Series Seventeen: Church Leadership

The Scriptures teach that soul care at the local church level, by servants who are gifted, called, and given by the Lord to shepherd His people, is God’s primary means for preparing us to do every good work!

The shepherds of a local church, gifted and called to feed and lead that particular flock, are not to be viewed as:

• organizational managers (though they take overall responsibility for the flock’s management of all kinds of logistics and details of a busy ministry)
• business executives (CEOs), building a company empire
• hirelings, under an agreed upon contract, who look out for themselves at the first sign of danger—the sheep are not commodities to be manipulated or marketed!
• given to the church as though it was their chosen vocation for material gain or earthly comfort.

A true shepherd is not:

• An untested novice, with no grasp of biblical theology, with no skill in handling the Word of God, without proven maturity in godly living, without increasing wisdom for dealing with the duties and dangers of soul-care
• Looking for personal significance, as though the church were his trophy
• Reckless, exposing the sheep to dangerous elements or predators
• Neglectful of the health of the flock, but will provide the best nourishment and protection for flourishing

Throughout Scripture, God’s people are analogous to sheep and God is analogous to their Shepherd who intimately cares for His sheep. God likens Himself to a Shepherd when He’s promising to care for His people. The analogy of a shepherd intimately knowing and caring for His sheep was woven into the fabric of Israel’s theology, her music, and her way of life! In the New Covenant, the church is Jew and Gentile brought together into one body through the cross of Jesus Christ, who called Himself “the good shepherd.” And we became part of His flock, never to be without a shepherd again. We hear and follow one voice, and for all eternity, we will still be called sheep who are led by our Chief Shepherd (Gen 48:15-16; Ps 23; Ezek 34:11–12; John 10:11–16; Rev 7:17).

The shepherd/sheep analogy would have no meaning if the New Covenant people of God had the freedom to decentralize spiritual care to an “Internet shepherd.” The information superhighway may have good, even stellar, Bible teachers, but if they’re not elders in your local fellowship or gifted and qualified under-shepherds appointed by the elders, then they are not your God-given shepherds—and you are not their sheep!

A shepherd knew his sheep; a shepherd fed his sheep, led his sheep out to pasture and back into the protected enclosure. A shepherd fought off the enemies of the sheep, and even chastened his sheep to keep them from running off and getting into trouble. He would secure the flock in safety and then scour the hillsides to find the lost sheep and bring it back. The shepherd sacrificed everything for the care of his sheep!

The Bible mentions shepherds and shepherding over 200 times. The New Testament mentions shepherds sixteen times. Dan Phillips said, “Sheep are helpless, vulnerable, willful, and stupid. The sentimental notion that God sees us as sheep because we’re so sweet and lovable evidently came from someone who’d never worked with the little four-legged lawnmowers.”¹

The shepherd is always among his sheep, and the sheep are always intimately connected with their shepherd. But as with Israel’s prophets, priests, and kings who “shepherded” God’s people, so He has promised to always raise up and appoint under-shepherds who would feed and lead His people according to His will. They would be “shepherds after [His] own heart” (Jer 3:15). In larger fellowships, smaller groups form and sheep are placed in the care of under-shepherds.

In Ephesians 4:7 and continuing in verses 11–16, we find a passage that provides the “proof of the call” on a pastor and teacher.

1. God gave some as apostles who laid out the doctrinal foundation by giving them the authority to write it down for the New Covenant church (Eph 4:11).
   1. After apostles laid the foundation, then Christ gave evangelists to grow the numbers and to geographically expand the ministry.
   2. New assemblies appoint pastors and teachers.
   3. Pastors (shepherds) and teachers are a gift to the church.
2. Christ has gifted and given “pastors and teachers” to local assemblies (Eph 4:11).
   • God never intended that a man simply declare himself to be a teacher of others or install himself as shepherd over people without being affirmed regarding the Spirit’s evident “giftedness” for feeding and leading the flock.
   1. When a man is “called” to shepherd the flock (he “aspires to the office of overseer,” 1 Tim 3:1), there is the divine side (Acts 20:28).
   2. There’s also the man’s call, character, and gifting being observed and affirmed by proven leaders and the congregation (1 Tim 3; Titus 1).
      1. God’s people (the sheep) consider the evidence of the Spirit first-hand, and all affirm it.
      2. The congregation nominates elders.
         1. He must be the kind of man who demonstrates teaching and shepherding gifts.
         2. He has a pattern of coming along other men to pour into their lives.
         3. He has a desire to see God’s people grow.
         4. He works hard on his doctrine and skill in handling God’s Word (Titus 1:9).
      3. There is an official, visible affirmation, leading to a great accountability.
         1. The “ordination” occurred in front of the local assembly so that all would know of the proven gifting, call, training, and character of the shepherd being sent to care for a local flock.
         2. Titus was ordained, and it was visibly illustrated with “laying on of hands,” from the word for “appointment” (2 Cor 8:19).
         3. This concept goes all the way back to the Old Testament patriarchs. “Ordination” was simply a formal, often ceremonial way of affirming the person’s readiness for the task at hand.
         4. Their “appointment” was tested by measuring them against whatever standard of requirements qualified them for the appointed role.
         5. In the New Testament, the concept didn’t essentially change. The idea is something like “setting in place” or “designating.”
            • The steward in Jesus’ parable was “ordained” to oversee a household (Matt 24:45).
            • The church was called to examine the character and fitness of the men who would take care of ministry finances and logistics (Acts 6:1–6).
            • Paul told Titus to “appoint” [ordain] elders in every city” (Titus 1:5; cf. Acts 13:2–4; 14:23).
3. God tells us explicitly the purpose of this church structure in Ephesians 4:12–14.
   1. The body is built up by the equipping of the saints.
   2. There is no missing link in the chain.
   3. There is unity of doctrine.
   4. There is genuine fruit.
   5. The body is growing more mature (i.e., Christlike).
   6. Without this focus, sheep can lose their way.
   7. Everything in our lives serves our growth or cuts off our growth.
   8. The result of all this equipping is that we are no longer children or immature (Eph 4:14).
4. Ephesians 4:14–16 gives us warnings and tells us how the Lord is fitting the church together.
   1. We are not to be tossed and carried about (v. 14). We should have the winds of God in our sails.
   2. The danger is from subtle deception from “hidden reefs” (Jude 12).
      • the trickery of men
      • crafty deception
      • deceitful scheming
      • dumbed-down moral mandates
   3. A good ministry is spying out error and does not endure it; it points it out. A good ministry is always discerning about what is being taught.
      1. Why? Because Christ is speaking truth in His church (v. 15).
      2. The church will not grow in love if error is permitted.
5. The flock is commanded to come under the elders and model their lives (Heb 13:7).
   1. We are independent people, and as sheep this kind of model is foreign to our natural bent.
   2. We must observe:
      1. how they lead.
      2. their specific teaching.