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1 Peter 5:1–5 (ESV)
We are in the middle of our short sermon series on “The Church: God’s New Society.” In this series, we are focusing in on the spiritual aspects of the people of God—not just the practical, visible parts of church life together. We aspire for the practical and visible aspects of church life to match up as closely as possible to what is spiritual and hidden. No church, including Cornerstone, does this perfectly. Even the churches written about in the pages of the New Testament didn’t live this out perfectly. The letters of the New Testament were often written to correct and shape those churches into the reality of God’s designs.
This is a cause for humility, but also of thankfulness. In God’s providence, not all churches are deficient in the same ways or in the same areas. In Revelation 1-3, God commends and corrects the different churches in different areas. In each case, God begins with “I know…you” in some way. He says “I know your works” to five of the churches; to one he says, “I know your tribulation and your poverty;” to another, “I know where you dwell.”
What would the Lord say to our church in this time and place in history? Are there specific areas of temptation or compromise that threaten the health of God’s people? Certainly there are.
We can’t address all of those potential areas in one sermon, but I would like us to focus on a specific area of church life together—the relationship of the shepherds to the sheep. More specifically, I’d like us to focus on the role and authority of elders in the church.
Our specific Western context presents particular wrong understandings of how churches should relate to church leaders. On one hand, some churches seem to flock to a particular personality or to specific charismatic leaders, often overlooking flaws in character or doctrine for the sake of “success.”
Others resist any true expression of pastoral authority at all, considering all expressions of authority and submission in church as corrupt or outdated, reading Western democratic principles into the organization of the New Testament church.
This anti-authoritarian spirit of the age is the air we breathe in our culture. We can’t escape it. We encounter a barrage of influences daily, teaching us to reject all kinds of authority—the authority of the Bible, of government, of the police, of teachers, of parents, even of our own chromosomes.
Jonathan Leeman, in his book, Authority, summarizes our situation this way:
When all is said and done, there aren’t any authorities left to topple. Except the authority of “Me.” This is what the writers mean when they describe our day as “individualistic.” Individualism doesn’t mean I like to be alone or I don’t have friends. It means, nobody can tell me what to do or who to be. No one has authority over me.
- Jonathan Leeman, Authority (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023), 2–3.
This morning, we will consider the contours and extent of the elders’ authority in the church.
This is one of those sermons which could be viewed as awkward for the preacher or the congregation. Some might view it as self-serving for a pastor to preach about how the church should respond to his pastoring. This reaction, however, assumes a corrupt view of authority in general and an unbiblical view of the pastor’s authority specifically.
God has given clear instructions to the pastor-shepherd and to the sheep (individually) and the church (corporately). These instructions and commands are for our good and intended to help God’s people to flourish spiritually and relationally and to be fruitful in God’s mission.
Before we dive into the text today, let me take a moment to express my sincere gratefulness for how Cornerstone—how you all—respond to, treat, care for, and honor your elders.
I have been a member (and a staff member) of four churches before I came to Cornerstone in 2010. Beyond that, I have interacted with many other friends and fellow-pastors over the years. I have witnessed pastoral authority wielded in sinful ways. I have personally experienced church members rising up against their leaders to “take back control” of the church.
I have been grieved by unhealthy tension between pastors and members—in both directions. As a pastor, I have also had to face my own poor leadership and sinful reactivity in different situations. God has a way of humbling us.
However, this unhealthy tension has not been my experience at Cornerstone. We are not a perfect church, and we certainly don’t have perfect elders. We are all sinners in the process of God’s work of sanctification. But, I have experienced genuine mutual respect and care among elders and members.
I say this so that you’ll know my heart in this sermon. This teaching is not meant to be a rebuke, correction, or an attempt to gain more power or influence. I do hope that taking a fresh look at what God’s word says about an elder’s role and authority that will increase our faith to live in God’s community according to God’s principles.
This morning we will consider the elders’ responsibility to the church, the church’s responsibility to the elders.
Just two points today:
In order to consider the elder’s role, we will take a closer look back at 1 Peter 5. We could approach the “job description” of an elder in several different ways, but this morning, we’ll do this by consider the different words used to describe church leaders in the New Testament.
You’ll notice that my sermon points have the awkward plural possessive form of elder. I’m not going to make the argument from scripture this morning, but we believe the Bible models and instructs churches to have a plurality of elders, not just one single pastor.
