Godly Shepherds

God's design for the local church is beautiful. Where else in the world do you find a whole group of skilled people motivated to support you because they care. The church is a body fed by godly elders. Eldership is a position to which God calls men. This answers the WHO question. We then consider HOW these men shepherd the church before asking WHAT it is that sustains and motivates these men. Men whom God calls to this office represent God's authority in the church. They wield that authority as shepherds, not bosses. They feed the sheep so they can discern for themselves. This shepherding resembles the shepherding of God. It is also a shepherding of God's sheep. Because they are God's sheep they care and are powerfully motivated to love them sacrificially. They serve with an eye on the world to care when they see the chief shepherd. The manner in which they have cared for the sheep will become a crown that will never fade away.