maybe there's a reason for that: I mean do you ever read of elder's meetings in the Bible? Probably doesn't prove they didn't meet as a group, right? or does it? dunno...
but if a church elder is to look like a shepherd, we gotta ask some obvious questions, right? like:
- where did we get the idea for 'elder meetings'? (think: 'shepherd meetings')
- how did we ever begin to refer to it as the 'office of an elder'? - that sounds a lot like a political position to be 'held onto', right? (think: 'office of a shepherd')
- when did we start calling the group an 'eldership'? and why? (think: shepherdship, as in a group meeting of herders of sheep)
OK, that was maybe a bit of a tangential stretch... but we gotta admit that, in today's world, we miss a lot of the meaning behind the shepherd example, right? (do you hang out with real live shepherds in your day-to-day? me neither!)
but the people who read these letters firsthand knew. they WERE shepherds, some of them... they knew actual herders of sheep! and they would likely find humor in the idea of a 'group' of shepherds leading a flock! because they KNOW shepherding is a lonely job of one....
(again, I believe the Bible model calls for a plurality of elders, with good reason! We have all seen the negative results of SOME local pastor-led efforts... and this particular post is NOT a defense of a one-man-pastor-led congregation. But we have devolved this plurality idea into an unhealthy decision-making board of directors, which is DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE of the shepherd model)
Could it be that our secular backgrounds cause us to crave the safety of a 'board of directors' mentality? I know of one church (and have heard of several more) which actually has an elder 'boardroom' complete with leather wing back chairs and a massive, curved-edge, mahogany-looking table! I mean, you could not tell any difference between it and the one at the local bank! Could that be because one of these men also served as CEO of the local bank?
How can we expect THAT environment to produce ANYTHING REMOTELY RESEMBLING true shepherding? Of COURSE the group which meets in such an environment will necessarily act like a decision-making board of directors!
I challenge us all to challenge those leaders among us to aspire to a Bible model of true shepherding... one devoid of budgets and refereeing and building maintenance and decision-rendering and policy-making... one that looks, above all, to the Great Shepherd as THE model and example.
after all, authentic church will not survive without it.
leadership is not pretty.
may God Bless us as we find our way together and figure this thing out... with patience and love and understanding, yes! ...and with challenging and exhorting and Bible study.
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