As we pass the baton to those who will take our places in ministry leadership, there are certain realities we must pass along to them. I am basing these realities on Paul’s advice to the Ephesian elders on the occasion when he transferred the mantle of caring for the Ephesian church from his shoulders to theirs (Acts 20:17–35).

In the first article, The Church Is Not Yours, But God’s, we discussed the reality taken from verse 28: You do not own your church, and you did not choose to be a leader in it. In this article, I would like to address a second reality that emerges from Paul’s words in verses 29–31, a reality you must pass along to those who follow you: You must watch out for spiritual predators and warn against them.

“Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears” (vv. 28–31).

As Holy Spirit-appointed overseers, their duty is shepherding (v. 28). What does shepherding involve? In verse 31, Paul commands them to watch and reminds them of his own example of warning everyone night and day: “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”

In the verses sandwiched between 28 and 31, Paul explains what they are to watch out for and warn about:

• “Savage wolves” from outside the flock (v. 29)
• False teachers within the flock (v. 30)

Shepherding Demands Vigilance

In other words, shepherding demands constant vigilance, watching out for wolves without and false teachers within. Sheep do not always have the discernment they ought to have; therefore, they need protection. Even the word “overseers” suggests individuals tasked with keeping their eyes open!

I must confess that when I see this word “overseers”—the same word translated bishop in other New Testament passages—I first think of an administrator: someone who oversees projects, paperwork, and programs. But what a bishop oversees is people.

• Christ, for example, is referred to as the shepherd and bishop (same word translated “overseers” in Acts 20:28) of our souls (1 Peter 2:25).
• A bishop is expected to take care of the church of God (1 Timothy 3:5). There are no church buildings to care for in 1 Timothy 3. The church the bishop cares for are the saints that comprise the church!
•  Other passages speak similarly of those in church leadership who “watch for your souls” (Hebrews 13:17). Like Christ, they shepherd and oversee the spiritual welfare of those under their care.

Overseers watch out for those under their care. Savage wolves are on the prowl outside the church and are seeking entry (v. 29). In addition, false teachers who teach “perverse” things (v. 30) threaten from within. Perverse need not mean crass or immoral (although it can encompass such nuances) but rather that which turns people aside from what is accepted, right, or “straight.” It is crooked teaching—teaching that deviates from the apostolic standard, teaching designed to draw people to the false teacher and away from truth. Therefore, the Ephesian elders (and those to whom we pass the baton) must watch with the same kind of constant vigilance that marked Paul’s day-and-night ministry among the flock.

I recently had the opportunity to see a dazzle of zebras in the wild. All the zebras were grazing contentedly. One zebra, however, the stallion, stood apart from the others, eating as well but also lifting his head every now and again to check his surroundings. He was the sentry for the dazzle, charged with keeping the others safe from lurking predators.

Those to whom you pass the baton must recognize vigilance against spiritual predators to be a major part of their shepherding task. In an era when success is marked by the size of our buildings or the number of our programs, we need to lay the stress where the Bible puts it: a shepherd’s primary responsibility is the spiritual safety of his flock.

Shepherding Requires Verbal Warnings

In order to protect your flock, you need to do more than just watch; you must also warn. On the same safari drive where I saw the zebra stallion vigilantly watching over his dazzle, I heard baboons screeching in the trees. They had spotted a leopard, and they let everyone within hearing know it!

The Ephesian elders must not only watch; they must also mimic Paul’s example of warning those under his care. Like a baboon, they must screech over the dangers they spot. Paul’s own ministry at Ephesus necessitated much verbal activity:

• He proclaimed (vs. 20, 27).
• He taught (v. 20).
• He testified (v. 21).
• He preached (v. 25).
• He warned night and day (v. 31).

Paul’s personal labors modeled what shepherding the flock should look like for his successors. His tireless verbal ministry had shaped them into the kind of men that the Holy Spirit could appoint as overseers. Much as the timely tip of Paul’s observant nephew delivered Paul from almost certain death (Acts 23:16), Paul had been God’s instrument to deliver their souls from death (James 5:20)! These men, too, by implication, would now be God’s instruments to deliver others and mold them into divinely useful leaders if they, too, would watch and warn.

As we pass the baton to those who follow us, we must pass along this reality: as the overseer of the eternal souls entrusted to their care, overseers must shepherd by spotting spiritual dangers and speaking up about them.