Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Elders Must Take Heed

The church Jesus promised to build was organized in a simple pattern of oversight where individuals from a singular congregation took oversight of the work as they examined their own lives before God. Jesus Christ is the only head of the church. No man can serve as the spokesperson of the church, whether globally or locally. In the simplest form of local church government, elders (plural) oversee the flock of God. Their authority reaches no further than their own flock. The only authority they have comes from the word of God, the headship of Jesus Christ, and the will of the Father.

Elders are bound by the law of Christ. Jesus purchased the church with His blood, making it His and His alone. An elder cannot claim the local church as “his church.” The New Testament pattern is a plurality of men who serve as overseers of the local congregation. Paul called for the elders of the church in Ephesus. The instructions from Paul to the Ephesian elders showed them to be “overseers” of the church in Ephesus. Writing to Timothy, Paul called the elders “bishops” and gave specific qualifications for a man to serve in leadership in the local church. Elders are also called pastors who care for God’s flock. A pastor must have the qualifications of an elder because they are one and the same.

Paul knew the church would face persecution from without and danger from within. The apostle had spent three years laboring with the church in Ephesus, and he loved the elders dearly. He begged them to pay careful attention to themselves as individuals, as Satan sought to destroy them. Paul warned the elders that false teachers would arise from their own flock, speaking perverse things, teaching things not found in the word of God. Not only must the elders look after themselves, but their work also centered upon guarding the flock. Jesus bought the church with His blood, demanding that the elders take every care of every member of the church. Elders must take heed and be careful about each life that is part of their flock.

Guarding the flock also demands feeding it what it needs. Shepherding God’s flock requires diligence, planning, purposeful forethought, and watchfulness. Jesus did not want managers in the church, but shepherds. Taking heed of the flock was an active work: knowing each sheep, their needs and wants. Jesus illustrated the relationship of the shepherd to his flock when the sheep know the voice of the shepherd and will not follow any other voice. As shepherds, elders take heed of the flock to keep them from the wiles of the devil. Each member of the church is important, and when one wanders away from the truth, the good shepherd seeks after that sheep to restore it to the fold.

Elders must take heed to themselves first. Their work requires them to take heed to all the flock. A local congregation can grow only under the leadership of elders who look after the flock. As elders, they shepherd the local church to meet its needs, feed it with the word of truth, stand against the world’s carnal influences, and promote the kingdom of God to a lost and dying world. Elders who take heed to themselves and work diligently to take heed to all the flock will see the blessings of God build the church up in a most holy faith, strong in the strength of Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit. Elders – take heed!