“Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.”
In the local assembly, as in all of God’s plans, authority and responsibility go hand in hand. We see them both in Hebrews 13:17. “Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” In this verse, the elders’ authority comes with a heavy responsibility: the elders much keep watch over the souls of the flock and do so with the knowledge that they will one day be called to account for how they exercised that care.
Regrettably, elders—at least those elders still on earth—are not immune to the pull of the flesh. As such, there can be the temptation to abuse authority. This can happen in a number of ways.
Authority without responsibility.
Some elders are very eager to contemplate their authority but not nearly so keen to meditate on their responsibility to care for the flock. For such men, serving as an elder means codifying all of the rules God “forgot” to give us and then using their authority to enforce these new rules, with swift consequences for any sheep that hesitates to fall in line. In this, they emulate the Pharisees, who were quite skilled at making up new rules and then “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mt. 15:9). An elder’s authority comes from the Word of God. To make up our own rules is to mistakenly believe we have inherent authority rather than derived authority. It is to unwittingly (we hope) believe that it is our church rather than the Lord’s. It is to view ourselves as masters instead of stewards.
Lording it over the flock.
This is the danger that Peter warns of. Arrogant, hard men, proud of their “position” and drunk (or at least tipsy) with power. How utterly unlike the Good Shepherd! For all of His limitless authority, He could say, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Mt. 11:29). The true elder, Peter tells us, views himself as a servant and example of the flock, not a lord. Such an elder has learned the lesson Rehoboam spurned. The elders (not a coincidence) counseled him to “be a servant to this people today” (1 Ki. 12:7). Instead, he exalted himself and split the kingdom. Those who would split assemblies walk in his footsteps.
Above the law.
Lastly, there are those who think that they—or their family—are above the law. Rules are strictly enforced for others, but convenient allowances are made for himself. These, too, have their Old Testament counterparts: kings who felt their authority placed them above the Law. King Uzziah who, “when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense” (2 Chr. 26:16) and was struck with leprosy until the day of his death (v.?21). Or King Saul, who usurped the priests’ role (1 Sam. 13:9ff) and lost the kingdom (v.?14).
An elder shouldn’t ignore or belittle his authority, but neither should he exercise it as pagans do.“You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mk. 10:42-45)