Introduction
I’d like to invite you to think of someone that you consider to be a great leader. It could be someone famous, who is renowned for his or her leadership stature. Perhaps someone iconic; a notable statesman or politician who guided a country through a time of crisis. Or it might be someone known to you personally who has guided or mentored you or led you to Christ. Maybe a Christlike pastor or a dynamic youth leader. Or an inspirational teacher, or a heroic family member.
Whoever it is, you really look up to this person as an outstanding leader.
And once you have thought of someone, picture him or her in your mind. And ask yourself, what is it that makes this person stand out? What do I admire about his or her leadership?
Well, if I were a betting man, I would put good money down that none of you was thinking of General Norman Schwarzkopf, who was Commander of the military coalition in the first Gulf War.
This he said a very interesting thing about leadership. “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
You might think that strategy would be all-important for a military general, a matter of life and death in fact. But he was adamant that character was more important still.
With that in mind, what sort of qualities do you think a church leader should display? What desirable characteristics or attributes might we hope for of an elder or a pastor? What kind of personality should we rightly expect? What gifts and abilities? If you had to list your top three essentials for the leader of your church, I wonder what you would all write down.
Imagine there was a vacancy here for a new church leader. I’m hoping that won’t be the case for quite some time incidentally! But what if that was the case and we received an application for the post that revealed the following information:
First of all, a physical description. “He has a small and contracted body, crooked and bow legged. He has a little head and strange eyes; his eyebrows join together; his hook nose is bent and somewhat long; his beard is thick and he has a sprinkling of grey hairs on his otherwise bald head. His face is pale and looks rather old.”
Not very promising, but of course, we would never be swayed by what are, after all, trivial matters like physical features. Would we? Of course not.
So we look through this man’s references and we note the following. He rarely stays more than twelve months in one place. He usually upsets people every time he opens his mouth. He is often hard to understand and is by his own admission an unimpressive public speaker, a view shared by others. He is known to be publicly argumentative with colleagues. He has often found himself in trouble with the police, is frequently in court, and has even served several prison sentences. He apparently hears voices. And he earns a bit of money on the side by trading camping equipment.
Who would blame us if we replied to that particular applicant, “We’ll let you know,” before carefully feeding his application form through the shredder!
But we’d be rejecting the Apostle Paul! That physical description is the earliest we have and it dates to within living memory of him. And all the information from the references is documented in the New Testament.
People judge by outward appearances, while God looks at the heart. But honestly, what should a church leader be like? What should you legitimately expect from your church’s elders and ministry leaders?
A few years ago, Nicky Gumbel of the Alpha Course was talking about an online survey on what people want in the perfect pastor. Here’s a summary of the survey’s conclusions: They preach for exactly twelve minutes. They shepherd their flock from 8 am until midnight every day, but are also the caretaker. They wear nice clothes, buy good books, drive a lovely car and give generously to the poor – all on a very low salary.
They are twenty-eight years of age, but have thirty years preaching experience. They bravely confront sin, but never upset anyone. They make fifteen calls daily to church members, visit the housebound and hospitalised, spend all their time evangelising the unreached but are always in the office when you need them. They are also very good-looking!
Clearly, someone’s going to be unhappy that their church is not being led by the angel Gabriel. As a Harvard professor Ron Heifetz once said, “Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can stand.”
We’ve been following the life of a natural leader Simon Peter over these last few months and, in this penultimate talk in the series, I want to ask a question. And it’s this: as Peter approached the end of his life, as he looked back, what had he learned about leadership?
He had been mentored for three and a half years by the greatest leader of them all; Jesus Christ. As a leader himself, Peter had superb successes, but he also made massive mistakes. He had outstanding qualities and obvious flaws, as we’ve seen. Peter is well placed to give us priceless insights into Christian leadership.
And in 1 Peter 5, as a man now in the autumn of his life, he does just that; he writes to leaders, setting out what God expects of them. I’d be really interested to know if what follows matches any of the top three aspirations you would have for a church leader. Here’s what Peter says.
