How Do Elders of the Church Shepherd God’s People through Difficulties?

Although 1 Peter 5:1-11 is directed towards leaders of a body of believers, it also applies to all Christians. It regards the guiding, caring, feeding, and protecting of the children of God (Christians, the body of Christ) as they go through times of suffering.

Leaders are directed to be shepherds of God’s people, but what does a shepherd do?

A shepherd takes care of sheep by guiding the sheep to pastures so that they can eat and to water so they can drink. He shears them (cleans them) and protects them from various predators. A shepherd maintains his flock by keeping records of the sheep and trains new shepherds. In addition, a shepherd may have to tend to many sheep or just a few. Either way, the job is still the same – they are to take care of the sheep.

Let’s take a look at the duties of a shepherd within the church.

Officer of the Church

Every group of believers forming a local church organization has officers of that church. They have specific duties to perform based upon the position they hold within the church. But in earlier times, the church positions were held by elders.

The word elder is another way of saying older. Now to many of us, that line of thought leads us to believe that an elder, an older person, constitutes someone of an older physical age. Why? Because older often meant wiser. But elder could also refer to someone who is older in the faith, someone spiritually older, not physically older.

Elders are to have the capacity to give instruction and direction to fellow believers. They should also be able to supervise, discipline, and to provide protection to fellow believers. Being an elder is a great responsibility and an elder is to be a good example. The Jews and the Greeks honored older wise men by putting them in positions of leadership, a practice which the early church continued.

Peter was an elder. He was a disciple of Christ, and he was one of the three that saw the transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:1-13; 2 Peter 1:16-18). Peter was often the one speaking for the apostles. He witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus and preached at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41). He was a pillar of the first church of Jerusalem. Peter distinguished himself as an elder, not as an overlord.

Feed the Flock and Be in Submission

What does Peter instruct the elders to do? It’s something that Jesus himself told him to do: feed the flock (John 21:15-17). Peter worked with other elders in taking care of God’s people. He did not sit on a high horse and only give orders. His example of Christian leadership is based upon service, not power (Mark 10:42-45).

What makes a good leader within a church body? A good leader understands that the local body of believers is God’s flock, not their own. A good leader knows that they do not serve out of obligation, but eagerness. A good leader has concern for what they can provide the flock, not for what they might receive. A good leader does not use force (the “do as I say” attitude) to lead, rather they set an example for others to follow. (Acts 20:28; Philemon 14; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7; 2 Corinthians 8:11-12; Matthew 20:25; Mark 10:42).

Regardless of the physical or spiritual age of a believer, we can all learn something from the instructions that Peter has provided. Too often, church elders are too proud to try and understand the younger generation, and the younger generation is too proud to listen to the elders. Peter tells both groups that they should be in submission to the Holy Spirit, show humility to each other, and to serve one another. We are not to “butt heads.” (Luke 22:26; 1 Timothy 5:1; Titus 2:6; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:2).

Be Humble and Trust in God

It is not about you, it’s about the Lord and what He has done for us. Does God get the glory for what we have done or accomplished, or are we more concerned about the status and position that we have or want? Do we have any concern for what the Lord has to say about our work, or are we looking for praise from others? The blessings that we receive for our service will happen in God’s timing, either during this life or in the next (James 4:10; Matthew 23:12).

When we continually carry around our worries, fears, stress, and everyday issues, what does this show others? What does it show ourselves? It shows that we have not fully trusted God with our lives. Humility is where we learn to admit that God does care for us and to accept help from our church family.

God even cares for us when we are foolish and in sin. He will help us when we repent of those wrongdoings. Too often we go to the Lord in prayer, but we pick up our troubles from off the altar and drag them behind us on a bungee cord. When we give our issues to the Lord, we should learn to leave them there (Psalm 37:5; Hebrews 13:5).