Maybe this is not a question you’ve ever asked yourself before this past Sunday's sermon. Yet I hope this blog gives you a good first step in going deeper on this question because it is an important one. When it comes to the life of a faithful Christian, their relationship with their pastors/elders is one of the most important and influential ones there is. I know that may come as a strong statement for many, but hopefully, we will see that God’s word makes this claim more than me!
I am not a pastor. And yet I wanted to write this blog because pastors have been a key part of my story of growing to follow Jesus. I’ve done this wrong and I’ve sought to do it right. And this I know for sure, when I am living in right relationship with my pastors, my life is infinitely more blessed. So how should a church member relate to their elders? (For the sake of this post, elder and pastor will be used interchangeably as I believe the New Testament does)
Well to begin answering that question we should understand what an elder is, does, and God’s word asks us to relate to them.
What is an elder?
An elder/pastor is someone uniquely qualified and called by a local church to provide oversight, teaching, protection, and leadership to God’s church in a local context.
A pastor is not simply a preacher/teacher but is most commonly referred to as a shepherd of God’s flock.
So what does an elder do?
This is at the heart of answering our question because what God has commanded elders to do gives us a pretty good idea of how he wants us to relate to them.
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17)
2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3)
These verses give us much of an Elder's role. They “rule”, “preach and teach”, “shepherd”, “exercise oversight”, and “are examples to the flock”. Think with me for a moment about the idea of one that rules and shepherds sheep. What does this mean? It means that they give direction, guidance, support, protection, and feed these sheep. In many ways, it is the same for a pastor and congregant. We may not be as helpless as sheep (or at least don’t want to believe we are), but in God’s good plan for his church, he has decided we all need shepherds. So we don’t go astray toward false doctrine or the temptations of this world. Whether we feel it or not, we are created to be led as sheep under a shepherd. This great Shepherd is Jesus Christ, who has intentionally delegated that lead to his "under-shepherds", which are your pastors.
So elders teach, counsel, lead, direct the church, and live in holiness as examples to us of godly lives worthy of emulation.
So what do we do?
If that’s what Elder’s do, then what do the sheep do? Simply put, we let the shepherds do their job.
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 (Hebrews 13:17)
Church members are called to submit to pastors. But let’s ask the question, is every Christian called to submit to every pastor everywhere? Surely the answer is no. Earlier in 1 Peter 5, the elders are instructed to “shepherd the flock of God among you”. This is where the local church comes into play. How can a Christian reasonably obey this command if they do not have a shepherd who knows they are their sheep? For this command to be obeyed, the shepherd must consider you under his care, and the sheep must desire and agree to be under their care. Otherwise, this simply does not work.
Notice the why in Hebrews 13:17, “for they keep watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account”. To misquote Uncle Ben from Spiderman, “With great authority comes great responsibility”. Elders, in some way, are called to give an account for each sheep under their care. This is another reason church membership is so important, because our Pastors have to know who God the judge will hold them accountable for how they pastored. So pastors should not and do not take their counsel, teaching, and leading lightly! It is often good and right for us to defer to them as ones who do not have the weight of this responsibility. As he continues to say in Hebrews 13…
“Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage”. Here is our word. How do we relate…we let them shepherd us. We don’t make it hard for them but a joy. Why? Because that is an advantage to us. In God’s perfect design, shepherds, even imperfect ones, are for our good! They are the under-shepherds with Christ who seek to lead their sheep to greener pastures.
So what does this look like?
Well first, if your pastor asks to get lunch, say yes! Let your shepherds know you, your testimony, your struggles, and your heart. This will make it easier for them to pastor you and you to be pastored by them.
Work hard to obey Hebrews 13:17 by not making it difficult to be led! Trust in God’s plan and take deep consideration and often obedience to the counsel and direction of your elders. If they ask something of you that you don't like, do not immediately look for another church! Instead, seek to learn more about why, and unless they are asking you to sin or go against your conscience, God’s word would likely call you to submit.
Lastly, consider yourself a sheep. The sheep's true joy comes from being shepherded. So as you make decisions in life, whether spiritual or not, seek godly counsel from your pastors! As ones who are called to give an account to God almighty for your soul, it honors them well in that journey to allow them access to many of the decisions you make in your life on the front end! Not only does this seek to find biblical wisdom but it shows deep love and honor of your elders and their role before God.
I will be the first to tell you, this is not always easy. As are many of the commands in God’s word. And this short blog does not answer all the nuanced questions around this topic. It is true that sometimes pastors should not be pastors and are not worth submitting to as they lead you away from the Lord. Yet, we must also consider, that in healthy churches with good pastors, (though imperfect) we should often realize our hearts are more inclined to reject their pastoring than to desire it and see it as an advantage to us.
Pray for your pastors regularly and let them pastor you!
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