The elders of the church provide care for the people and serve as shepherds. This is the mandate given to the elders in 1 Peter 5:1-10. As shepherds who work under the supervision and authority of the pastor, each elder must seek first to be a care giver to the people of God’s church.

The Ephesian Christians were well acquainted with high quality leaders. Several years prior to writing 1 Timothy, Paul had started the church at Ephesus and had spent 3 years there training a group of Godly men to serve as elders (Acts 18:19; 20:17, 31). Those men had such a deep love for Paul that they openly displayed their affection and sadness when he told them they would not see him again (Acts 20:37-38). At that time the Ephesian church was a strategic church with solid leadership.