Responsibilities of Shepherds or Elders
Three categories
1 Must take heed to themselves

i. Watching their own lives (1 Tim. 4:15,16; 11 Tim. 2:15)
ii. Ruling well their own households (1 Tim. 3:4)
iii. Holding fast the teaching of God’s Word (11 Tim. 1:13; 1 Tit. 1:9; 11 Tim 3:14)
iv. Being an example to others (1 Tim. 4:12)

2. Oversee activities of church

i. Worship (Hos. 14:2; 1 cor. 14:15; Heb 13:15)
ii. Teaching (1 Tim 4:13; 6:2)
iii. Preaching (11 Tim 4:2)
iv. Exhortation (1 Tim 4:13; 11 Tim 2:14; 1 Tim 6: 17 19)
V. Admonition (warning Acts 20:31; 1 Cor 4:14; 11 Thess 3: 14, 15)

3. Oversee the church by

i. Seeing that the church is spiritually fed (Acts 20:28; John 21:15)
ii. Protecting the church against the enemies of the faith (1 Tim. 1: 19,20; 1 Tim. 6:20, 21)
iii. Seeking the wondering ones (Isaiah 40:11; Ezek 34:4, 16; Matt. 18:11)
iv. Ruling well the church of Christ (Rom. 12:8; 1 Peter 5:2)
V. Praying for the sick (Jam. 5:14, 15)

4. Presbytery

It is that body of elders who share the responsibilities of oversight and government within the local church.

Local church is to be governed by a plurality of equally responsible elders, who function under the direct oversight of the senior Shepherd or apostle.

When a higher ministry such as apostle is resident in the local church he usually functions as senior pastor, e.g. James in the Jerusalem church (Acts 15: 4, 13; Acts 12:7; Acts 21: 17,18)

5. False Expectations of a Shepherd
USUALLY VERY HIGH (see advertisement)

WANTED: Minister for Growing Church.
A real challenge for the right man! Opportunity to become better acquainted with people! Applicant must offer experience as shop worker educator (all levels, including college…politician Boy Scout leader children’s worker minor league athlete director wedding consultant master of ceremonies circus clown missionary baker…. cowboy…. Western Union messenger. Must know all about problems of birth, marriage, and death; also conversant with latest theories and practices in areas like pediatrics, economics, and nuclear science. Right man will hold firm views on every topic, but is careful not to upset people who disagree. Must be forthright but flexible; returns criticism and backbiting with Christian love and forgiveness. Should be captivating speaker and intent listener. Will pretend he enjoys hearing woman talk. Education must by beyond PhD requirements, but always-concealed in homespun modesty and folksy talk. Able to sound learned at times but most of the time talks and acts like good old Joe. Familiar with literature read by average congregation. Must be willing to work long hours, subject to call any time day or night, adaptable to sudden interruption. Will spend at least 25 hours preparing sermon. Additional 10 hours reading books and magazines. Applicant’s wife must be stunning and plain, smartly attired but conservative in appearance, gracious and able to get along with everyone, especially women. Must be willing to work in church kitchen, teach Sunday school, baby sit, wait table, never listen to gossip, never become discouraged. Applicant’s children must be exemplary in conduct and character; well behaved, yet basically not different from other children; decently dressed. Opportunity for applicant to live close to work. Furnished home provided; open door hospitality enforced. Must be ever mindful the house does not belong to him. Directly responsible for views and conduct to all church members and visitors, not confined to direction or support from any one person. Salary not commensurate with experience or need; no overtime pay. All replies kept confidential. Anyone applying will undergo full investigation to determine sanity.

6. Marks of a positive Pastoral Ministry

1. Communicator of hope Shepherds need to be ministers of hope. It should permeate their lives and preaching ministry 1 Pet. 3:15

2. Authenticity
The veils must come off (11 Cor. 3:16). The Shepherd must guard against accepting illusions, fantasies or expectations of his congregation. Integrity is crucial. It is easy to preach about things we have not experienced or do not practice.

3. A diligent student of the Word
The demands of the ministry are great. The Shepherd can easily be too busy with things of the ministry instead of equipping others to do it. Besides direct study of Scripture, the Shepherd must continue to learn.

4. A builder of men

The pastor’s major job is to help others minister. Like a foreman in a machine shop, or a coach of a team. If a player can’t carry out an assignment, the coach demonstrates how to make the play. Feedback from members is important for his growth.

5. A family specialist

The Shepherd needs to focus on the family. He must target sermons in this area. People are hurting desperately in this area. He must be a loving father holding broken, dirty people close.

6. A careful planner

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Objectives and goals need to be established. It is a proven fact that the less time you spend in planning the more time you will spend in work.