“Be shepherds of God’s flock” is a command in the form of an exhortation and therefore, not to be taken lightly. Peter had already been charged by Jesus to shepherd His flock as recorded in the Gospel of John 21:15-17. This charge Peter has now passed unto the elders reading this letter. Making the application to the summary, Alexander Strauch wrote; “As God’s sheep, Christian people need to be fed God’s Word and to be protected from wolves in sheep’s clothing. They need continuous encouragement, comfort, guidance, prayer, and correction. Thus the elder’s life is one of devoted work for the welfare of the flock.” God’s flock is the Church. Those who are elders must remember they are God’s servants taking care of His flock, the Church. The expression “under your care” tells us Peter is referring to the local congregation. The elders are servants of the local congregation.
“Serving as overseers” brings forth another aspect of the eldership. The word in the original language is a very interesting word. Peter emphasizes emphatically the meaning is to be more than just inspecting or looking after, but rather doing it with an attitude of caring and concern for the individual. It is doing everything possible to help the individual Christian to grow stronger in their faith even in the midst of persecution and suffering. Such an elder is a servant leader.
Peter does not leave his readers hanging but give the qualification for an individual to be an elder/overseer and he does it through presenting opposites. You should read 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1 to have a more complete or added qualifications to being an elder. Peter’s first qualification is “not because you must”. You do not become an elder just because someone wants you to. The very first qualification in the other writings is a man must desire to be an elder for he wants to serve the Lord in this way. The second qualification is “because you are willing”. If you are not willing to serve as an elder you will end up doing only what must be done and your heart will not be in it. On the other hand, if you are willingly serving in this capacity you will continue to find ways to improve and become more effective and there will be joy in your heart. The next is “as God wants you to be”. Every Christian wants to be pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. When it comes to the eldership God has given instructions for how an individual is to function as a shepherd of His flock and those who desire this position of service must be willing to do as God desires. Next is “not greedy for money”. Money should never be the issue in serving as an elder for if it is the person is not seeking to obey the Lord. This is the opposite of being “eager to serve” which is the next qualification. Are you eager to serve God in this way? The last two are also opposites, “not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock”. “Lording” is to force an individual to do what they may not be able to do or even qualified for it. The best way to reach others for Christ is to be the best example you possibly can be and the Lord will bless you. Elders be servants of the Lord Jesus Christ! THINK ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST, ACT ACCORDINGLY!!!