t’s very rare for me to post twice in one day (and by the time I finished editing and publishing this, it was a couple of minutes after midnight anyway!), but 1 Peter 5:1-3 is something that I have continued to mull over since posting earlier today, and I see several very important things in those verses. Allow me to point some of them out here:
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you,…shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
- I wonder if the word “among” is significant. The description of elder here is not one who is removed from the rest of the flock, nor one who is above the rest of the flock, nor one who is coming in from the outside, but “among” us.
- Peter exhorts elders plural. He did not say, “I exhort the elder among you” or “I exhort the senior elder” or…you get the picture.
- “not under compulsion” could possibly play into discussions about whether or not pastors should, as a general rule, be salaried employees of a corporation called a church. Why do I say this? Because…
- Peter says this should be “voluntarily…and not for sordid gain”. Now, I realize that one can draw a salary without doing it “for sordid gain”, but I think it’s interesting that Peter seems to be focused quite a bit on the monetary aspect (or lack thereof) of “eldering”.
- Note, too, that he equates the “voluntarily” part (if I’m reading this right) with “the will of God”. Could he be thinking back to Jesus’ instructions about not leading like the Gentiles did, by “lording it over” people? He was there when Jesus said it, ya know
- “proving to be examples to the flock” sounds an awful lot like “living it out” in front of them. This is a whole lot more about how a man lives, than what he teaches or preaches.
Now, most churches I know of and have been in are very good at having “volunteer” elders (well, apart from the “hey, Bob, we need to fill an elder slot for the next year. I know you’d allow us to nominate you, right?”), but does our “one man up top” structure encourage people to look at the lives of the elders? Or does it encourage them to look at the pastor alone for their leadership? And how much are they able to learn from the pastor’s life vs. how much they attempt to learn from his teaching/preaching?
Until next time,
steve 
I wanted to say that I am enjoying the conversation. Thanks everyone for being willing to listen and to share. It is edifying to see such a dialogue probe the depths without coming up smelly.:) Thanks guys!
I only have a sec since we’re getting ready to go to church
I just wanted to say thanks for posting this … interesting and definitely food for thought!
Blessings!
Definitely some good points are made in this article.
Great post Steve. Thanks for being such a servant of our Lord and Savior.
I would like to bring in how “The Message” reflects 1 Pt 5: 1-5.
I’m going to take it all the way to vs. 5 because I think we ALL need to be aware of our walk.
“I have a great concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way. When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, He’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you, who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for – “God has had it with the proud, But takes delight in just plain people.” – so be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; He’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God: He is most careful with you.”
I wanted to bring this to you because I like how it starts by speaking to the “church leaders”. No level of authority here, everyone has been brought to one level “down to earth with each other” and are being spoken too. The leaders and the followers. At some point everyone is a leader, even the next to the youngest child is being watch by the youngest to see how it’s done. So it is when young followers of Jesus are brought in. Whoever lead them to Christ or invited them to the gathering is who they will immediately look to for guidance. If they continue to come to a gathering, be it a home church or a weekly group who gather to just eat and fellowship with the Lord and each other. Whoever has gravitated to a level of leader in that group will be found out by that new person. At least in our group, no one is introduced as “the leader”. But we do have those who receive a Word seemingly more than most, those who are looked to when a heavy question comes up, etc. It justs happens, no promotions or laying on of hands.
“He’ll promote you at the right time”, I think is a very important thought we all need to keep in mind. Even if it’s witnessing to someone. God will let you know, with no uncertain terms (at least that’s how it’s worked for me) that it’s time to step out and lead or speak up.
Steve, the focus of your post as been toward elders/pastors/deacons. I just like how this version brings out that we are all “to be down to earth with each other”.
I too am not against leadership. It’s needed, but my thoughts are it’s needed when it’s needed.
I also believe we must support (financially) a ministry of someone who travels to share the Word. A missionary or a speaker (Wolfgang Simpson for instance). But I do not need financial help to drive across town to minister to someone in need, or go to the prison to share and lead in worship and song.
OK,I better quite – to long.
Blessings to all
rodgw
Raborn, Heather, and Nicholas, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
rodgw, the Message sure makes it sound even more down-to-earth, doesn’t it? Thanks for bringing that perspective into the discussion. You’ve made lots of good points in your comment. Thank you!
Steve,
I’ve missed the discussion for the last few days (celebrating our anniversary!). “Chief Shepherd” in 1 Peter 5:4 can also be translated… “senior pastor”.
-Alan
Happy anniversary, Alan! Great to see you back again.
Steve,
I guess I am a little late to this post. Point #6 really got my attention. I wonder what the pastor-search-committees think about it?
Lew
Lew, you’re welcome any time. Thanks for your thoughts on this. I’m reading that doc you linked to right now. Is that for real, or is it tongue-in-cheek??
Steve,
Lew sent me that doc too. Unfortunately, I think it is all too real.
-Alan
Steve,
I believe that document is 100% real
. Enjoy it!
Lew
What document? I’m curious.
Enjoying the read of this post and the past couple of posts…agreeing with most all of it brother…good stuff… it is clear that you have experienced this way of church rather than just having soem “good ideas” …:)
So much of this type of practicing church is experiential and practical…it makes SO much more sense…and I might add, scripture makes so much more sense in this setting as well. Thanks for sharing.
David, if you click on the words “pastor-search-committee” in Lew’s comment above, it downloads a Word doc that has some very…ummm…interesting instructions for Baptist pastoral search committees.
It was so far removed from some of the things that I have been proposing on this blog that I thought it was a spoof or a joke. Lew has assured us that it’s not, which makes me either sad or sick…I’m not sure which at the moment.
JG, I must admit that I haven’t experienced it nearly as much as I would like to, nor at the level at which some of these posts discuss. Unfortunately, I have experienced more of the negatives that I talk about, which is why some perceive my posts as more anti-IC than pro-simple church. I’m giving a lot of serious thought to possible ways of changing that in my tone.
I will agree completely with your statement, though, that scripture makes so much more sense in this setting. That has been my experience, as well.
Read the article. (My eyes did not differentiate the the color of the link.)
Sounds like good advice, if you want to land a paid professional who is a good fit with your group.