Feeding God’s Flock
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it, not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. (1 Peter 5:1-4)
These are the words of the Apostle Peter, the one who Jesus charged to tend to and feed Jesus’ sheep. Jesus made it clear that the vocation of a Pastor is tending and feeding God’s people. With some experience under his belt, Peter now exhorts elders in the church to continue the work of tending and feeding. There were some pastors in the church who were abusing their authority. They understood the work pastoring as something that placed them on a pedestal over God’s people. Peter says, not so. Pastoring is oversight without being an overlord, for true power resides in God alone. There were also some Pastors who felt pressured into pastoring. They were not pastors after God’s own heart, rather they were Pastors doing out of obligation. Peter lets them know that they could not effectively care for and feed God’s people if their heart wasn’t in it. Lastly, there were some Pastors who were only leading in God’s church for what they could get from God’s people. They were takers and not givers. Peter tells them that there was no room for their dirt in the church.
So what kind of Pastors does Peter exhort them to be? Simply put, they are to be examples to the people of God. They are to follow in the ways of Jesus. They are to be full of the Spirit, led by the Spirit, while walking in the fruit of the Spirit, that is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is my prayer that in these past two years that we have been together, that I have been that kind of Pastor. FBC is an amazing congregation. Tending and feeding is my joy, and I do so eagerly looking forward to our future together.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah