What An Eldership Owes The Congregation
Robert Meredith
In the Old Testament there are many examples of the leaders of God’s people failing in their responsibility. Notice this passage from the book of Ezekiel, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost: but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them” (Ezekiel 34:2-6). The leaders of God’s people in Ezekiel’s day had failed miserably in their responsibility to feed, lead and shelter the people. God demands that His shepherds oversee the flock and tend to their best interests. Elders, also known as bishops, presbyters, overseers, pastors or shepherds, have a tremendous task, but one that must be fulfilled by men who desire to serve God faithfully to the best of their abilities (Matthew 25:14-30). Let us notice a few things that an eldership owes its congregation.
The first responsibility that our text mentions in which Israel of old failed is feeding the sheep. Elders have the responsibility to spiritually feed the flock. The Apostle Paul, as he spoke to the Ephesian Elders, said, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). The bishops (elders) feed the sheep by seeing to it that sound doctrine is always taught. The local preacher, visiting preachers, and Bible class teachers must all teach the truth and all of the truth (Acts 20:27). Bible class materials, tracks and other printed materials must be balanced and truthful as well. It is often the case today, that congregations either receive a steady diet of junk food, or the same food meal after meal. Just as one must have a healthy, balanced diet physically, so the spiritual diet must be of wholesome doctrine (Titus 2:1).
Another area to which pastors (elders) need to attend is the restoration of the spiritually sick. The Apostle Paul commanded, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness” (Galatians 6:1). Anyone who is spiritually strong should strive to restore a fallen brother, and elders certainly must fall into this category. Jesus once taught a parable concerning a lost sheep, and pointed out that a good shepherd would leave the ninety and nine and go out to find the one that was lost (Luke 15:4-7). Elders need to follow Jesus’ teaching in this area and be concerned for every soul under their watch (Hebrews 13:17).
The shepherds also owe the congregation a proper attitude. In the text from Ezekiel, the leaders ruled with cruelty. God shepherds are not to rule in this fashion. Peter commanded, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3). Bishops are to rule the congregation, but they are not dictators or tyrants. They should be seen as good examples to follow (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Too, pastors need to be the leaders of the congregation. In Bible times shepherds walked out in front of the sheep and the sheep would follow their shepherd. The shepherd was not behind the sheep driving them, but out in front leading. Likewise, God’s shepherds are leading the congregation, not driving them. In order for the sheep to follow, they must know the shepherds. Elders should be seen by the congregation as caring for each sheep and leading in and controlling the work. The congregation needs to be led into foreign missions, local work, and other programs that help enhance the Lord’s work. The leaders need to be men of vision; seeing what the local church can be and moving it in that direction. Too, wise leaders realize that they do not always have all the answers and will occasionally seek the congregation’s input, and then will keep the local church informed on the direction that the work is headed.
The final area that we will notice in this article is that the pastors (always a plurality, and in the New Testament a different work from the evangelist) are to guard the flock. In Acts 20:28-32 Paul admonished the elders of the Ephesian congregation to watch for the dangers which would come. The congregation needs to know that there are wolves out in the religious world and these wolves need to be noted and avoided (Romans 16:17). Therefore, the church needs to be informed about what is going on in the brotherhood so that dangerous pitfalls can be avoided. Also, elders need to be able to defend the truth from error (Titus 1:9-11). Another way that elders guard the sheep is by making sure that faithful preaching is done from the pulpit. Unsound preachers should never be used in gospel meetings, or any other time. If the local preacher fails to teach the truth, then the elders have the responsibility to remove him. If the elders can hire a man, than they can fire him. The congregation needs to be guarded not only from error, but also sin. The leaders must follow the Chief Shepherd’s (1 Peter 5:4) instructions as far as withdrawal of fellowship is concerned (1 Corinthians 5:3-7; 2 Thessalonians 3:6).
Elders who rule well are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17). They have a tremendous responsibility and Christians should pray for them often. Let us remember John, Rex, Hayes and Billy Joe as they oversee this congregation of God’s people.