Throughout church history, and in our contemporary culture, there are various ways we might refer to officers in the church. If we did a survey, we might come up with names such as priest, pastor, minister, bishop, elder, shepherd, apostle, evangelist, deacon, or leader. Then we might come across more specific titles: Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor, Worship Pastor, Youth Pastor, Administrative Pastor, etc. Or we might distinguish between staff elders and bi-vocational elders.
The New Testament typically uses three different terms to refer to those who lead the church.
Let’s look back at 1 Peter 5 to consider them. Here is a hint as I read the passage again. One of the words is a noun, but the other two are in verb form in our passage.
1 Peter 5:1–5 (ESV)
Did you identify the three? The first is easy—elder. The second is fairly straightforward, and perhaps familiar to us—shepherd—which could be translated “pastor.” The third is also in verse two—overseer (exercising oversight)—which could be translated “bishop.”
Depending on your denominational background you may be more or less familiar with these terms, but the New Testament uses all three to refer to the same office in the church. Some churches make a distinction between Pastors and Elders, or between Pastor and Bishop (treating the Bishop as having authority over multiple churches or pastors). Our presbyterian friends make distinctions between “teaching elders” and “ruling” elders.
We will take a closer look at each of these terms, but I want to persuade you that all three of these terms refer to the same office in the church. The distinct terms highlight different aspects of the man’s character, responsibility, and his actions toward God’s people.
Here in 1 Peter 5 we see the person—the elder—acting towards God’s people (verb - shepherd) by exercising oversight (authority).
To see the same connection in a different passage, consider Acts 20. We will find the same three root words that we found in 1 Peter 5. In Verse 17, Luke sets the context of what is going on.
Acts 20:17 (ESV) — Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
Paul is traveling, and stops by Miletus to have some last words with the “elders” from Ephesus. He sends for them and they come to him. Specifically, I want to hear what he tells them in verse 18.
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 17 we see that he is speaking to elders. In verse 28, he tells them that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers. And finally, he speaks to their task, to care for (same word translated “shepherd” from 1 Peter) the church of God.
Now, let’s look at each of these three terms.
This is one of the words we use at Cornerstone. We use it interchangeably with “pastor.” I might say during the announcements, “Good morning. My name is John McLeod, and I’m one of the elders at Cornerstone.” Or I might use, “One of the pastors…”
Our term elder comes from the Greek, πρεσβύτερος. It can refer to an old man, or to a church office. Presbyterians are called that because of their emphasis on elder governance in their denomination.
This role is carried over from the Old Testament in a way. We might speak of the “elders” of Israel, or the elders in a town at the city gate. The term was also used to describe the leaders in the Jewish synagogue.
The term highlights maturity, character, wisdom, and example.
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—
James 5:14 (ESV) — Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
1 Timothy 5:17 (ESV) — Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
When we describe our own church governance, we would say that we are an elder-led or elder-governed church. This is leaning into the term “elder” or πρεσβύτερος.
A second word we have in the New Testament is “overseer” or “bishop.” This comes from the Greek, ἐπίσκοπος. (We get our word, “Episcopal” from this Greek word.)
ἐπίσκοπος has the meaning of one who has guardianship over a group to make sure they do something the right way. It carries the idea of authority, which is why the ESV translates it as “overseer.”
If we are discussing forms of church government, Episcopal describes a denomination with hierarchy—like the Catholic Church or Anglicanism, or Methodism. These denominations have multiple layers of authority above the elders or congregation.
We don’t use this term as much to describe our church leaders, but we could. You can greet Daniel after the service today and call him “Bishop Baker.” I’m sure that would bless him.
Here are some uses in the New Testament.
Philippians 1:1 (ESV) — Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
Philippians 1 refers to the two offices in the church, overseers and deacons.
1 Timothy 3:1–2 (ESV) — The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
This is the passage listing qualifications for elders (or more accurately, overseers).
The term overseer highlights the authority that these men have in the church.
Our third term for church leaders is shepherd or pastor. It is only used as a noun to describe elders/overseers in one verse in the New Testament, though we have already found it several times in verb form.
Here it is as a noun.
Ephesians 4:11 (ESV) — And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
And Paul uses this in an interesting construction in Ephesians 4. It’s not just “pastors” and “teachers” as separate groups, but a group of individuals who are “shepherd/teachers.”
