Leadership 101

The world’s view of leadership is based on power and position and authority. The ground is never level.

We see this in the corporate world. This was Apple Computer’s organizational chart when Steve Jobs was still alive:

We see this in the corporate world. This is how Amazon is organized.

The United States government is a little more complex; this is just the upper tier of branches, departments, agencies, and government corporations.

This is not all that different from the Roman-dominated world in which Jesus lived and the church was born. Power and position and authority certainly worked the same way. And Jesus acknowledged it:

Matthew 20:25 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.

To lord it over means to dominate someone, to function as their master, their superior. To exercise authority means to use power to control others. You knew how much power someone had by counting the number of people above and beneath them. The more people below and fewer people above, the more power you had. The fewer people below and more people above, the less power you had. No one was below the lowest slave; they had no power at all. No one was above Caesar; he had the most power of anyone.

But Jesus makes it clear that HIS church will not function that way:

Matthew 20:26 ESV

It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

Matthew 20:26–28 ESV

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.”

Matthew 20:26–27 ESV

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,

So-called “greatness” in the church would not be based on the human pattern – greatness means making other people serve you – but on the example that Jesus Himself came to give – greatness means serving others.

Jesus doesn’t simply predict that it will not be that way in the church; He prohibits any exercise of worldly, human authority in the church.

That doesn’t mean that is no leadership in the church, as is clear from both the Scriptures and church history. What it does mean is that leadership in the church is very different than the instinctive authority that people exercise in society.

So let’s first talk about the FORM of leadership in the church, and then the FOCUS of leadership in the church.

The FORM of Leadership

There are five words used to describe human leaders in the church:

Apostle, Elder, Overseer, Pastor, and Leader.

The office of Apostle was limited to those whom Jesus personally chose.

In spite of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the modern charismatic movement, there were only twelve apostles of Jesus Christ: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Paul, whom Jesus chose to replace Judas. With the death of John at the end of the first century the apostolic age came to a close.

The apostles continue to lead the church, though, through the Scriptures given through them by the Lord Jesus, breathed out by the Holy Spirit. Paul and Peter and the others continue to speak today, with full apostolic authority.

The other four – Elder, Overseer, Pastor, and Leader – are found throughout the epistles.

They don’t describe different roles and offices, though. Instead, they are used of the same group of men in each church. Every time they are used together, they speak of the same people. Leader is only used in , but very clearly describes the men who are Elders-Overseers-Pastors.

What’s more interesting that the noun Shepherd is only used of Jesus. The verb, to shepherd, is used of the elders and overseers.

Twice we see Elder, Pastor, and Overseer used together.

In we read,

Acts 20:17 ESV

Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

says “Now from Miletus [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.” They did so, and then he gave them some instructions.

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Acts 20:28 ESV

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Acts 20:17 ESV

Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

Acts 20:17 ESV

Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

In verse 28 he says to them, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (the word episkopos), to care for (the word poimeo, to shepherd) the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.”

In verse 28 he says to them, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (the word episkopos), to care for (the word poimeo, to shepherd) the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.”

We also see this in ,

1 Peter 5:1–2 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;

Peter writes to the elders, and tells them to shepherd, or pastor, the church, exercising oversight.

We see Elders and Overseers together in .

Acts 20:28 ESV

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

In verse 5 Paul writes to Titus, who was pastoring the church on the island of Crete, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” Paul then goes on to tell Titus what the qualifications are for an elder, and in verse 7 he calls elders overseers.

In verse 1 Paul writes to Titus,

Titus 1:5 ESV

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

Why every town and not every church? Because in those early days of the church, all those who came to Christ in a new place would naturally gather together. One town, one church.

Paul then goes on to tell Titus what the qualifications are for an elder, and uses the word overseer interchangeably to describe those

Titus 1:7 ESV

For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

Titus 1:6–7 ESV

if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

Wonderfully, we see Pastor and Overseer together in to describe the Lord Jesus:

Peter describes the Lord Jesus this way:

1 Peter 2:25 ESV

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

`pet 2 25

1pet 2 25

Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd in , , so this fits perfectly with what the Lord Himself said. Jesus is the Pastor and Overseer of our souls; the ministry of Elder-Pastor-Overseers in the church is derived from the ministry of Jesus to His people.

Peter writes to Christians, “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd (or Pastor) and Overseer of your souls.” He is speaking of Jesus there. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd in , .

And we see Elder, Pastor, and Overseer together in .

