Leading Without Lording

1 Peter 5:1–3 ESV

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

God-honoring Authority

Shepherding the flock of God that is among us requires that we

exercise our God-given authority over our people

recognize that our authority is God-given

understand that we have received from God a specific group of people to shepherd

exercising oversight means we will

approach our responsibility to shepherd our people with vigilance

be on the look out for potential threats to the spiritual health of those under our care

Leading, not under compulsion but willingly as God would have us; not for shameful gain, but eagerly means that

we will eagerly carry out our ministry out of a sincere, joy-filled and sober embrace of our responsibilities as under-shepherds of the Chief Shepherd

our concern for the spiritual health of those under our care will and to handle our authority in a God-honoring way will displace our inclinations to use our authority for selfish gain.

Since we need to be careful not to mishandle our authority by being domineering over those in our charge but instead will be examples to our flocks, we will

treat the people under our care as those who belong to the Lord of the church who have been purchased by His blood

serve our people and not use them

Question: There is no question that the office of elder in the local church is an authoritative role. Elders therefore, are to exercise this authority, and for them to exercise this authority requires them to be assertive. Assertiveness however, can be mistaken for lording or abusing authority. What is the difference between asserting our God-given authority among our people and lording our authority over our people?

Matthew 20:25–28 ESV

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ezekiel 34:1–10 ESV

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

Failure of the Shepherds: A case study from Ezekiel 34.

Failure #1: They prioritized self above those under their care (1-3)

Failure #2: The only kind of attention they showed to the people under their care was aggressive and harsh (4)

Failure #3: They ignored the vulnerabilities of the people under their care (5-6)