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
And then he has a few words for the people they lead, who in this case are all younger in the faith.
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Prayer…
Leadership structure at King’s
Every church organisation has its particular approach to church leadership; different structures, different labels, different titles. Depending on which local church you are part of, your fellowship might be led by a bishop, a moderator, a priest, a minister, a vicar, a pastor, a rector, a group of deacons… and the list goes on.
But Peter speaks here to elders. Notice it’s plural because biblically, local church elders, without exception, work as a team.
I was asked just last week by someone who is quite new to King’s how leadership works here in the 300 strong church family we belong to called ChristCentral, which itself is a part of a larger network of thousands of churches called Newfrontiers.
The way we read Scripture, it seems to us is that every local church should be led by a team of elders, one of whom takes a more prominent role; a first among equals if you like.
What do elders do? According to Scripture, they direct the affairs of the church, they uphold sound doctrine, they communicate vision for the church’s direction, they watch over the flock, and they raise up and enable other men and women to flourish in their own ministries.
We believe that one-man ministry, for example “the bishop” or “the parish priest”, or a dominant sole pastor, misses the mark. Because the New Testament model is always teams.
Sometimes elders are called overseers in the New Testament. And it seems that the words ‘elder’ and ‘overseer’ that you find in your Bibles are interchangeable; it’s two ways of saying the same thing. Elder describes their character – and it speaks of maturity, experience and responsibility. Overseer describes their function – to watch over, to be attentive, to safeguard and protect.
What happens though if there is a really big problem in a local church, for example, a major rift among members leading to a damaging split, or a serious moral scandal, or a fundamental deviation and departure from sound teaching?
In our network of churches, we are served by a mobile team, headed by an apostolic leader whom elders can invite to come in and bring wisdom and assistance and, if necessary, correction.
This leader, in our case, is Jeremy Simpkins and he’ll be with us in March. He is categorically not an apostle in the sense that the Twelve were, or Paul was. Those men had a unique commission and authority from Jesus. They alone were foundational in establishing the church and laying down the body of sound teaching that every subsequent generation must uphold and pass on unchanged to those who come after them.
But when, for example, in the New Testament Paul writes to a church something like, “I’m sending Timothy to you, welcome him, he will enrich you when he comes” or “Titus, go and put in order what we left unfinished in Crete,” that’s the kind of translocal equipping and oversight we think is still valid and necessary for today’s church.
So then – a mobile apostolic team, a locally-based team of church elders and then other men and women leaders within the local church (for example, worship, pastoral care, youth and children’s work, community outreach, finance, administration and much more). Such ministry leaders are supported and empowered by the eldership. That’s our understanding of church leadership.
And in this part of his first letter, Peter gives us plenty of instruction about what local church eldership should be like. The best leaders don’t see things as they are, but as they could be. And Peter the leader shares his vision here of local church leadership when it’s the best it can be.
He begins in v1 by addressing these local church elders as a fellow elder. That’s amazing when you think about it; Peter is an apostle remember, part of Jesus’ inner circle. He has literally walked with Jesus, on land and on water, prayed with him, heard him speak, witnessed his miracles, seen his sufferings, attested his resurrection and been personally commissioned by him.
But there’s no apostolic pulling rank. No trace of ego. He doesn’t expect to be addressed as your eminence, your lordship, your holiness, or your grace. There’s no reverend, or right reverend, or very reverend or most reverend.
Peter doesn’t present himself as the pope, as a superior, giving orders to subordinates, but simply as an elder appealing, to fellow elders. Authentic Christian leadership is not bothered about labels, or status, or pecking orders.
Good shepherds
The next thing Peter says in v2 is that elders have to be shepherds of God’s flock. Peter never forgot Jesus’ words to him on the shore of Lake Galilee when the Lord restored him following his denials. “Peter, do you love me? Do you? Then be a shepherd, feed my sheep.”
