Leaders in the Local Church

To have a healthy church you need strong leaders, but pastors and elders should always lead with humility and with a sense of shared responsibility, even within their strengths.

Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg continues a series on church leadership called The Pastors Study. We're looking today at 1 Peter 5, where the apostle gives helpful instruction to leaders in the local church. There is nothing actually more important than the question of the leadership of a church. And no church can assume that it will safely make the transition from one generation to the next unless it takes peculiar care in making sure that those who are set apart to those responsibilities are marked not simply by the characteristics described in the New Testament but by their understanding of Christian doctrine and the place afforded to them.

Because church history makes it clear that the church of Jesus Christ does not and will not progress beyond the spiritual progress of its leaders. And that's why the New Testament places a very high value on leadership itself. And when you read your Bible, you realize that the story of the New Testament is the story of how the good news of the gospel penetrated the communities of the time as a result of the preaching of the apostles. And as the apostles preached, people were converted—they became the followers of Jesus—and having become the followers of Jesus, they gathered in fellowship with one another. And as they gathered in fellowship with one another and began to read initially the Old Testament Scriptures and to ask how they were going to function in going forward, the apostles, both by their practice and by precept, made it perfectly clear that leadership was absolutely vital. Now, when we read here in 1 Peter chapter 5, we were at the end of Peter's letter, a letter that he had written to the scattered believers of his day—those he refers to as the elect exiles of the dispersion in all of these places—Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia.

You can still take a map, an atlas, and look at it and find these places, albeit with a new and more contemporary name. And what had happened was that they, as I say, had understood themselves in an entirely different way. Whereas previously they may have identified themselves particularly by dint of their background, their ethnicity, their abilities, their tasks in life, and so on. Because that's the way people get together, isn't it? By and large, the people who like to do CrossFit go to CrossFit. The people who don't, don't.

The people who like to visit the library and sit around deep into the afternoon pondering things are a special group as well. But this is not what is happening in the Christian community. Because in the Christian community you find some of these library people and some of these CrossFit people.

How in the world did they bump into one another? Well, it wasn't at the library, and it wasn't in the gym. Where was it? Well, it was actually at the communion table. Oh, the communion table! You mean the sort of place where community is really expressed?

Yes, exactly! And they bumped into each other. They were doing something very, very strange. They were all sitting together in a group and listening to a monologue.

But that doesn't happen hardly anywhere in the entire Western world. But think about the group. Look who's sitting here.

What is this? Well, Peter tells us, 1 Peter 2.9. He says, You're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. You see, he's using all these Old Testament pictures as relates to the people of God. And he's doing in his letter what Paul is doing elsewhere.

He's magnifying the wonder of the fact that in Jesus God has taken two, if you like, and made one new man out of the two. And it is in that context that they find themselves, whether they are among the educated group or the less educated—whether they have come from the same ethnic background—that they find themselves singing the same songs, singing the psalms together, submitting to the Scriptures together, and looking to the Lord together. Now, it is in that context and in that community that the principles of church leadership are then worked out. And when we ask the question and find the answer in the Bible, How is the church to function?

then we can be in absolutely no doubt. The pattern throughout Acts is that men and women were converted, churches were established, and elders were appointed. And that's why here we read 1 Peter chapter 5, I exhort the elders among you. He says, I'm really a fellow elder as well.

And here's what I have to say to you. Now, in this section, he's not dealing with the qualifications of the elders. He's dealing, if you like, with the administration of eldership. You can read the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and elsewhere. That is not my brief this morning.

I want to give you just four words concerning this leadership. It is, first of all, ministry that is clearly and obviously pastoral. You will notice here in the opening couple of verses of 1 Peter 5 what I can point out to you from the strength of my Greek New Testament, and that is that in his terminology here, Peter is using words interchangeably to establish the nature of this pastoral leadership. And what you find in 1 Peter you also find in the writer of the Hebrews. And in Hebrews chapter 13, he says, Remember those leaders? And then he says, What they did was they spoke the word of God to you. What do the elders do? They speak the word of God to you.

Oh, no, but isn't that the pastor? Well, the pastor's just one of the elders. All the elders should be able to speak the word of God to you.

That doesn't mean they speak it from here. But it means if you address them, they will be able to turn to the Scriptures with you and being apt to teach. They spoke the word of God to you. And by speaking the word of God to you, they gave you leadership.

So, if you like, here's the deal. They are there both to feed you and to lead you. Further down in the passage, he says that you should be aware of the fact that they keep watch over your souls. And as Peter has said here, the manner in which this is to take place is both challenging and at the same time helpful. They are to exercise this oversight.

Notice three nots and then a but. Not under compulsion, but willingly. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

It's very important, isn't it? Because he's already said that whoever desires the office of an overseer—Paul has, at least—desires a noble task. But then you have to say, Well, why would I like to be an elder? Why would I be prepared to allow somebody to entrust me with this privilege? I need to check myself against these areas, at least. Is it because I want to just domineer, dominate?

Do I think there's a way that I can use this as a sort of mechanism for gain? Am I actually willing to do this? Now, all those questions are very important questions, because the leadership is pastoral, but secondly, it is accountable. You see, the elder who takes this calling seriously lives under the constant pressure of knowing, as Peter says here, that the chief shepherd—verse 4—is going to appear, there will be an unfading crown of glory.

Okay? Well, that's very encouraging. That's something to anticipate. But when he appears, we will give an account. They keep watch over your souls as men who give an account.

Now, we all give an account to one another. There's a mutual accountability that exists within the body of Christ. But this is talking about something different. You see, what the New Testament is teaching is not some form of democracy—certainly not of autocracy, such as in a hierarchical structure—but it's teaching theocracy.

In other words, that God mediates his role through the singularity of his Son, who is the chief shepherd, by the Holy Spirit, by means of the Bible, so that the people of God are tutored under the Word of God, they are led by the Word of God, they are committed to the Word of God, they realize the importance of the Word of God. That is why we do what we do. Why is it that we continue to work through the Bible again and again? How long are you going to keep doing this? Forever and ever.

For as long as we have breath. Why? Because the future of the church depends upon it. And the absence of the leading and feeding of the people of God by those who've been set apart to the task is obvious to see—and tragically so. That's why Paul, in 1 Corinthians 4, when he's thinking along these lines, he says quite helpfully, we should really be regarded simply as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

And remember, it's required of stewards that they be found faithful—not necessarily successful. But with me, it's a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court, in fact. I don't even judge myself. My conscience is clear.

That doesn't make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. So, when you see… When the Scriptures say that they keep watch over you as many must give an account, they're not talking here about an account to you, whether you like the sermon, thought it was too long, too short, whether you like the personality of the elder, whether you like the way the baptism happened, or anything like that. That's fine. We can have all those conversations and more beside.

No, it's something far more significant. You think all of the words spoken from the pulpit, you will give an account. Every private counsel, you will give an account. Every time you jested with the Bible, instead of being serious, you will give an account. Every time you presented to someone what you would not live by yourself, you will give an account.

And who will give an account? Those to whom is entrusted the leadership. Loved ones, do you understand what we're doing when we set apart people to the leadership positions in our church? It is not only pastoral and accountable, but it is plural.

It is plural. I'm gonna have to leave you to work much of this out for yourself. You can go and find it.

It's not difficult to find. But the chief shepherd, namely Jesus, appoints undershepherds to lead his flock by the crook of his word. So it's his flock, and it is his word that is the crook by which we both correct and exhort and encourage and so on. And because this doesn't fall to an individual but it falls to a group, it's important to realize that the requirements are shared requirements. There's not a distinction of standard for one who does something and the other one where you don't really have to know. The requirements are shared, the privileges are shared, and the responsibilities are shared. But that is not the same as saying that everybody in a local church eldership is equally gifted.

Because that's clearly not the case. We know that if you took any group of people out of the congregation just as a random sampling, you would find there is diversity among them. So the sense of equality that is enjoyed under God, the sense of equality and mutuality that is part of a shared responsibility, does not set apart the diversity in gifting. So that when we say that the elders are on a par with one another—that we would never consider them in isolation from one another—we're not saying that they can all do everything. Because they can't.

None of us can do everything. That's why team is so important. But when we read the Bible and when we read the Gospels, we realize that there are always leaders among leaders. You take eleven boys and put them all together with a soccer ball and leave them for a while, they will choose a captain.

They will become a parent. And so Jesus called twelve. But then we know Peter, James, and John.

They were the ones on the Mount of Transfiguration. And so when we think in terms of plurality of leadership, we need to recognize, too, that there is a distinction in function—the distinction, actually, which the New Testament itself pays attention to. First Peter chapter 5 and verse 17, Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor. And then here's the distinction, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. Now, if you take our eldership at the church, not everybody labors in preaching and teaching. Some of us do. But I think, equally, most don't. The distinction, then, does not elevate the person's stature before God or even, actually, before the congregation. Those of us who do might like to think that's the case, but no, I don't think we can say that from the New Testament. And it's very, very important, because there is a peculiar temptation that is involved in being entrusted with the privilege of doing the preponderance of the teaching from the Bible.

