimate end of eldering/shepherding/overseeing? Is the final goal for the members to be well supported and encouraged? Is that enough?

Now, I’m not asking whether that should happen. Of course, it should. But is that the ultimate goal? When we elders get to heaven, will Jesus ask first, “Did you provide emotional support for my sheep?” I’m confident the question will be on his list, but will it be first question?

You see, I have this worry. If we’re not careful, the care and support of an elder could become a goods and service that the members feel entitled to as a product they bought from their church. They may read it all through consumer eyes. And consumers either get what they want or they shop somewhere else!

And that will happen, I think, unless we first build a solid theology of the work of the elders and so place the care and comfort of members (which is essential!) in its proper perspective.

So let’s talk about what the Bible says elders (or shepherds or overseers) are to do. There are lots of passages, and I don’t want to do 20 posts on this topic. And so let’s go with the plainest, most direct passages.

(Tit 1:9-14 ESV) 9 [An overseer] 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. 10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.

Paul explains to Titus why it is that overseers (elders, shepherds) must be ordained. Overseers are to “give instruction in sound doctrine and … rebuke those who contradict it.” Their teaching must be “sound in the faith” and keep people in “the truth.”

Now, as we’ve covered many times in the past, Paul uses “truth” to speak of the truth about Jesus — the gospel. He is not speaking of systematic theology. He is speaking of being true to the gospel. Just so, “the faith” is a reference, not to ecclesiology (how to organize and church and worship), but to faith in Jesus — what Christians must believe to be saved.

And this makes sense when we recall that Paul is speaking about the errors of the “circumcision party,” and thus along the lines of Galatians, which is all about faith, leading to being crucified with Jesus, receipt of the Spirit, and love.

We next turn to Acts 20, where Paul meets with the elders in Ephesus and, in a passionate speech, speaks of his own ministry among them —

(Act 20:17-25 ESV) 17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

He first describes his ministry as “teaching you in public and from house to house” and “testifying … of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” It seems that the first praise deals with his ministry to those already converted and the second to the lost.

22 “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.

Again, Paul describes his ministry as being to “testify to the gospel of the grace of God” and “proclaiming the kingdom.”

(Act 20:26-27 ESV) 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

He concludes this section of his speech by emphasizing that he taught “the whole counsel of God.” He is speaking of his own example that he wishes the elders to follow, and he repeatedly speaks in terms of teaching and preaching the gospel.

Paul next turns his attention toward the overseers, charging them —

(Act 20:28-31 ESV) 28 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. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

They must “care for” the church. The Greek is prosecho, meaning “to be in a state of alert” or “to pay close attention to something” (BDAG) or “to turn the mind to, attend to, be attentive” (Thayer).

Paul’s concern is that the church will be invaded by false teachers (“men speaking twisted things”), and the solution is to “admonish every one with tears.” “Admonish” translates noutheteo, meaning “to counsel about avoidance or cessation of an improper course of conduct” (BDAG) or “to admonish, warn, exhort” (Thayer). He’s speaking of teaching — but a deeply passionate, urgent form of teaching — against the false teachers.

(Act 20:32 ESV) 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Paul concludes with a benediction, commending them to God, of course, and “to the word of his grace” — not meaning the New Testament, which largely hadn’t yet been written, but to the gospel (Acts 14:3 is quite clear.)

Peter considered himself an elder as well as an apostle. He taught the elders among his readers —

(1Pe 5:1-4 ESV) 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.

First, he commands them to “shepherd” the flock. We’ll return to this verb in the next few posts.

Second, he gives them “oversight” (episkopeo). This is, of course, the verb form of episkopos, meaning “overseer” or, per Gingrich, superintendent or supervisor. They are told to superintend or supervise the church. In secular use, the verb refers to middle management, just as “superintendent” and “supervisor” do in English. It refers to positional authority — but authority constrained by the gospel, as Peter says plainly.

Thus, elders may not “domineer” (katakurieuo), surely a reference to Matthew 20:25 and referring to, per Friberg, “exercising dominion for one’s own advantage.”

Peter does not deny the positional authority of elders, but strongly insists that elders not overreach. Indeed, they are to be “examples to the flock” — of what? Check the context —

(1Pe 5:4-10 ESV) 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. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

If those who are younger are to be humble, then the elders must be examples of humility. Just so, the elders must be examples of sober-mindedness, firmness in the faith, and standing up for Jesus despite suffering.

All of which is why Peter begins this section with “when the chief Shepherd appears.” His implicit — but plain — point is that elders are to be examples of living like Jesus. Thus, he gives as examples humility, sober-mindedness, firmness in the faith, and standing up even when the faith brings suffering.

In short, Peter calls on elders to be like the Shepherd — modeling the characteristics of Christ — submission, service, sacrifice — even suffering when necessary. That’s because, you see, the job of an elder is to bring the congregation — the flock — into Christ-like living.

And that can’t be done by domineering. The example must be set. But on the other hand, the church must follow those who have God-given authority. You see, they must be submissive, servant-hearted, sacrificial people who are also willing to suffer for the sake of Christ — as led by their elders as the under-shepherds of the great Shepherd.

We cannot each be our own shepherd. Nor can we split and divide into churches that conveniently disagree about nothing and so involve no need to submit and sacrifice. That’s sheer selfishness and an unwillingness to sacrifice for fellow Christians.

Nowhere in here do we read of comfort or never being offended or getting our way. You see, the customer isn’t always right. There’s no 30-day free trial. But satisfaction is guaranteed — but only for those who are willing to submit to the Spirit’s work in each of us to transform us into the image of Jesus.

If we insist on remaining in the image of an American consumer, where we have ultimate authority and autonomy as individuals who answer only to our own preferences, well, we’re not going to be satisfied with real Christianity at all.

