Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Look for a Working Leader

Bryan Schneider · August 5, 2023

1 Timothy 3:1

sharonrpc.org/sermons/look-for-a-working-leader

Summary

Paul calls the office of an overseer a good work, so a congregation should look for a man prepared to labor rather than merely make quick decisions or enjoy status.
Church leadership follows Jesus' pattern: the first becomes servant of all, and shepherding is sacrificial service rather than self-promotion.
A shepherd works to protect the flock from dangers outside and from destructive conduct or teaching arising inside the congregation.
Elders labor in sustained, informed prayer by knowing the people well enough to bring their real needs before the Chief Shepherd.
A prospective elder should already be working on his own holiness, family leadership, relationships, and ability to feed others from God's Word.
Ezekiel 34 condemns shepherds who feed themselves, rule cruelly, or allow stronger sheep to harm the weak, while promising that God himself will seek, feed, bind, and strengthen his flock.
Jesus is the promised Davidic Shepherd and the pattern for every under-shepherd: he served through weariness, taught, prayed, confronted sin, cared for sufferers, and laid down his life for the sheep.
The congregation must evaluate whether a candidate will do the stated duties of an elder for God's glory and the flock's good rather than for self-aggrandizement.

Why does Paul describe oversight as a good work rather than merely a position?
How does Jesus redefine greatness and leadership as service?
From which dangers must elders protect a congregation?
Why does meaningful pastoral prayer require relational knowledge of the people?
What evidence should show that a prospective elder already works on his own heart, family, and use of Scripture?
What failures of Israel's shepherds does Ezekiel 34 condemn?
How does God's promised Shepherd care both for weak sheep and for those harmed by stronger sheep?
Which parts of Jesus' ministry display the costly work expected of under-shepherds?
Would a proposed elder perform the church's actual duties for God's glory and the congregation's good?

Overseer: A church officer also described as bishop, presbyter, or elder, entrusted with shepherding God's people under Christ.
Good work: The real spiritual, relational, emotional, and practical labor required in faithful church oversight.
Under-shepherd: An elder who tends Christ's flock under the authority of Jesus, the Chief Shepherd.
Sacrificial service: Leadership that accepts cost, weariness, and inconvenience for the spiritual good of others.
Pastoral protection: Guarding the congregation from external threats, internal harm, false teaching, cruelty, and unresolved conflict.
Pastoral prayer: Disciplined intercession informed by genuine knowledge of the people entrusted to an elder's care.
Good Shepherd: Jesus Christ, the promised Davidic Shepherd who seeks, feeds, protects, judges, and gives his life for his flock.