1 Peter 5:1-4
Apostles, elders, deacons, leaders…
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In the story of the church, official titles abound, but here is an interesting fact: godly people who believe the Bible have developed systems as diverse as the Episcopal structure of the church of England, the democratic structure of your local Baptist church and the free and easy structure of your local Brethren assembly and all of them derive these diverse systems from the same verses in the New Testament!
That should tell us not to be too dogmatic about the structure we favour. I was discipled by a church where elders led the church and did the teaching supported by deacons who did all the practical work. I thought this way of doing things was straight out of the Bible until I actually looked at the Bible! The reality is not so simple and you can interpret the letters of Peter and Paul in a number of ways. So let’s start with two principles that are really clear:
First, God’s people need leaders and we are expected to appoint them and allow them to get on with the job. You don’t need me to tell you that some churches are in a parlous state and one of the reasons for this is lack of leadership. Where there is no clear leadership the church’s performance will dismal and ineffective.
Second, leaders must be gifted for the job . Paul mentions leadership in one of his gift lists – Romans 12:6-8 – leadership is a spiritual gift. So we are looking for people who have this gift, and who lead diligently, as we appoint leaders in the churches.
Peter addressed this letter to teams of people who are leading churches in Asia Minor (1). This brings us to a vital third principle…
Spiritual leaders work in teams
Planting churches in this area years before, Paul and Barnabas appointed small teams of people to lead the churches (Acts 14:23). Before long, they were writing to leadership teams that contained two kinds of leader, elders and deacons (Philippians 1:1). As the churches grew, these teams would have included full and part-time ministers, voluntary elders and deacons, as well as deaconesses. Paul’s first letter to Timothy makes it clear that some of the elders in Ephesus were financially supported by the church (1 Timothy 5:17-18) – in the same letter he sets out the kind of qualifications people (mostly men, but some women) would have if they were to lead the church (1 Timothy 3:1-13) [1] . From these observations a clear picture emerges:
First, whatever has happened since, Biblical churches were never meant to be led single-handed by prima donnas who controlled everything. Spiritual leadership is a team effort.
Second, each one in the team can be a different kind of leader and have the security to play to their strengths. This makes the team incredibly strong. When we started City Church the whole team went through a process that we called Strengths Finder – it enabled us to identify the things each one of us was good at.
Some leaders are only happy when they are charging ahead breaking new ground; others are good strategic thinkers and planners. Some leaders teach small groups or one on one; others are effective preachers. We need a leadership team that includes all the strengths we can build into it.
A spiritual leader is a shepherd who cares
At the heart of Christian leadership is a passion to care for people (1b-3) in the same way that a shepherd cares for his sheep. Peter tells us that a shepherd has two jobs; he cares for the flock (feeds it, clips their wool and washes off the ticks!) and he watches over it (keeps it together, makes sure that wild animals don’t strike, rounds up the stragglers). Christian leaders are to keep the picture of a shepherd front and centre of their thinking as they do their job.
If you read all the New Testament passages relating to leadership [2] you get the following list of activities:
Shepherds feed the flock . By teaching the congregation the word of God and its application to their lives (this can be done by preaching, leading small groups or one-to-one) we encourage people into serious apprenticeship with Jesus – we are passionate to see lives changed.
Shepherds are alert to dangers to the flock . We become aware of the internal weaknesses and external dangers that threaten the flock and taking action to safeguard it. We work to protect the flock from false teachings and the world's seductions. We are actively concerned for stragglers and will challenge those who attack them. We pray for the flock.
Shepherds are concerned for the congregation's practical needs . We minister to those who are in ill health and who experience financial need.
Now we cannot do that alone, the job is too big! But it is our job to mobilize the gifted people in the fellowship who can help us to do this. So this gives us another principle to guide us in seeking new leaders: we are looking for people who can play their part in shepherding this particular flock of God’s people.
