First Peter 5:2-3 addresses the elders, saying, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing...according to God; not...as lording it over your allotments.” This means that the elders should shepherd and oversee the saints but not as lording it over the saints. The shepherding and the overseeing spoken of by Peter are very important in the church. According to John 21, shepherding includes feeding (vv. 15-17). A shepherd feeds as well as shepherds the flock.
The slow rate of increase in the churches may be due to our lack in shepherding and overseeing. First, our shepherding is insufficient, and the flock lacks spiritual food and spiritual guidance. Food is for feeding, and guidance is for shepherding. Second, although there is a shortage of overseeing, there is an abundance of managing. Managing is quite different from overseeing. Managing is related to handling church affairs. A person who manages is one who handles church affairs and is responsible for them. A person who oversees is one who lets others handle and be responsible for church affairs while he takes the oversight. There is much management in the churches. The elders, the responsible ones in the districts, and the responsible ones in the groups handle every matter instead of committing matters to the saints. We should have the attitude of an overseer and let the saints handle things while we oversee the saints. If the saints do not know how to do a certain task, we can direct and guide them. If they make a mistake, we can help and correct them. If they do an inappropriate job, we can further advise and instruct them. The saints should do everything.
There was a locality in which the co-workers and elders were very busy before and after every meeting, because the saints asked the co-workers and elders everything, including how to arrange chairs and how to open the windows. Instead of committing these matters to the saints, the saints were only directed to do them. It is one thing to direct people to do things, and it is quite another to delegate things to people. A brother may have ten or even a hundred tasks, but he delegates all the tasks to others. Then he does not need to continually direct the saints to do the tasks. He merely entrusts them with the tasks and lets them do the tasks. This is in contrast to the brother being responsible for all the tasks, which requires the saints to check with him about every task that they do. As a result, he has to direct someone to do each task that he wants done. He must ask someone to pick up the mail, clean the meeting hall, and open the windows. The saints will not or cannot do anything without his command. This was the situation in a locality.
The co-workers and elders must commit all matters to the saints. The cleaning of the meeting hall should be handed over to a group of saints. Things related to the mail should be assigned to another group of saints. Once you hand tasks over to the saints, let them handle the tasks. Do not give them commands or orders anymore. Then the co-workers and elders will be relaxed and pleasant in the meetings, because the chores are not in their hands but in the hands of the saints.
Shepherding first involves feeding and then guiding, or leading. In the churches we need to feed the saints with the Lord’s word. We should encourage the saints to be strong, released, and fresh in their spirit when they meet so that everyone is living, and we should also watch to see that they are being properly supplied and fed. Being living and released is one matter, and receiving the life supply and feeding is another matter.
In Acts 20:32 Paul says, “I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who have been sanctified.” This verse says that we must use the Lord’s word when we feed the saints. According to our Christian concept, believers can be fed only by listening to sermons. This concept must be dropped. It is often said in Christianity that believers need to be taught, cultivated, and edified through sermons. However, feeding is a better and more practical way. The general atmosphere in Christianity, of believers needing to be taught and nurtured through messages, has produced professional speakers, such as preachers and ministers. A congregation that does not have a pastor or a preacher has to hire someone. We have been affected by this atmosphere. Although we feel that it is not proper to hire preachers or pastors, we have so-called co-workers among us. The saints think that the co-workers are capable of and specialized in giving messages; hence, giving messages is the responsibility of the co-workers. This attitude is inappropriate; it is not the thought in the Bible. A full-time co-worker who is specialized in giving messages is, in principle, the same as a pastor or preacher in Christianity. The only difference is in name.