Peter writes

1 Peter 5:1–2 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;

So the three primary words – Elder, Pastor, and Overseer – speak of the same men, and we see them used interchangeably. As elders they are spiritually mature, trustworthy members of the Body. They are made overseers by the Holy Spirit, as those who serve, in a sense, as assistants to the Lord as He serves us. And their service is pastoral in nature.

So the three primary words – Elder, Pastor, and Overseer – speak of the same men.

We’ll talk about the FOCUS of that ministry in a moment but first let me emphasize how simple the Lord’s design for the church really is. There isn’t a massive, Amazon-style organizational chart to fill. God is at the top; Christians are beneath Him. Together they are the Body of Christ, the church, and they are served in their spiritual life by Elder-Pastor-Overseers.

So the three primary words – Elder, Pastor, and Overseer – speak of the same men.

They are made overseers by the Holy Spirit, given responsibility for the church, especially as spiritual shepherds, feeding the flock of God on the good Word of God.

There is a simplicity to this plan, isn’t there? It isn’t complicated. There isn’t a massive, Amazon-style organizational chart to fill in. There are only two layers.

At the top is the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Word of God He breathed out through His apostles and prophets.

Beneath that is simply a line of His people stretching as far as the eye can see. We are gathered into local churches by the Lord. Within those churches, the Lord appoints leaders that service the saints.

The work of Elders, Jesus says, is to be service, not subjugation; care, not conquest. The Lord assures that by His command, as we have seen: It shall NOT be so among you.

Their specific job is to shepherd, or pastor the church, a work that is defined for us in Scripture; we’ll look at their job description briefly in a few minutes.

He also assures it by the biblical description of the work of Elders, their focus.

The FOCUS of Leadership

As we’ve seen, the Lord raises up men to be elders, spiritually mature and trustworthy servants. They are made overseers by the Holy Spirit; that means that the Lord holds them accountable for sharing in His work of Pastoring and Overseeing the church. They carry out that work pastorally, and that takes place in three broad areas: teaching, care, and protection.

Teaching

The Word tells us that Pastor-Elder-Overseers are responsible to feed and nurture the people of God on the Word of God. In the language of Scripture, they must be able to teach, and some will labor in preaching and teaching. They must continually bring sound doctrine before the church. They must be devoted to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and teaching. They are to preach and teach the Word of God only, and to do so in season and out of season, that is, regardless of whether it seems like the right moment. They are to be workmen that God approves, who correctly and accurately handle the Scripture. (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).

Elder-Pastor-Overseers must be able to teach, and some are to labor in preaching and teaching. They must continually bring sound doctrine before the church. They must be devoted to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. They are to teach the Word and urge faithful obedience to the Word. They are remind all believers not to quarrel over minor issues. They are to live as workman that God approves, men who correctly and accurately handle the Word of God. They are to continue in the Scriptures, preaching the Word of God alone. They must always be ready to firmly reprove sin, rebuke sinners, and exhort all Christians with patient teaching. (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).

Elder-Pastor-Overseers must be able to teach, and some are to labor in preaching and teaching. They must continually bring sound doctrine before the church. They must be devoted to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. They are to teach the Word and urge faithful obedience to the Word. They are remind all believers not to quarrel over minor issues. They are to live as workman that God approves, men who correctly and accurately handle the Word of God. They are to continue in the Scriptures, preaching the Word of God alone. They must always be ready to firmly reprove sin, rebuke sinners, and exhort all Christians with patient teaching. (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).

urge faithful obedience to the Word. They are to live as workmen that God approves, who correctly and accurately handle the Scripture. They are to continue in the Scripture, always ready to firmly reprove sin, rebuke sinners, and exhort all Christians to humble faithfulness. (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).

Care

It’s very simple, really. Elders are obligated to carry out their ministry as faithful stewards of Christ. That ministry involves three areas: teaching, protection, shepherding, and leading.

The Word tells us that Pastor-Elder-Overseers must care for the church. In the language of Scripture, they are God’s appointed stewards, men whom Jesus has entrusted with His Bride; He requires that they carry out their work soberly and faithfully. They are to care for God’s church. They are to pray for the church, and especially for those who call upon the elders to pray for them. They must treat those in the church as members of their own families: old men as fathers, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters. They are to lead gently and respectfully, as examples rather than as commanders. And, they are to entrust the ministry to younger men so that healthy, mature leadership in the Body continues. (; ; ; ; ; ).

raise up younger men who will become Elder-Pastor-Overseers themselves. (; ; ; ; ; ).