The ESV is consistent to translate Ephesians 4:11 as “shepherds” though many good translations use the term, “pastors.”
In our passage in 1 Peter 5:1, remember the author—Peter. Can you remember a significant moment in his life regarding shepherding? After Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus is speaking to Peter at the end of John’s Gospel. This is the famous, “Peter, do you love me?” conversation with Jesus.
John 21:16 (ESV) — He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
What is the command Jesus leaves with Peter? “Tend my sheep” or more literally, “Shepherd my sheep” (CSB, NASB).
We could have an entire sermon about what shepherds do for their sheep, but for today let’s just remember that shepherds protect, feed, and lead their sheep. We get a glimpse of this in Jeremiah, prophesying what would come in the church-age.
Jeremiah 3:15 (ESV) — And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
To summarize what we’ve discovered so far, the New Testament describes the leaders in the church as elders, overseers, and shepherds/pastors. These men live as examples before the God’s people, govern the church, and lead, feed, and protect the flock. These are the elders’ roles.
Now, let’s turn to point 2, The Elders’ Authority.
We have come across some words describing church leaders that indicate their authority. “Let the elders who rule well…” (1 Tim 5:17). “Shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight…” (1 Pet. 5:2). Paul writes to Timothy about overseers needing to be able to manage their households well (an expression of authority) so that they may be able to care well for the church of God. Even the idea of “shepherd” carries with it some authority over the sheep.
The author of Hebrews, however, gives explicit commands for how the church is to respond to its leaders. We can find these commands in Hebrews 13:7 and 17.
Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) — Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
This is an interesting way to begin wrapping up the letter (or sermon) to the Hebrews. He’s not accusing them of forgetting their leaders, but inviting them to call them to mind or to think about them. Notice how he describes “leaders.” He doesn’t use the term elder, overseer, or pastor—but wants us to remember those who spoke the word of God to us. This could be the word spoken in preaching, the word shared in our living room or over coffee.
There is something special here about the elder’s authority. It is in the context of knowledge and relationship. “Those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” I think this means the leader in view is closer than the “stage” presence of public ministry, and certainly more personal than a public speaker on a screen or on the other side of a YouTube video.
Through the incredible advancements in media and social media, we can be influenced by Christian leaders (and many others) from anywhere in the world. But, the authority associated with elders is connected to teaching you specifically, and living close enough to you that you can imitate their faith.
This is one of the reasons our elders to not think a “campus” model of church is biblical. We believe elders should speak to their sheep and that sheep should be able to know their elders. Our church is large enough that all the elders don’t know all the sheep deeply, but our aspiration is that all the members at Cornerstone have access to actually know the leaders in a meaningful way.
Let’s continue on in verse 17.
Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) — Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
His commands go beyond remembering and considering in verse 17. Now we are faced with two stronger commands—obey and submit.
There are multiple spheres of authority in our lives given by God for the sake of human flourishing. Parent to child, husband to wife, government to citizen, master to servant, and here we find elders to church members.
We know that none of these authorities is absolute. Only God’s authority is absolute in our lives.
We intuitively understand that the various authorities in our lives have boundaries.
Not only is authority restricted to the appropriate relationship to that authority, it also doesn’t cross over into other spheres of authority.
Consider this example (which I got from Jonathan Leeman’s book, Authority (Crossway, 2023).
What is wrong in this situation? The officer has the right to pull over someone speeding. But, he has no jurisdiction over who the driver marries.
What time do we meet? What is the overall structure of our Sunday services? How do we practice the sacraments? What songs do we sing in public worship? Who preaches and on what topics or text? What translation of the Bible will we use in our public services?
For example, elders have authority to say, “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20). One of the goals of preaching is to say, “thus saith the Lord” in a compelling, awe-inspiring way.
We preach and teach the Bible expositionally (getting the meaning from the text and going through books of the Bible), but elders also determine what will be considered sound doctrine and commit as ordained elders to affirm, teach, and defend it. This is part of what it means to be a confessional church. We as elders subscribe to the Trinity Confession of Faith as an expression of what we personally believe the Bible teaches. This certainly does not mean that all members of Cornerstone do or must share in our understanding of Biblical doctrine. But, it is what we will try to persuade you to believe.
As a reminder, the fact that we have written down what we believe the Bible teaches in a confession of faith does not mean that we believe our confession of faith is infallible or equal to the Bible. We are simply stating publicly what we believe the Bible teaches so that it may be critiqued, challenged and corrected by scripture, which is the only authoritative and inerrant word of God.