About Jay F Guin

My name is Jay Guin, and I’m a retired elder. I wrote The Holy Spirit and Revolutionary Grace about 18 years ago. I’ve spoken at the Pepperdine, Lipscomb, ACU, Harding, and Tulsa lectureships and at ElderLink. My wife’s name is Denise, and I have four sons, Chris, Jonathan, Tyler, and Philip. I have two grandchildren. And I practice law.
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8 Responses to Creation 2.0: Shepherding 2.0, Part 1

  1. John says:

    As the education of ministers advanced over the last half century, the education of elders or overseers has been slower. I do understand that things are better to a degree, but I believe that there are still too many elders who are not well read, and, obviously, not good teachers.

    I believe that things being the way they are within the CoC, the minister who is educated and trained being seen by the elders who hired him as their employee, makes it difficult for the minister to challenge the elders to read and reach beyond themsleves. But the minister who can accept that challenge in a humble, enlightening way, will be a blessing to his people. Granted, his library may be closely scrutinized by suspicious minds, but, and I mean this in healthy way, that is sometimes interesting to watch.

  2. Jerry says:

    The books to Timothy and Titus, two preachers (though probably not according to the modern style), are the only places in the Scripture that talk about “sound doctrine.” This is an expression often used as a code term for “those things in which our church differs from other churches and that show we are better than they are.”

    In Titus 1:9, Paul gives us a key to understand exactly what he means by this expression, which literally means “healthy teaching.”

    [An overseer] 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.

    The expression the ESV translates as “the trustworthy word” appears five other times in these three books – and no where else in Scripture (that I am aware of). These are:

    1 Tim 1:15 – The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

    1 Tim 4:9-10 – The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

    2 Timothy 2:11-13 – The saying is trustworthy, for:
    If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
    If we endure, we will also reign with him;
    If we deny him, he also will deny us;
    If we are faithless, he remains faithful –
    for he cannot deny himself.

    Titus 3:8-9 – The The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

    1 Timothy 3:1 – The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

    The first listed speaks of Jesus as the Savior of sinners. The second, speaks of our hope that is set on the living God. The third of these sayings focuses on the need for perseverance in following Jesus. The fourth speaks to the evangelist and tells him how to encourage good works by stressing things such as grace, godly living, hope, glory, right living, the goodness and loving kindness of God, mercy, regeneration, renewal of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life (see Titus 2:11 – 3:7 for the “these things” Paul wants Titus to stress). When we stress “these things,” Paul says believers in God will learn to be careful to devote themselves to good works. One of those good (or noble) works is that of the overseer, which the fifth (as listed above) “trustworthy saying” addresses.

    That is Paul’s focus in “sound doctrine.” When we cheapen this expression to use it to speak of the “identifying marks that distinguish our church from other churches,” we abuse the scriptures. Beginning in January 2010, I did a series of 12 posts on this subject. The complete index to this series is here.

  3. Doug says:

    Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. “. This seems to be a guide to healthy eldership. Is your voice being heard and understood? Do your people really and truly know you? If so, and if your voice is an authenic voice of a Jesus person, the people will follow you.

    In too many churches, prayers are offered up on the elders behalf when a large percentage of those in earshot of that prayer have no idea where or even if the elders are trying to lead them somewhere. If you are an elder and this describes you and your church, how can the people you want to shepherd hear and know you… much less follow where you lead them? Are we really suposed to follow someone whose voice isn’t known to us? Tell your people what you believe, what you are thinking, and where you want to lead them! You might be surprised to look behind you and discover people that you actually know are following you.

  4. Larry Cheek says:

    Should not a church appoint any and all of their members that meet the qualifications? Do you notice that the instructions about appointing elders did not warn that if too many were appointed it would bring on greater problems. I can see that there should not be a hindrance to anyone serving because the congregation only wants a specific number. Would it be a hindrance to the church if it had the majority of the members fulfilling the service that is ascribed to an Elder? As I notice the description of service for an elder, it is very hard to see that with too many elders they would exceed the need and have nothing to do.

  5. I wonder if we would do well to be a little less egalitarian in our view of elders. Why not allow solid, experienced elders to take on “apprentices”, for lack of a better word, and to involve them in the work? Is there some rule that makes the “elders meeting” a secluded club, or which makes the elders’ work a black box only for the inititated to understand? I see absolutely no reason whatsoever for such a concept as one-man-one-vote among elders, so I see no reason not to have what amounts to greater and lesser elders serving the flock.

  6. Larry Cheek says:

    Charles:
    This is right at the heart of why I commented. I see congregations of 200+ members and 3 Elders,it is very hard for me to believe that 3 men, that many times have secular jobs and many times are self employed business owners that could hardly touch the furthest edge of the work that could be accomplished in a congregation of this size. Even if they were able to recruit several in the congregation to help serving you might say as Jr Elders or interns, actually if they were qualified to serve in this capacity why wouldn’t they be able to serve as Elders themselves. Of course this would probably harm our concept of the Elders being an elite group of Super Christians. that would probably lower the Elders elevated status some, but I do not read into the scriptures that they were made Elders to elevate these men above their brethren. Their position is given to them to serve their brethren. It seems to me the more men that we can have in a congregation designated to serving the flock the healthier the flock would be. For a paraphrase a healthy flock will produce more offspring.

  7. Alabama John says:

    What about deacons?
    In many of the COC, there are few if any men that meet the qualifications perfectly so either no elders or 3 in most cases.

  8. This is a function of [a] an ongoing poor understanding of Paul’s teaching on the matter and/or [b] such a lack of maturity among the entire group that it is not healthy for it to stand alone. These clubs should quickly find another group with which to merge. They are crippled sheep among wolves, and wolves don’t give a rip about “congregational autonomy” when they are killing off your lambs.

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