Three key attitudes in a Spiritual leader (verses 2b-3)
In these two verses, Peter flags up three specific temptations leaders have to face and the attitudes that prevent the problems ever arising – if we are seeking to find new leaders we need to be aware of these.
First, it is important that Christian leaders are willing to do the job – Peter uses words like ‘willing’ and eager’. A leadership team needs to be a group of people who are champing at the bit to serve God and see what he will do if they are obedient to their calling! The temptation Peter highlights here is the tendency of good Christian people to take on a job because you feel pressurised to do so. This is what that sounds like, “OK, if no-one else will do it…”
Whenever you hear that noise, please don’t go any further. You are looking for someone else!
Second, it is important that Christian leaders are people of integrity . Peter here says they should be squeaky-clean in the area of money. The New Living Translation of verse 2 is a bit useless: this is what it really says:
Be shepherds of God's flock … not greedy for money, but eager to serve.
New International Version
It is even better in the Antique Version:
Feed the flock of God … not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.
I like that, filthy lucre! He is talking about Christian leaders who have their hands in the till or who abuse their position to make themselves wealthy. We are looking for people of integrity – unimpeachable honesty – to lead the people of God.
Third, it is important that God’s people are led by the power of love . That is what verse 3 is about. There is always the temptation stoop to strong-arm tactics to get people to do what we want. Maybe you have met bossy elders or overbearing pastors? Who do they think they are? These are people who think that their position gives them the right to wield God’s authority like a baseball bat – and woe betides anyone who opposes them!
This usually takes the form of psychological intimidation or manipulation. People don’t actually threaten; they just leave you with the impression that if you don’t do what they want then God will punish you. A psychological cosh is just as unpleasant as a real baseball bat – some of us know exactly how this feels.
God’s people are led by example
The best way to avoid this, Peter tells us, is to appoint those who can lead by example (3b) – Christian leaders stand out in the community because they are a good example of what it is to be an apprentice of Jesus.
The apostles were keen to get the right people into leadership positions in the churches. They knew the power of strategic thinkers who could see the way ahead, of hardworking managers who could get things moving in the right direction and of Christian persuaders who could influence others to get with the programme. None of this was unknown to them. Yet when they put down on paper their lists of the qualities needed in church leaders it is clear that other things were of far greater importance to them – these passages of the New Testament stress the need for godly character before spectacular gifting [3] .
This is because the power of example is central to Christian leadership – leaders must be before they can do! We are used to the Bible telling us that Jesus is an example, but it may come as some surprise that it tells us that we are, in our small way, to be examples that others can follow. The basic qualification to be a Christian leader is that you are a good example of what we want others to be.
And there’s a great example here (verse 1). Peter is an apostle, one of the twelve who were hand picked by Jesus. He is an eye-witness to the Lord’s life and death, one of the leaders of the worldwide Christian community, the apostle to the circumcised. He has authority, knowledge and experience, but look at how he addresses the leadership teams of these little churches in Asia… “…I appeal to you”. That is verse 3 in action – this is what great Christian leadership looks like!
So who should lead God’s people?
Let’s summarise what we have learned and put in some kind of order of importance:
- Leaders who have the character to be a good example to others
- Those who have a gift of leadership, whether in a small group or a larger community
- People who can work in a team, are enthusiastic, have integrity and are full of love for others.
[1] The gender of elders and deacons throughout this passage is male – though verse 11 could equally be translated, “In the same way deaconesses…” – but there are arguments both ways. What is clear to me is that women could exercise important leadership roles in the New Testament communities, though you have to go looking for it. Phoebe was a deaconess (Romans 16:1) and Junia is described as an apostle (Romans 16:7 – not one of the twelve, you understand, but one with a very significant ministry in the early church. The role of women in the church remains controversial, but I feel that scripture encourages us to appoint leaders on the basis of gifting, that it enriches the leadership team if it contains deaconesses as well as deacons.
[2] For example: 1Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9 there are several others.
[3] See those mentioned under footnote 2 above