The Bible speaks to many issues in life with commands. There are many “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” in the Bible. However, there are many situations we face which scripture does not directly address, where Christians must apply the principles of scripture with faith and a clear conscience. It is not the place of elders to bind the conscience of other believers to respond in a uniform way. Romans 14 is a great text to wrestle with this principle. Paul’s solution to some of the disagreements within a church was not to tell them how to think or force agreement, but to tell them to stop passing judgment on one another and to allow Christian freedom.
In the New Testament era, whether or not a Christian could eat meat sacrificed to idols was such an issue. Today, the issues might be taking specific positions on political or social issues such as support for a specific political candidate or public policy.
There is a type of authority that elders carry which is not tied to a specific command of scripture. Pastors speak into church members’ lives on a variety of issues, including marriage, parenting, broken relationships, financial stewardship, vocational decisions, spiritual and emotional struggles, besetting sins, and many more.
It is easy for us to fall off the road into the ditch in two different ways when receiving this kind of counsel. First, when the pastors speak into these issues, it is very rarely intended to carry with it the weight of “obedience/submission” in the sense of Hebrews 13:17. Rarely should one look to the pastor to receive an authoritative “tell me what to do” in a direct way. Pastors are not experts in everything, and even if we are experienced in an area, our real authority only goes as far as the Bible speaks clearly.
However, the authority of “command” is not the only kind of authority. Pastors may simply be using the authority of counsel. Ordination in a sense is a way that the church publicly says, “Hey, pay attention to how this man lives, and how he applies the Bible to his life and the lives of others.” This means members should not be dismissive or resentful when an elder raises a concern or suggests you consider a change of course.
In these cases, Hebrews 13:7 is a good reminder.
Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) — Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Church elders are susceptible to the sins of arrogance and pride. And, leading can be hard. Elders are easily tempted to have a “Messiah complex” on one day, thinking they have the solution to everyones’ problems, and feeling completely inadequate the next day, saying with Paul, “Who is sufficient for these things” (2 Cor 2:16). God has many ways of humbling us all, doesn’t he?
Simply being ordained as an elder does not confer all of the knowledge, wisdom, and insight that a church needs. Our elders are very grateful to be surrounded by so many mature, wise, and faithful Christian brothers and sisters. We are very grateful for the biblical insights and wisdom that many of you share with us and with one another.
Like in other spheres of authority, submission does not mean that a church member can never appeal for elders to think differently or challenge them to make a different decision. In fact, scripture even instructs elders who sin publicly to be rebuked publicly.
Paul writes to the church in Galatia not to accept anything less than the true gospel from her leaders.
Galatians 1:9 (ESV) — As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
I should say a few things about how authority in the church is not modeled after the world’s use of power.
Our opening passage in 1 Peter 5 gave instruction for the proper heart and motives of the pastor.
1 Peter 5:2–3 (ESV)
Peter gives us three pairs of contrasts.
Serving as leaders in God’s church should not have the same flavor as the power pursuits of the world. Even Jesus’ disciples didn’t quite get this at first. When James and John came up to Jesus, asking to sit at Jesus right and left hand, in positions of power, Jesus had to remind them what shape authority in his church would take.
Mark 10:42–45 (ESV) — And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But 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 slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Contrary to the current anti-authority age in which we live, God’s word presents authority as a blessing to those under it. There is a particular blessing to us of having shepherds keeping watch over our souls. It is to our advantage to embrace this care as a blessing.
Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) — Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
As I stated at the beginning today, I don’t intend this sermon to be a rebuke to you all. However, you may want to check your heart attitude toward authority in general and toward elder authority specifically to see if you have carelessly embraced the world’s attitude of suspicion toward all authority, assuming that it is necessarily toxic.
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (ESV) — We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
I really wanted to have a third point this morning about the elder’s calling, but totally ran out of time. Here is the 30 second version. It is my prayer that God would raise up many men through this body to become elders to bless the body of Christ here and beyond. Have you considered this as a potential calling on your life? This calling comes from the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28), from others in the body of Christ (Titus 1:5), but also as an internal desire.
1 Timothy 3:1 (ESV) — The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
1 Peter 2:25 (ESV) — For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 5:4 (ESV) — And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
John 10:11 (ESV) — I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Psalm 23:1 (ESV) — The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
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