Keys of The Kingdom 15 - An Exhortation to Elders

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. — 1 Peter 5:1-4

Peter calls every leader to follow the Chief Shepherd—serving, not ruling, the flock of God.

To Whom Peter Writes

Peter changes gears in chapter five and focuses on leaders within the church. "To the elders who are among you, I exhort." Who are these individuals? In our day "elder" means older, but in this passage it does not necessarily mean age. When you study the word translated "elder," you find it speaks to anyone in the church serving as an overseer—those who preside over the local congregation.

In our context this primarily addresses pastors, but not pastors only. It speaks to anyone in any leadership role: an usher, greeter, hospitality or outreach team leader, children's ministry worker, or worship leader. Wherever you have authority and lead other people, this message is for you.

Leaders Are Among the People, and Still Teachable

Notice what we learn at the outset. First, leaders are to be among the people. They are not over the people, ruling with dominion, inaccessible, a higher class of Christian. Growing up in this church—we started attending when I was eleven, back at "the donut church" behind a donut store on East Valley Parkway—I saw that the leadership was accessible, not distant. That is not how the world structures leadership, yet in the church the leaders are to be among the people. It is amazing that the word minister, which literally means servant, has come to describe someone separate from the people. That was never the case in Scripture.

Second, "the elders who are among you, I exhort." These leaders are not beyond counsel or exhortation. They are still learners. I don't love the saying "leaders are readers"; I prefer "leaders are learners." If you are a leader, you have not arrived. Throughout my ministry I still seek counsel from pastor friends and mentors who challenge me to be a better leader, father, and husband. One of the dangers of leadership is becoming inaccessible and unteachable. Paul, near the end of his life, wrote that he had not yet arrived nor attained. None of us have. He is still working on every one of us.

Leaders Are Not Lords

Point one: leaders are not lords—at least not in the conception of leadership Scripture promotes. Listen to Jesus in Matthew 20:25:

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

What a picture of servant leadership: God incarnate came not to be served but to serve. This is the litmus test for greatness in the kingdom. It is not wrong to desire greatness—Jesus' disciples constantly argued over who would be greatest, and rather than condemning the desire, Jesus told them the path: serve. That is not how the world promotes leadership, yet throughout the New Testament this is the consistent teaching.

Leaders Must Maintain Humility

We see this even in how Peter describes himself: "I who am a fellow elder." Peter was an apostle, a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of future glory. Very few people in the world could say those words. Yet his view of himself was, "I am just like you—a fellow elder."

Point two: leaders must maintain humility. The first step is recognizing you are not a lord, not in a privileged position over the people because you are something special. We are what we are by the grace of God. Paul, the author of so much New Testament Scripture, wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:9, "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church." Then this crucial truth: "But by the grace of God I am what I am."

Whatever position you find yourself in, maintain this Pauline view. It is not your pedigree, education, gifts, or good looks. You are what you are by the grace of God. If a leader does not maintain humility, the Lord will remove them, for as verse five says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Paul adds that God's grace toward him was not in vain—he labored more abundantly than all, "yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." Every amazing thing attached to his name was by grace. That is the right perspective.

This Passage Is for You

Even if you never want to be a leader in the church, this passage is still for you. Wherever you serve—business, government, community, or home—you are a leader. If you're a dad or mom, a teacher, a manager, a foreman, you are a leader. And if you're a Christian and a leader, you need to be a Christ-honoring leader. Follow the pattern Peter describes and you will succeed; you will be honored by the Lord and honoring to Him.

The Greatest Leaders Are Great Servants

Verse two: "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers." You are part of the same flock, yet you have been given authority, responsibility, and oversight—and in that position you are to shepherd and serve.

Point three: the greatest leaders are great servants. Serving in the church sounds wonderful until someone treats you like a servant. The true test of servanthood is how you respond when you are treated like one. None of us enjoy it—which should remind us not to treat those who serve us as less than us. If someone cleans your house, does your yard, or serves you at a restaurant, never belittle them. Take good care of those who serve you and they will serve you well; treat them poorly and that reputation will follow you. Throughout history, the leaders most honored and loved are those who served those under them.

Shepherding the Flock in Love

Peter uses the word shepherd: "Shepherd the flock of God." The people of God are repeatedly called the flock—sheep, which are not genius animals. Years ago USA Today reported a flock in Turkey where one sheep ran off a cliff and the rest followed; many died, though enough piled up that the later ones survived on the wool. Sheep are stupid, and sometimes we are not very wise in following the Lord either. He is the Good Shepherd, and He calls some within the flock to be under-shepherds.

The Greek for shepherd is poimano; pastor is poimen. The work of the poimen is to poimano—to care for and tend. Peter understood this from a conversation in John 21:15:

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."... He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved... and said, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep."

In English this seems redundant, but in Greek there are different words for love. Jesus asks, "Do you agape Me?"—the self-sacrificing, wholly devoted love of 1 Corinthians 13. Peter answers, "I phileo You"—I love You like a brother. The second time Jesus again asks agape; Peter again answers phileo. The third time Jesus lowers it to phileo—"Do you even love Me that way?"—and Peter grieves. Yet every time, Jesus' charge is the same: tend My sheep, feed My lambs. Shepherding God's people rests on love for Jesus: Peter, if you love Me, take care of Mine.

