The call to be a shepherd of God's flock is both weighty and wonderful. This past Sunday, we welcomed Caleb Klontz to the Valley Bible Church elder team. It was a momentous occasion, for we recognize elders only as God has chosen them for this church family (Acts 20:28). But it is even more noteworthy given the gravity of serving as an elder. We whom God has chosen for this ministry take this call very seriously.

 We are under the obligation given us in Hebrews 13:17:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

To follow the leadership of the church is the responsibility of the congregation. But here, I'm focusing on the responsibility of elders. It is a weighty yet wonderful thing: they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. 

Why is it weighty and wonderful? Here are a few reasons.

This is God's Choice

It is weighty and wonderful because it is God's choice. I would not have chosen this for myself. Who would? Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this to his students at The Pastor's College: "Do not enter the ministry if you can help it, … If any student in this room could be content to be a newspaper editor or a grocer or a farmer or a doctor or a lawyer or a senator or a king, in the name of heaven and earth, let him go his way" (Lectures to My Students). Spurgeon was not denigrating other professions; he was saying that each one is called to a specific task. One must be sure about his call to shepherd God's people.

If it is God's choice, then we must recognize His call and follow His will. This does not absolve us of responsibility but magnifies it.

There is Great Pressure in Ministry

It is weighty and wonderful because the pressure of ministry is tremendous. The day-to-day responsibility for the care of souls carries a certain eternal weight. To "keep watch over your souls" is a great and challenging task that weighs on the very soul of every shepherd. The Apostle Paul said, "Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:28). He had just listed all the trials and hardships of ministry he had endured, including beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment. Given all that, he said the pressure of ministry was the greatest of his concerns.

Even though Paul had endured many difficult circumstances, the one thing that weighed heaviest in his life was the well-being and state of the souls of believers in the churches to whom he ministered. All true shepherds, called of God, experience the same urgency and grave concern to see that the flock of God is properly led, fed, and protected. This is true of your elders as well.

It's important to be reminded that the words shepherd, pastor, elder, and overseer are used interchangeably in the New Testament. That's why our form of governance is elder-led. We believe the role of shepherding God's flock (pastoral care) is given to the men whom God has chosen to lead our family.

I am grateful for this, for many churches function with one man at the helm. That is a burden too great to bear on one's own, especially for a church our size. I am honored and blessed to shoulder the burden, not just with our Lord but with other godly men.

There will be a Day of Accounting

The call is weighty and wonderful because of the accountability we have before God. "Let not many of you become teachers," said James. There is a higher standard to which we are kept and called.

One day, we will be held accountable for our shepherding the good people of Valley Bible Church. This motivation, and this motivation only, is the reason we seek to formally define our membership at Valley Bible Church. We will be held accountable for our leadership. We will be held responsible for our feeding His flock with the Word of God. We will be held accountable for the care of God's flock as we seek to bring all to maturity. We will be held accountable for protecting the flock from the enemies of the Gospel. This last one is becoming more and more pressing, and to which we will speak more.

Spurgeon's wisdom rings true once again: "It would have been a fearful thing for me to have occupied the watchman's place without having received the watchman's commission."

It is Weighty And Wonderful

By God's grace, the weighty will turn to wonderful on that day. In the meantime, we shepherd with great joy. We fix our eyes on Jesus, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). With great joy now, we anticipate the greater of that day. Unfortunately, many shepherds only just endure the weight of ministry with dread, for they have sheep who give them great grief. Not so with Valley Bible Church. No church and church leadership are perfect, but it is truly a great joy to lead a people of God who genuinely love Jesus, His Word, and His Bride.

Please pray for us as we lead, feed, and protect the flock allotted to our charge. Please work harmoniously together so that the weighty and wonderful work of the Gospel, in which we all share, will be celebrated with a joy inexpressible and full of glory in the Day of Christ.