How many times have you heard it said: “I like Jesus. It’s the Church I can’t stand!” I wish I had time to preach an entire message in response to that ill-informed and utterly misguided statement, but I don’t. On second thought, let me take just a moment to say a few things about it. I think it may prove to be a helpful introduction to what I want us to see in this passage from 1 Peter 5.

I’m thoroughly convinced that people who declare their affection for Jesus but not the Church know little if anything about the Jesus they profess to admire. These people probably ignore the fact that this Jesus spoke more about hell and eternal condemnation than all the other NT authors combined.

They probably ignore the fact that this Jesus demanded undivided loyalty to himself and declared that only through faith in him alone could one experience a saving relationship with God the Father. This Jesus whom they say they like, perhaps even love, is also the Jesus who said that he would build his Church and that the powers of death would never prevail against it.

This is the same Jesus who sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to inaugurate the life of the local church. This Jesus, says the apostle Paul, is himself the head of the church, which is his body.

This Jesus, whom these folk profess to like and perhaps even claim to worship, is the same Jesus who, according to Ephesians 5, “loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor.”

This Jesus is the chief shepherd of the church (to use Peter’s language here in v. 4), the Lord of the church, the lover of the church, the savior of the church; he is the one who has such unrelenting passion for and commitment to the church that at the consummation of history he will eventually wed the church in what the Bible calls the marriage supper of the Lamb!

So, let me come straight to the point. Don’t give me any of this silly, high-minded claptrap and spiritual bologna about liking Jesus but not his church. Jesus himself simply will not let you get away with it. It’s not an option that he permits. The church is his body. The church is his bride. If you truly love him, you must love her.

That’s not to say, of course, that everything about the church is perfect. Only a fool would think that it was. We all see its flaws and shortcomings. Your experience of local church life, up to this point in time, may have been painful and disillusioning. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But let me be perfectly clear:

There is no such thing as Churchless Christianity any more than there is such a thing as Christless Christianity! To believe in and receive and love and follow Jesus is to live as a member and supporter and lover of his body, the church.

See, I said I wasn’t going to preach a sermon on it, but I almost did.

My passion for the church, both the universal body of Christ and this concrete, local embodiment of it called Bridgeway, flows from my passion for Christ. That is why I am so passionate about biblical texts like 1 Peter 5:1-4. This text is all about the church: its leaders, called Elders, and the flock whom they love and shepherd and pastor, that’s you.

I know there are some people, perhaps even a few of you, who don’t like to talk about the structure or government of the church, much less its leadership and their responsibilities. The temptation for you is to mentally check out. After all, if this text is primarily about the Elders who lead the church, why should anyone else here today pay attention?

The reason is because if it is about leaders, it must also be about those who are led. If Peter tells Elders how to pastor, it also has much to say about the responsibilities of those who are pastored. Twice Peter mentions the “flock”, i.e., God’s people in any particular local church, and once he refers to those who are in the “charge” of Elders.

Church government matters. How we structure the body of Christ matters. How you relate to the Elders of this body matters just as much as how they relate to you. And all of it matters even more because we are not talking about a civic club or a lady’s guild or a fraternity or sorority or a political party: we are talking, Peter is talking, about the very body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Have I sufficiently justified the importance of my message today? I hope so.

My approach to this passage today will be very simple. We will look first at who the Elders are and what they do. Secondly, we will look closely at what Peter says concerning how they are to do it. In the midst of this I will make one short digression into an important and related topic.

But first, look again with me at v. 1.

The NIV omits the “therefore” completely, missing the connection between the close of chapter four and the beginning of five.

As Elders, who constitute the visible leadership of the local church, Peter anticipated that they likely would be the first to endure persecution. The suffering and persecution that all believers face (4:12-19) also puts a special strain on the leaders. They need to understand what is required of them, especially when the sheep are being harassed.

Peter identifies himself with them as a fellow Elder in order to emphasize that he understands their fears and temptations. He is not asking them to do anything that he would not do himself.

(1) Who are the Elders and what do they do?

Let me answer this question by giving you a brief overview of what the entire NT says about leadership in the local church.

All local churches in the NT were governed by a plurality of Elders. The NT knows nothing of a local church in which there is only one Elder who alone exercises authority. (Such is the case here at Bridgeway: I am but one among five Elders, all of whom have an equal voice and an equal vote on the Board).

Consider just a few of the texts in which the word “Elder” appears:

Acts 11:29-30 – “And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.”

Acts 14:23 – “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed.”

Acts 20:17 – “And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.”

1 Timothy 5:17 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

James 5:14 – “Is any among you sick? Let him call the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

The English word “elder” is the translation of the Greek presbuteros, from which we get “Presbyter” and “Presbyterian”. Our English word “bishop” comes from the Greek episkopos, from which we get the word “Episcopal” and “Episcopalian”. In the NT the words “Elder” and “Bishop” are two different words that describe the same office or authoritative function. “Elder” focuses on the dignity and gravity of the person who serves while “Bishop” focuses on the practical function of the office (literally, one who exercises oversight).

Why do I believe they are interchangeable? There are numerous passages that justify my conclusion, but I’ll only mention two.

First, according to Acts 20:17 Paul called for the elders of the church to come to him. But later in v. 28, in referring to these same elders, he says that God has made them overseers (ESV) or bishops in the church.

Second, Paul left Titus in Crete to appoint elders in every town (Titus 1:5). When Paul then turns to list the qualifications for this office he says, “For an overseer (i.e., bishop or episkopon) . . . must be above approach,” etc. Clearly these two terms refer to the same office.

Elders or Bishops are also Pastors. The Greek word (poimēn) translated "pastor" is used only once in the NT in Ephesians 4:11. However, the related verb form (poimainō) has the meaning "to shepherd” or “to feed" with the idea of nurturing and sustaining the flock of God. It is found in Acts 20:28 and here in 1 Peter 5:2 (“shepherd the flock”). It would appear reasonable to conclude that all elders exercise pastoral responsibilities. Clearly, then, all Elders are Pastors, but not all Pastors will necessarily be Elders.

My conclusion is that the local church is to be governed by a plurality of individuals who are described in the New Testament as Elders. But what precisely do they do?

Peter mentions two things: (1) shepherding the flock of God or pastoring the people of God; and (2) exercising oversight or governmental authority. They look out over the flock. God holds them accountable for seeing the big picture and acting for the good of the whole flock.

But far more important to Peter than what they do is how they are to do it.

(2) How should the Elders pastor and govern the local church?

Peter’s answer is clear and inescapable. They must not exercise their responsibility for love of praise, for love of profit, or for love of power. Repeat.

First, they are not to pastor or lead the flock of God “under compulsion, but willingly” (v. 2).

Don’t do your work under constraint. The impulse must come gladly from within, not oppressively from without. Don’t minister under the pressure imposed by other ministers, people in the church, parents, educators, mega-church leaders, or the fear you may have of failure or the desire to merit favor with God. We should want to be Elders. See 1 Tim. 3:1.

Why would anyone ever submit to pressure to serve as an Elder? What could possibly motivate a man to serve under compulsion? I think the answer is: his love or desire for the praise and approval of others. Or perhaps his desire is to avoid their disdain and rejection. He doesn’t really want to serve, but he sees it as a great opportunity to become famous and well-known and praised in public.

No one should ever be pressured into serving as an Elder. God wants our ungrudging service. Cf. use of cognate noun “under compulsion” in 2 Cor. 9:7 with regard to giving (cognate noun).

The word translated “willingly” is synonymous with “joyfully”. See Heb. 13:17.

Note: “as God would have you” (v. 2a) – Literally, “according to God,” probably means in contrast to the way society or the norms of the culture might suggest. We are not free to organize the church any way we see fit. We are not free to lead the church according to our preferences. It must be according to God and his revealed will.

Second, they must not pastor God’s people “for shameful gain, but eagerly” (v. 2b).

Peter couldn’t have been any clearer: Don’t do it for the money! Don’t do it because you think it will lead to riches. Don’t do it for the reason Judas Iscariot accepted the invitation to be treasurer among the apostles, namely, so he could steal from the financial resources.

Peter doesn’t mean that church leaders shouldn’t be paid. Paul clearly says they should in 1 Timothy 5:17-18 and in several other texts. It isn’t “gain” that Peter denounces, but “shameful” gain. Cf. Titus 1:7

To pursue the office of an elder for “shameful gain” means thinking of ministry primarily in terms of long vacations and days off and retirement benefits and whatever other financial or material perks come with the position. It means exploiting the authority you have to get ahead in life rather than thinking primarily about the importance of the sheep in your charge and the preciousness of the truth in God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit and the coming glory of the Chief Shepherd.

Third, they must not “domineer” those in their charge but rather be “examples” to them (v. 3b).

As I said, Elders are not to be driven or motivated by love of praise, love of profit, and now love of power. Peter here has in mind that sort of individual who exploits his position of authority to lord it over others, always exerting his power, always demanding rather than serving, always insisting on his way even when he knows he’s wrong, always flaunting his position.

This sort comes in different flavors. His method or style may differ, but his aim is always the same. Sometimes he’s a boisterous bully, intimidating others into subservience and forcing them to serve his cause. Other times he may be quietly manipulative, working behind the scenes to promote his agenda. Some are more akin to the slick politician, using smooth words and empty promises to gain position and fame.

Instead, they are to be “examples” to their flock: examples of humility, self-sacrifice, love for God, passionate in worship, generous in giving, devoted to their families, and most of all in obedience to all things biblical.

It’s not unusual for the Bible to call for some to be examples for others: see 1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 2 Thess. 3:7-9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7-8.

Important digression: I need to say something about v. 3 and the reference to the people in the local church as being in the “charge” of the Elders. Some may translate this as “those allotted to you,” or those for whom you bear responsibility.

In my opinion, there’s no way to escape the fact that this exhortation to Elders implies some expression of formal membership in the local church.

Of course Elders can and should extend their love to anyone and everyone, within the limits of their ability. But the question is whether the Bible tells Elders that they are to have a special responsibility and care for a certain group, a group of members. Consider Acts 20:28 where Paul tells the Elders how to care for their flock.

“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.”

This verse does not say Elders cannot visit unbelievers or those who are not yet members. But it does make clear that their first responsibility is to a particular flock. How are they to know who their flock is? Who are we as Elders and Pastors responsible for? For whom will we give an account to God?

“Those in your charge” (your portion, your lot) implies that the Elders knew whom they were responsible for. This is just another way of talking about membership. If a person does not want to be held accountable by a group of Elders or be the special focus of the care of a group of Elders, they will resist the idea of membership. And they will resist God’s appointed way for them to live and be sustained in their faith.

Church membership is also implied in the biblical requirement of Christians to be submitted to a group of church leaders, Elders, or Pastors. The point here is that without membership, who is it that the New Testament is referring to who must submit to a specific group of leaders? Some kind of expressed willingness or covenant or agreement or commitment (that is, membership) has to precede a person’s submission to a group of leaders.

Consider the way the New Testament talks about the relationship of the church to her leaders.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Hebrews 13:17).

“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” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).

How are this leadership and this submission going to work if there is no membership defining who has made the commitment to be led and who has been chosen as leaders? If we downplay the importance of membership, it is difficult to see how we could take these commands to submit and to lead seriously and practically.

And finally, what will ultimately motivate and move and energize local church Elders and Pastors to serve in this way? Not money. Not the praise of men. Not all the perks of power on this earth. It is the anticipation of seeing and giving an account to the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving the reward that he promises to them. See v. 4.

Note that Jesus is the “Chief Shepherd.” Elders are “under-shepherds,” with Jesus as the head. Ultimately, and practically, he runs the church!