Love Is the Greatest Qualification

Point four: love is the greatest leadership qualification and quality. This isn't what the world says—the world prizes an MBA, productivity, or managing others well. But Scripture lifts up love—the agape love that is patient, kind, humble, honoring of others, selfless, mild (not quick-tempered), and forgiving, as 1 Corinthians 13 describes.

I would challenge those of you under leadership to find leaders with these characteristics. They are not what the world says you need to succeed, but they are what a Christ-like leader must endeavor to apply. Lead with patience, kindness, humility, honor, and forgiveness, and you will go far in both the church and the world. If you are a loving leader, you will be a loved leader—at home, at work, or at church.

Willingly, Not by Compulsion

Verse two: serve "not by compulsion, but willingly." Serving Christ is not compulsory—no one gets a draft card from the church ordering them to show up Sunday at seven. So how do you motivate people to serve? Lift up and show off how much God has loved us. As we proclaim that Christ demonstrated His love toward us while we were yet sinners, the greatness of that love compels us. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14, "For the love of Christ compels us."

Point five: leaders are compelled by love to serve willingly. To the extent you grasp the great love of God for you, you will be compelled to serve Him willingly.

Not for Dishonest Gain

Verse two also says, "not for dishonest gain, but eagerly." The King James calls it "filthy lucre"—and lucre is the root of lucrative. Serving Christ should never be about a lucrative position, because it is not a lucrative endeavor. There was a pastor recently who told his congregation God said he needed a better private jet and asked for $60 million. You might think that looks lucrative; let me tell you, it is not. If your motivation is to get something from those you serve—honor, privilege, or financial gain—it is the wrong motivation. We all need to check our hearts. A study around 2013 found the average pastor in the United States earns about $28,000 a year. This is not Silicon Valley. This is not a cool startup.

Leadership Is a Stewardship

Verse three: "nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." Focus on the words entrusted to you. Point six: leadership is a stewardship. These people have been entrusted to you. This is God's flock, God's church. Whether you oversee children's ministry or the parking team, those are God's people, and one day you will give an account to Him for how you stewarded them. As 1 Corinthians says, "It is required of stewards that one be found faithful."

One of the quickest ways to lose a leadership position is to begin thinking it is your ministry. The moment you become possessive—"my thing," "my people"—you are in a dangerous place. At this church we have had to remove people from leadership when they grew possessive; at the first hint of it, we scale responsibility back, because that is not how a steward of God's kingdom stewards His things.

I'm called the senior pastor, but I really believe Jesus is the senior pastor; my card says lead pastor. This is His church. When things don't go the way I think they should, I remind Him, "Lord, this is Your church—You have to deal with this." Whatever leadership you hold, understand it is by the grace of God, given to you to manage well and steward for His glory. Those who lead with this mindset will be good examples to the flock.

Faithful Stewards Will Be Rewarded

Verse four: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away." Point seven: faithful stewards will be rewarded. Our motivation should not be what we can get from ministry, yet there is a promise of an eternal crown that does not fade. Whatever you receive from ministry fades away; this does not. What is a crown of glory? I have no clue, but I'm looking forward to it. More than that, I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord." That is a good objective to run toward.

Ordaining a Faithful Servant

Today we have a practical outworking of all this. We want to present one of the newest pastors we ordained here—Nick Burt. Our board affirmed God's call and work in Nick's life on May 31, 2015, nearly a year ago to the day. Ordination is not something the church does; we merely ratify what God has been doing in and through someone's life.

Nick began serving here in high school and joined our staff in 2006—ten years, mostly in facilities, doing hard things, unclogging toilets and all the lovely tasks. The key thing we have seen in him over the years is faithfulness, and that faithfulness is something God has worked in him. By acknowledging Nick as a pastor, we are simply acknowledging the work God has done. I want to invite our elders and pastors forward to lay hands on Nick and his wife Kayla and commit them to the Lord.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You so much for this life that You've spoken into. We know the ministry is not a sprint but a marathon. Thank You for all You've been doing in Nick's life these years, and what a blessing that it is in the church he grew up in. Through so many lessons and trials, Lord, he has shown himself, as You are, to be faithful. May he walk with You all his days and have a long ministry. Increase his borders. May Your Holy Spirit be evident to all who meet and work with him.

Bless him and his family. I thank You for the example of faithfulness Nick has been to this church. I pray for the ministry committed to him—with the youth, the junior high, and on the campuses he serves. As Paul said, with great and effective doors come many adversaries; so as he experiences spiritual warfare, give him an extra measure of mercy and grace. Help him to serve mercifully and give graciously. Bless Nick and Kayla and their two beautiful little babies. We commit them into Your hands and thank You for the work You are doing through their lives. Increase it. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said amen.

And as Paul told the church, "Brethren, pray for us." I give you our prayer request: pray for your pastors and elders and our families as we are called to this task of shepherding. Pray that God would open greater doors for our church and strengthen us to be good examples. Contend with us in this work, I ask.