You elders likewise, he says, “be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care.” I read recently that the Bible uses the word ‘sheep’ over sixty times more often than the word ‘Christian’, the word ‘flock’ more frequently than the word ‘church’, and the word ‘shepherd’ more than the word ‘leader.’ Shepherds do so many things that good church leaders do.
Shepherds guide their flocks to good pasture and make sure they are well-nourished. The 19th Century preacher Charles Spurgeon once predicted, “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”
So you want elders who lead the church by providing wholesome, life-related and clear Bible teaching.
What else do shepherds do? They fight off predators, protecting their sheep from attack. Kentucky-based pastor C.J. Mahaney once said, “The shepherd who will not fight the wolves does not love the sheep.” So you want elders who defend their churches from false teaching, latest fads and unsound doctrine – why? Because they love their church members.
Shepherds also have to bind up the wounds of lambs who are injured. So you want approachable elders who care tenderly church members who are sick and hurt and distressed.
Shepherds go out of their way looking for lost sheep. So you want elders who seek after those who drift away to lead them back to God.
Think about this too; shepherds work hard in all conditions. Good weather, bad weather, shepherds have to put in a shift. Day after day. So you want elders who are conscientious and available, not lazy and self-indulgent.
Basically, shepherds are humble, ordinary men with a common touch. So beware flashy pastors who flaunt their wealth and extravagant lifestyle. Sheep need shepherds, not celebrities with private jets.
Peter then describes, in v2-3, three characteristics that elders should display. And I think this, by extension, applies to all Christian leaders; parents, grandparents, life group leaders, youth leaders, worship leaders, ministry leaders, trustees, children’s leaders and so on.
Leading willingly
Firstly he says, “not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be.”
Imagine having leaders who just look sad and ground down and drained from having the burden of having to lead you all the time. This whole church leadership thing is just a wearisome job they hate getting out of bed for. They dream constantly of being a plumber, or a taxi driver, or a librarian; anything to get out of this dreary eldership rat race. It’s just a drag for them. How would that make you feel?
No, Peter says, God calls willing and eager shepherds. God wants leaders in his church who are energised by his call and commission on their lives, because they love the Lord and they love his people. Even the annoying, grumbly ones (of which there are none at all at King’s by the way)!
Peter is surely thinking back to when Jesus said, “The hired hand doesn’t care about the sheep. He’s just in it or himself. But I am the Good Shepherd, who willingly lays down his life for the sheep.”
Leading by serving
Secondly, Peter says, “not greedy for money, but eager to serve.” I wonder, was Peter thinking back to when Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money”?
You want leaders who are givers, not takers.
There’s an old story about a pastor who was visiting an elderly lady from his church, and he noticed a large bowl of peanuts on the coffee table. “Ooh, may I take a few?” he asked. “Please do” she said.
They chatted for about an hour or so and as he got up to leave, he realised that he had pretty well emptied the bowl. “I’m so terribly sorry for eating all your peanuts” he said. “I only meant to take a few. How thoughtless of me.”
“Oh, that’s all right” she said, “ever since I lost my teeth, all I can do is to suck the chocolate off them!”
God wants leaders who are more about what they can give than what they can get. Whose appetites and attitude to wealth are under control. It’s why all the lists of required characteristics for church leaders, for example in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, include not being a lover of money or greedy for gain.
Leading by example
Thirdly, “not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
Do you want bossy, controlling, authoritarian leaders who make you feel small, steamroll their way through meetings, force their agenda and never listen? No one does.
Peter says, “No, you lead by godly example, not throwing your weight around.”
I wonder, was Peter thinking back to the Upper Room, when Jesus washed his feet and said, “I have set you an example, that you should do as I have done for you.”
And there’s promise of heavenly reward in v4 for hardworking, caring, protective, self-effacing Christian leaders; a victor’s crown that will endure for eternity.
