Role of Shepherds

Qualifications of an Elder or Bishop or Overseer or Shepherd can be found in 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1.  There are four words that are used to denote the earthly leaders of the Lord’s Church.  One is descriptive, Elder, to denote maturity in faith if not in age.  One is an office, Bishop, denoting one in charge.  One denotes a position, Overseer, stating the role in the work of the church.  One is a description of a task, Shepherd, which gives the duties of the office.  This appears to be the most important moniker of this office and probably the least emphasized. 

Ezekiel 34 describes the role of a Shepherd in the Jewish nation with characteristics stated in positives.

• Feed the Sheep
• Strengthen the weak
• Help the sick and the injured
• Bring back the straying
• Seek the lost
• Rule with kindness and gentleness
• Protect the flock from the world and the wicked

Through the study of the names used for the office and the descriptive language of the Bible and the role of the Elders in the New Testament we can surmise that the duties would be the same whether shepherding a flock of sheep, a people of a country or a congregation of the Lord’s church.  We the Shepherds of the Flint congregation of the Lord’s church pledge to oversee your spiritual growth according to God’s instruction in a loving and gentle manner.

Thank you for putting your souls in our hands as we all try to make it to Heaven some day.

Statement of Faith

The Flint church of Christ affirms the glorious perfection of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:13-17 and 28:18-20).  We affirm, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, [and] for instruction in righteousness . . . (2 Timothy 3:16).”  We affirm, “there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

We affirm that “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). We affirm that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). We affirm that salvation is by grace through faith and that baptism into Christ is for the remission of sins (Ephesians 2:1-10, Acts 2:38 and Romans 6:1-6). 

We affirm that the highest command is to love the Lord and that Christians must love their neighbors as they love themselves (Matthew 22:34-40, John 13:34-35).  

We affirm that God gives life and that all life is precious and begins at conception.

We affirm that God created us male and female and to declare differently is an abomination to the Lord.

We affirm that God ordained marriage and declared it to be between a man and a woman.

We affirm that God has given us a pattern to govern our lives and our worship and it is found in the Holy Scripture. Man made doctrines are rejected by God in the Scripture.