Read Jesus' charge to Peter in His three-fold restoration of the future pastor in John 21, and then compare it with one of Peter's final charges to young ministers in 1 Peter 5:1-5. In the comparison, we see some striking analogies and teachings of who are the spiritual leaders in our churches.
Who are elders/presbyters?
As elders, pastors are to “Feed My lambs”
Jesus’ charged first of all to “feed My lambs” or those who are young in the faith. We can see that “elder” means someone appointed to serve as a spiritual leader in the church, rather than simply the oldest men of the church, in Acts 20:17 and 18
"From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders (presbytery) of the church...Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopos). Be shepherds (poimaino=feed or rule; used also in John 21:16 and 1 Peter 5:2) of the church of God,
This passage clearly shows that elders, pastors and overseers are all interchangeable. This is also seen in Titus 1:5-7 where Paul says an elder is the same as an overseer (bishop).
Paul charges Timothy that no one should look down upon his youthfulness, yet he was the leader of the church at Ephesus. However, elders should not be ordained ("laid hands on") too soon as they should be first proven as qualified (1 Tim. 5:22). Elders are listed alongside the apostles, as seen in Acts 15:4,6, 22-23; 16:4; 21:18, so we can see this term as emphasizing their role as devotion to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). Since that is to be their primary task, it is right that the church should pay them for the ministry ("You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages" found in 1 Timothy 5:18 means that elders who are doing a good job should get receive "double honor."
Paul charges Timothy that no one should look down upon his youthfulness, yet he was the leader of the church at Ephesus. However, elders should not be ordained ("laid hands on") too soon as they should be first proven as qualified (1 Tim. 5:22). Elders are listed alongside the apostles, as seen in Acts 15:4,6, 22-23; 16:4; 21:18, so we can see this term as emphasizing their role as devotion to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). Since that is to be their primary task, it is right that the church should pay them for the ministry ("You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages" found in 1 Timothy 5:18 means that elders who are doing a good job should get receive "double honor."
Specifically, the term elder describes who displays good leadership skills ("rule well" 1 Tim. 5:17) as well as maturity through his labor in the word and teaching (Titus 1:9). A good elder has mature discernment of the spiritual gifts in others in the church (1 Tim. 4:4). James 5:14 emphasizes the prayer maturity of the elder.
There are checks and balances with elders who sin; first, have more than one person making accusations against elders and if the elder is shown to be in sin, he should be rebuked in front of the church openly, regardless of who the elder may be or how prestigious (1 Tim. 5:19-21). To the Jews, elder had a perfectly understood meaning since it was used in Judaism as a spiritual leader, but to the Greek-speaking Gentiles, elder simply meant “older man." As a result, the Bible uses two other names of the leaders in the church interchangeably with elder -- pastors (shepherds) and overseers (also called bishops).
Who are shepherds/pastors?
As shepherds, pastors are to “Shepherd My sheep”
Jesus second charge to Peter found in John 21:16 changes both the verb (from feeding to shepherding) and the object of the verb (from lambs to sheep). This emphasizes the protecting of the more mature flock of God.“Shepherd” or “Pastor” is a term used frequently by Jesus. As earlier mentioned, sheep was one of the favorite analogies Jesus used for His people, so naturally he also referred to Himself as a shepherd (John 10:11,14; Mark 14:27). Jesus appointed Peter as a pastor, among others in the church, to feed and shepherd the lambs and sheep (John 21:16). That same word used by Jesus to "shepherd the sheep" is used by Paul in 1 Cor. 9:2 about good shepherds feed the flock and should be compensated for it.
A good combination of protecting and providing is found in the Ephesians 4:11 passage which describes the “pastor-teacher” as one of the church leaders who would equip the church for the work of service. The flock and shepherd are interrelated as the shepherd provides for the sheep so that the sheep are then equipped to do the ministry of the flock.
There are three strong opposites or contrasts of what a shepherd should be found in the New Testament. In John 10:10, Jesus describes a thief who steals, kills and destroys. In John 10:12 he describes a hireling who flees when danger approaches. In Jude 1:12, false leaders are described as “shepherds who only feed themselves” (NIV). Contrasting that, we see the shepherds' role is to sacrifice as a leader (John 10:11), face adversity (Acts 20:29) and nourish the flock to maturity (Acts 20:28).
Who are overseers/bishops?
As overseers, pastors are to “Feed My sheep”
Jesus final charge in John 21:17 refers to feeding and watching over the mature church (Jesus says “sheep” rather than “lambs” as He did in verse 15). The seriousness of the charge was followed by a dire prophecy that Peter’s commitment will ultimately lead him to death. In verse 19, Jesus calls Peter to “follow Me.” In that command, we see all pastors are to follow Christ as the Chief Shepherd in their role as leaders of the flock.
The term overseer or bishop comes from the Greek word “episkopos” which means watch over or “over” (epi) “seer” (scope). Jesus is the chief Overseer of the church (1 Peter 2:25). Under Him, the flock of God is to follow pastors, who were appointed overseers by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28).
Overseer is a leadership term, described in Hebrews 13:17 where the flock is told to “obey your leaders and submit to their authority.” Obviously, if the leadership directs the church to go against God or His clear teachings in the Word, the church should obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). The relationship between the pastor and the church members is clearly seen in the following charge: “They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” God will hold the pastors accountable for their leadership.
Overseers are to “take care of the church” (1 Tim. 3:5). The picture of how God uses pastors to lead the flock is seen in Psalm 77:20: God “led His people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” In the same way, God leads the church to be under the leadership of the overseers.
With all humility, Peter (in 1 Peter 5:1-5) commands pastors to oversee the church voluntarily, according to God’s will, not for selfish motives and not lording it over the church but rather as an example to the flock. The pastors are to lead, and the church is to follow God’s word, but both are to be clothed with humility toward each other.