Ending
As I draw to a close, how should I, whether I am called to lead or not, dispose myself to what Peter writes here?
Firstly, Peter says in v5, “You who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders.
Submission is not about being walked over, and certainly not about being abused. It’s about gladly and readily going with the flow of godly direction. Submission is never absolute; we yield to the Lord first and foremost. Any guidance or teaching from any church leader that seems contrary to God’s word should be challenged.
But do you have a disposition of the heart to honour and support and pray for the leaders God has given you?
Secondly, humble yourself, v5-6. “All of you, [that’s leaders and followers alike] clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
The pastor, author and evangelist Michael Green was once invited to take tea with the Royal Family. And the highlight of that engagement, he recalls, was not the finery of the palace, or the excellence of the catering, or even the slightly nerve-wracking thought that he was actually in the presence of royalty. His abiding memory of that afternoon was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II deferentially turning to him and saying, “Dr. Green, please, tell us something from the Bible.”
God rest her soul; I do miss the Queen... Clothe yourself with humility…
Finally, cast your anxieties on God, v7. Why? Because he cares for you. This is what God tells us to do about everyday worries. How am I going to pay off my debts and cover the bills? Where am I going to find love? Where am I going to get a job? How am I going to deal with my impossible colleague? What about my health? Or whatever.
London-based church leader Phil Moore says that our anxiety changes focus every decade of our lives. In our teens the question is, “Who am I?” In our twenties it’s, “What am I going to do with my life?” In our thirties we ask, “How can I hold all this together?” In our forties it’s, “Is there more to life than this?” In our fifties we wonder, “Can I keep going?” In our sixties we ask, “Am I still needed?” In our seventies the question is, “Was it all worth it?” And in our eighties and nineties, the question that preoccupies us might be, “How long have I got left?” (I have slightly adapted his original list).
There’s always a reason to be anxious, isn’t there? Cast your anxieties on him. Will you do that today? It may be hard to do but consider the alternative; sleepless nights, loss of appetite, nail biting, bad moods, prescription tranquilizers, comfort eating, counselling and even hair loss.
And as we humble ourselves and cast our cares God, what better place to do so than at his table where the Lord shares his bread with us, showers us with grace and lifts us up.
What else do shepherds do? They fight off predators, protecting their sheep from attack. Kentucky-based pastor C.J. Mahaney once said, “The shepherd who will not fight the wolves does not love the sheep.” So you want elders who defend their churches from false teaching, latest fads and unsound doctrine – why? Because they love their church members.
Shepherds also have to bind up the wounds of lambs who are injured. So you want approachable elders who care tenderly church members who are sick and hurt and distressed.
Shepherds go out of their way looking for lost sheep. So you want elders who seek after those who drift away to lead them back to God.
Think about this too; shepherds work hard in all conditions. Good weather, bad weather, shepherds have to put in a shift. Day after day. So you want elders who are conscientious and available, not lazy and self-indulgent.
Basically, shepherds are humble, ordinary men with a common touch. So beware flashy pastors who flaunt their wealth and extravagant lifestyle. Sheep need shepherds, not celebrities with private jets.
Peter then describes, in v2-3, three characteristics that elders should display. And I think this, by extension, applies to all Christian leaders; parents, grandparents, life group leaders, youth leaders, worship leaders, ministry leaders, trustees, children’s leaders and so on.
Leading willingly
Firstly he says, “not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be.”
Imagine having leaders who just look sad and ground down and drained from having the burden of having to lead you all the time. This whole church leadership thing is just a wearisome job they hate getting out of bed for. They dream constantly of being a plumber, or a taxi driver, or a librarian; anything to get out of this dreary eldership rat race. It’s just a drag for them. How would that make you feel?
No, Peter says, God calls willing and eager shepherds. God wants leaders in his church who are energised by his call and commission on their lives, because they love the Lord and they love his people. Even the annoying, grumbly ones (of which there are none at all at King’s by the way)!