They are stewards who are entrusted by the Lord Jesus with His Bride, and He expects them to carry out their work soberly and faithfully. They are to be in prayer for the church, and go to pray for those who call on them to come and pray. They must lovingly, gently, and respectfully treat all Christians as they would their own families. (; ; ; )

Protection

And the Word tells us that Elder-Pastor-Overseers are to protect the church from false teachers, false doctrine, and division. In the language of Scripture, those who contradict sound doctrine are to be rebuked, and false teachers are to be silenced. Those who teach doctrines contrary to Scripture, or who devote themselves to myths, are to be commanded to stop. Elder-Pastor-Overseers are not to get caught up in pointless debates and discussions, but rather remain firmly in the Word, keeping a close watch on themselves and their teaching, for their sake and the sake of the Body. They are to be patient and kind with those who disagree, earnestly praying that the Lord would grant them repentance. At the same time, they are to warn those who stir up division in the Body twice, and remove them from the fellowship if they will not stop. (; ; , ; ; ; ; ).

must hold firmly to the Word of God so that they may both instruct in sound doctrine and rebuke those who contradict sound doctrine. In the language of Scripture, those who contradict sound doctrine are to be rebuked, and false teachers are to be silenced. Those who teach doctrines contrary to Scripture, or who devote themselves to myths, are to be commanded to stop.

Accountability

False doctrine is to be stopped. Those who teach it must be commanded to stop teaching it. They must have nothing to do with irreverent, foolish myths. They must keep a close watch on their teaching, for their sake and the sake of the church. They to are careful guard the trust entrusted to them in the Word of God. They must have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. They are to gently, kindly, and patiently correct false teachers by teaching them. (; ; , ; ; ; ; ).

Elder-Pastor-Overseers will give an account to God for their leadership; that’s why the Bible says not many are to be teachers. Their work is constrained by the Word of God. Their attitude toward the church is to follow Christ’s example of patience, kindness, and faithfulness. No human leader is perfect; we all stumble in many ways, Scripture says. So those who lead ought to do so with a healthy fear for the Lord’s examination of their actions. Plurality in leadership doesn’t hinder the work of the church; it enhances it. Two are better than one, Solomon writes, because they have a good reward for their toil. Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. Paul always traveled with companions.

And Elder-Pastor-Overseers must lead the church according to the Word of God. They must direct the church well. They must shepherd the flock of God well as they exercise oversight. They must lead as examples to the flock rather than forcefully dominating the flock. And they are to give attention to entrusting their ministry to other faithful men who will themselves teach others in their turn. (; ; ).

Those who teach false doctrine must be charged to stop that teaching, as well as to stop devoting themselves to unbiblical ideas (). They must have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths (). They must keep a close watch on their teaching, for their sake and the sake of their listeners (). They are to guard the deposit of truth entrusted to them, avoiding what is falsely called “knowledge” (, ). They are to have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies (). They are to gently correct false teachers with kindness, teaching, and patience, knowing that God must grant them repentance (). (;

Elder-Pastor-Overseers will give an account to God for their leadership; that’s why James says not many are to be teachers. Their work is constrained by the Word of God. Their attitude toward the church is to follow Christ’s example of patience, kindness, and faithfulness. No human leader is perfect; we all stumble in many ways, Scripture says. So those who lead ought to do so with a healthy fear for the Lord’s examination of their actions.

They must hold firmly to the Word of God so that they may both instruct (parakalein) in sound doctrine and rebuke (elenkein) those who contradict sound doctrine (). Those who teach false doctrine must be charged to stop that teaching, as well as to stop devoting themselves to unbiblical ideas (). They must have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths (). They must keep a close watch on their teaching, for their sake and the sake of their listeners (). They are to guard the deposit of truth entrusted to them, avoiding what is falsely called “knowledge” (, ). They are to have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies (). They are to gently correct false teachers with kindness, teaching, and patience, knowing that God must grant them repentance ().

Elder-Pastor-Overseers serve the church, but they are servants of Jesus Christ. He directs their ministry, commands that they love the flock, and requires their faithfulness as they serve in His name.

Next week we will look at the qualifications of Elder-Pastor-Overseers. In the meantime I urge you to read the section on the Board of Elders in the revised Constitution. Examine the verses that are cited.