It's a devastating thing, but it also is a very opportunistic thing. What, then, will protect the person who has the balance of the Bible at his fingertips and on his lips from becoming an arrogant, tyrannical, domineering, autocratic rascal? The corrective is built in—into the eldership itself—so that it is the responsibility and privilege of the elders together to make sure that none of us ends up in that position, so that although somebody may be able to lead with a kind of persuasive zeal, those individuals at the same time need to be obviously subject to their fellow elders. Because their fellow elders are equally responsible to God, to whom they will give an account.

And part of what they will give an account for is making sure that none of their number, whoever they might be, ends up in that domineering position. So it's pastoral, it's accountable, it's plural. And finally, and obviously, it's spiritual. It's spiritual. It's always spiritual. Why do so few people pray? Well, it's a spiritual issue. Why is the singing rather poor? Well, it's a spiritual issue.

Why are the numbers diminishing? Well, it's a spiritual issue. Why does there seem to be a lack of interest in X or Y? It's always a spiritual issue. You see, this is not an organization.

We're not trying to put a club together here. This is the church for which Jesus has shed his own blood. This is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in a particular location. And what, then, is the responsibility and role of the congregation? Well, again, Hebrews helps us.

What are we to do? Well, we are to love the leaders who spoke the Word of God, we are to consider the outcome of their way of life, and we are to imitate their faith. Wonderfully helpful, isn't it? In other words, how's this thing working out for them that they're telling us all about? Is it making a difference in their life? If it's not making a difference in their life, then we can't be sure that they're really telling us the Word of God. And what should we imitate?

Their personality or whatever? No, no, no, we should imitate their faith. The fact that when difficulty in darkness comes, when danger overwhelms us, when we lose loved ones, when we ourselves are struck by this and by that—where are these characters?

Are they telling us again that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever? Well, yes, they are. Then I want to remember them. I want to consider them. And I want, further down in the chapter, to obey them and submit to them. Why? Because I really like them.

No? Because they're keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. So this idea of submission is difficult, but it is clear. It doesn't overturn the mutual submission—that is, to be part and parcel of our relationships with each other. And the writer to Hebrews is not urging some kind of mindless obedience. That's the way it's often portrayed. Well, I'm not just going to take my brain out and listen to that.

No, no, no, no. He's already said in verse 9, "'Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings.'" Keep thinking. Keep taking your Bible to church. Keep reading your Bible in the life group. Keep making sure that the leadership of the church is exercising the rule which is the sole rule of the singular rule of Christ, reign of Christ, by the Holy Spirit through the Bible. That is not a personality issue. This is not a peculiar idea.

No. The submission that is called for is to the rule that is exercised in the name of Jesus by the direction of Jesus and by the rule of his Word. And if and when leadership in the church departs from those biblical guidelines, then it is due neither obedience or submission. It is for this reason that the leaders are identified as those who taught the Word of God to you. Newton, in the eighteenth century, says to his congregation in the morning, I count it my honor and happiness that I preach to a free people who have the Bible in their hands. To your Bibles I appeal, I entreat, I charge you to receive nothing upon my word any further than I can prove it from the Word of God and bring every preacher and every sermon that you hear to the same standard.

Structure alone is like a body without breath in it. That is why the spiritual application of these biblical principles is foundational. Having just come from the other side of the ocean and seeing how easily and how quickly traditions within even what were good local churches can become the basis of a form of fossilization, I want to say to you again that if you care about church—not today—if you care about church, should the Lord not return ten, twenty, thirty years from now, understand something.

The election, to the Supreme Court of the United States of America, is nothing in comparison to the election of local leadership in a church so that generations yet unborn will be nurtured, led, fed, watched, warned as a result of decisions made in a moment in time now that have longevity in history and then actually are eternal in their significance. Alistair Begg is teaching today in 1 Peter chapter 5. This original presentation was more than thirty-five minutes in length, far too long to be included on today's edition of Truth for Life, but you can download the entire sermon for free or purchase the CD at our cost when you go to truthforlife.org.

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Box 398000, Cleveland, Ohio 44139. In his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul said the goal for every church leader is to present everyone mature in Christ. I'm Bob Lapine hoping you can join us tomorrow as Alistair wrestles with Paul's statement and talks about what it means to make mature disciples in the local church in our day. This daily program features the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg, and it's furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.