Elders primary responsibility...

FOUR PRIMARY DUTIES

Here are four duties that are central to the elder’s God-given task. Brothers, I believe if lay elders devoted themselves to these four things, you will excel as shepherds.

1. Teach

An elder must be “able to teach” (; see 5:17). He must hold “to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.” (). Jesus’ under-shepherds feed Jesus’ sheep with Jesus’ word.

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. Jesus’ under-shepherds feed Jesus’ sheep with Jesus’ word.

If you’re an (potential) elder, find venues for teaching the Bible regularly. Teach a Bible Study class, lead a Care Group, or study Scripture with a member over coffee. And if you’re offered a chance to preach, take it.

Further, tune in to the church’s overall teaching ministry. Keep a finger on the pulse of what’s being taught through congregational singing or (if applicable) in the teaching curriculum. Listen closely when members talk about what they’re reading and be alert for rotten food in their spiritual diet.

Further, tune in to the church’s overall teaching ministry. Keep a finger on the pulse of what’s being taught through congregational singing or in the Sunday school curriculum. Listen closely when members talk about what they’re reading and be alert for rotten food in their spiritual diet.

Finally, remember that teaching includes training others to perpetuate the church’s teaching ministry. As Paul said to Timothy, "What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” () So bring along an apprentice teacher whenever you can.

2. Lead

2. Lead

Just as shepherds lead their flocks, so elders lead local congregations. The biblical writers also call elders “overseers,” a name that highlights their role as leaders (; ; , ). Hebrews instructs Christians to "Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account...” ()

As elders, be brave and let’s lead our church. Don’t hide among the baggage like King Saul. When we see challenges in our church, let’s face them proactively and plot a course forward.

Courageous leadership might involve reaching out to a frustrated member who’s stopped attending, or confronting an unrepentant member through church discipline. Or it could mean wrestling through strategies for evangelism/ discipleship, budget challenges, or important policies that affect the spiritual identity of the congregation.

As we lead, let’s not lose sight of the destination. The goal isn’t to lead our church to become an efficient organization. Rather, elders should lead church members toward maturity in Christ. Jesus gave teaching shepherds to the church “to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.” ()

As elders let’s bring the flock to green pastures and still waters when we help members know Jesus more and increasingly reflect His glory together.

3. Model

3. Model

Most importantly, elders lead by example. Shepherd the church “not [by] lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (). Not surprisingly, the New Testament lists of elder qualifications focus predominantly on character (; ; ). An elder’s most basic task is to say “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ” ().

The mandate to model maturity carries two critical implications. First, modeling means you must guard your godliness: “Pay close attention to your life and your teaching” (). Continue to live close to the Lord, nurture your wife and children well, resist sin, and love people. Open your life to the loving accountability of the other elders. Modeling maturity is a team project.

That leads to a second implication: modeling requires elders to be among the people. It only works if people see you up close. So let’s continue to open our lives to church members. Let’s continue to invite them into our homes, our hobbies, and our ministry. People need a firsthand experience of how we handle stress, relate to our wives, respond to difficult people, and humbly admit when we mess up.

4. Pray

Finally, elders should take up the apostolic shepherding mantle and say, “we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (). Ultimately elders are powerless in themselves to mature anyone in Christ; only the Holy Spirit can do that through God’s Word. The sooner an elder realizes this, the sooner he will hit his knees and plead for a continual work of grace among church members, as well as in his own life.

So as potential lay elders (or a paid elder!), let’s strive to be men of prayer. Build regular prayer into your daily rhythms. Let’s pray over our church’s membership rolls during the commute or while you’re walking the dog. Carve out time as a group of elders for concerted prayer. And when you’re talking to a church member, be sure to stop and pray for them right then and there.

SHEPHERD LIKE JESUS

Maybe we could sum up an elder’s job description this way: shepherd the church members like Jesus shepherds His disciples.

Like Jesus, let’s make teaching central to our ministry, and make Jesus and the gospel the primary content of our teaching. In every decision, let’s lead our people toward knowing and trusting Jesus. Let them see the character of Jesus exemplified in our lives. And just as Jesus often turned aside to pray, so us, as elders should join Jesus in interceding for His people.

The under-shepherds of Jesus are at their best when they reflect Jesus, the Chief Shepherd.

Rinne, J. (2012). A Job Description for Lay Elders. 9Marks Journal.