4. Shepherding the Local Church

In this section, Witness Lee presents a number of details on Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:2, which show that the elders of a local church should shepherd that local church.

The elders also bear the burden of shepherding the local church. The local church is like a flock, and the elders are the shepherds to shepherd this flock, taking care of the situation of the flock and meeting the needs.

In Acts 20:28 Paul charges the elders of the church in Ephesus “to shepherd the church of God.” The main responsibility of the elders as overseers is not to rule over but to shepherd, to take all-inclusive tender care of the flock, the church of God. (2163)

Based on 1 Peter 5:2, Witness Lee goes on to point out that the elders as shepherds should exercise proper care over the local church, as a “little flock” of God.

Another verse that speaks of the elders’ shepherding is 1 Peter 5:2. “Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not by way of compulsion, but willingly, according to God; not seeking gain by base means, but eagerly.” Literally, the Greek word rendered “flock” is “little flock.” This refers to the church of God, which is small in number (Luke 12:32) compared to the world.

According to 1 Peter 5:2, the elders are not rulers but shepherds. Shepherding is a proper care exercised over the flock. The flock needs to be cared for, protected, led in the right direction, and brought to a place where they can eat and drink. This is shepherding. (2163)

Witness Lee also emphasizes the fact that the New Testament identifies the church as belonging to God, to Christ, and to the saints, but not to the elders.

In 5:2 Peter does not tell the elders to shepherd their own flock; he charges them to shepherd the flock of God. The flock is not the elders’ possession but God’s possession. Therefore, the elders should not consider the church in which they are taking the lead as belonging to them. In the New Testament we are told that the church is of Christ, of God, and of the saints. The church is called the church of Christ, the church of God, and the church of the saints (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 14:33). But the church is not the church of the apostles or the church of the elders. Because the church is composed of the saints, it is the church of the saints. Because the church has been redeemed by Christ, it is the church of Christ. Because the church has been regenerated by God, it is the church of God. However, Peter makes it clear that the elders should not think that, because they are taking the lead in the church, the church is theirs. The elders are to shepherd the flock of God, not their own flock. (2163-2164)

1.	Being Overseers in the Local Church
2.	Taking the Lead in the Local Church
3.	Teaching in the Local Church
4.	Shepherding the Local Church
5.	Not Lording It over the Church but Being Patterns of the Flock
6.	Taking Care of the Finances in the Local Church