by Pastor Patrick Cho
Earlier this month, a number of the men of the church attended the Shepherds’ Conference hosted by Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church. Each year, the conference proves to be a wonderful time of equipping and encouragement. It is always a blessing to attend the conference because of the nature of the gathering. This year, over 3500 men registered, and the atmosphere was electric as always. Imagine thousands of men singing praise to the Lord at the top of their lungs! The keynote speakers presented urgent challenges to the pastors and leaders in attendance and skillfully delivered soul-stirring exposition of God’s Word. There were hundreds of volunteers seeking to make the week as pleasant as possible for the men who came. This was my thirteenth year going to the conference and each year has been special and well worth the time.
One of the passages that continually came to mind throughout the three days we were there was 1 Peter 5:1-4. This is the instruction the Lord gives to elders of the church to shepherd the flock of God. It is an interesting metaphor since shepherding was not held in high esteem in Jesus’ day. Shepherding was a dirty business and sheep were dirty animals. But the metaphor is certainly appropriate given the relationship of sheep to their shepherd. Sheep are utterly dependent upon the shepherd. They need the shepherd to lead them to pasture and water, and they depend on the shepherd’s protection from thieves and wild predators. This finds obvious parallels to pastoral ministry as elders are called to nourish God’s flock with the sustenance of His Word, and they are to protect the sheep from spiritual wolves who would seek to lead them astray and destroy them.
Three different words are used in the passage to describe pastoral ministry. The first is “elder” (Gr. prebuteros). The word simply means elder, as opposed to younger, but came to be used as a title for leadership. Back in the Old Testament, God would appoint the elders of the tribes of Israel to provide leadership for His people (cf. Exod. 19:7). The qualification had more to do with one’s character than one’s age. This is evident in that Paul refers to Timothy as a young man (1 Tim. 4:12). The qualifications of spiritual leadership really have more to do with the kind of person you are than the abilities or skills you possess as evidenced in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. In 1 Peter 5:1, Peter identifies with the leaders of the church as a “fellow elder.”
The second word used is the verb “shepherd” (Gr. poimaino). This word speaks more towards the function of elders and can be translated “pastor.” Paul uses the noun form of the word in Ephesians 4:11 to speak of those who help provide teaching in the church. God is understood in Scripture as a shepherd (Ps. 23) and Christ the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14). As Christ is the chief Shepherd, those in pastoral leadership serve as under-shepherds tending to the flock. It is important to recognize that Peter refers to the people as “the flock of God” (1 Pet. 5:2). This is Christ’s church (cf. Matt. 16:18) and so ministry ought to be conducted His way. They are His people, so they ought to be cared for in the way He desires. God does not leave it to pastors to get cute with His ministry. Pastors are called to shepherd His flock according to the instructions and principles set forth in His Word.
The final word is “oversight” (Gr. episkopeo). The word literally refers to the spiritual leadership the elders give to the church. This is the official title given to elders in 1 Timothy 3:1, the office of overseer (cf. Phil. 1:1). This is a delegated authority (Acts 20:28) and those who serve in this role are to submit to the Chief Overseer, who is Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 2:25).
1 Peter 5:1-4 is a helpful passage to study to understand God’s plan for providing leadership for His church. Watching 3500 leaders of the church come together to worship God in one place was a wonderful reminder of the awesome responsibility we have to care for the flock of God. Please pray for the elders of this church, that we would be faithful to the task and able to persevere by the strength of the Spirit. Ministry has its share of difficulties and challenges, but we know that by leaning on the Lord and depending upon Him, He will carry us through to the end.