Peter is surely thinking back to when Jesus said, “The hired hand doesn’t care about the sheep. He’s just in it or himself. But I am the Good Shepherd, who willingly lays down his life for the sheep.”
Leading by serving
Secondly, Peter says, “not greedy for money, but eager to serve.” I wonder, was Peter thinking back to when Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money”?
You want leaders who are givers, not takers.
There’s an old story about a pastor who was visiting an elderly lady from his church, and he noticed a large bowl of peanuts on the coffee table. “Ooh, may I take a few?” he asked. “Please do” she said.
They chatted for about an hour or so and as he got up to leave, he realised that he had pretty well emptied the bowl. “I’m so terribly sorry for eating all your peanuts” he said. “I only meant to take a few. How thoughtless of me.”
“Oh, that’s all right” she said, “ever since I lost my teeth, all I can do is to suck the chocolate off them!”
God wants leaders who are more about what they can give than what they can get. Whose appetites and attitude to wealth are under control. It’s why all the lists of required characteristics for church leaders, for example in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, include not being a lover of money or greedy for gain.
Leading by example
Thirdly, “not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
Do you want bossy, controlling, authoritarian leaders who make you feel small, steamroll their way through meetings, force their agenda and never listen? No one does.
Peter says, “No, you lead by godly example, not throwing your weight around.”
I wonder, was Peter thinking back to the Upper Room, when Jesus washed his feet and said, “I have set you an example, that you should do as I have done for you.”
And there’s promise of heavenly reward in v4 for hardworking, caring, protective, self-effacing Christian leaders; a victor’s crown that will endure for eternity.
Ending
As I draw to a close, how should I, whether I am called to lead or not, dispose myself to what Peter writes here?
Firstly, Peter says in v5, “You who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders.
Submission is not about being walked over, and certainly not about being abused. It’s about gladly and readily going with the flow of godly direction. Submission is never absolute; we yield to the Lord first and foremost. Any guidance or teaching from any church leader that seems contrary to God’s word should be challenged.
But do you have a disposition of the heart to honour and support and pray for the leaders God has given you?
Secondly, humble yourself, v5-6. “All of you, [that’s leaders and followers alike] clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
The pastor, author and evangelist Michael Green was once invited to take tea with the Royal Family. And the highlight of that engagement, he recalls, was not the finery of the palace, or the excellence of the catering, or even the slightly nerve-wracking thought that he was actually in the presence of royalty. His abiding memory of that afternoon was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II deferentially turning to him and saying, “Dr. Green, please, tell us something from the Bible.”
God rest her soul; I do miss the Queen... Clothe yourself with humility…
Finally, cast your anxieties on God, v7. Why? Because he cares for you. This is what God tells us to do about everyday worries. How am I going to pay off my debts and cover the bills? Where am I going to find love? Where am I going to get a job? How am I going to deal with my impossible colleague? What about my health? Or whatever.
London-based church leader Phil Moore says that our anxiety changes focus every decade of our lives. In our teens the question is, “Who am I?” In our twenties it’s, “What am I going to do with my life?” In our thirties we ask, “How can I hold all this together?” In our forties it’s, “Is there more to life than this?” In our fifties we wonder, “Can I keep going?” In our sixties we ask, “Am I still needed?” In our seventies the question is, “Was it all worth it?” And in our eighties and nineties, the question that preoccupies us might be, “How long have I got left?” (I have slightly adapted his original list).
There’s always a reason to be anxious, isn’t there? Cast your anxieties on him. Will you do that today? It may be hard to do but consider the alternative; sleepless nights, loss of appetite, nail biting, bad moods, prescription tranquilizers, comfort eating, counselling and even hair loss.
And as we humble ourselves and cast our cares God, what better place to do so than at his table where the Lord shares his bread with us, showers us with grace and lifts us up.
Sermon preached at King's Church Darlington, 30 November 2025
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