Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. Acts 20:28
“Paul counseled leaders in the church in Ephesus on how to understand their office. “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28). Those leaders did not hold office by apostolic selection or popular election but by divine appointment. They were accountable not only to the church but also to the Holy Spirit. What a sense of assurance and responsibility, what spiritual authority this teaching brought them, and brings to us.”
J. Oswald Sanders in Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence For Every Believer (Sanders Spiritual Growth Series; Chicago: Moody, 2017) 94.
When interacting with pastors and ministry administrators, I often share texts like Acts 20:13-38 to remind overseers of the importance of doing God’s work God’s way because we hold our roles by divine appointment. We must remind one another to remain faithful. At ECFA we call this peer accountability. We do this by adopting standards and holding each other accountable to those standards.
This was so important to Paul, that he made it a key part of his farewell comments to the Ephesian elders. As it relates to overseers everywhere, it will surface in the greeting I bring Egyptian Christians today at a remote retreat center (pictured above). Peer accountability represents an integral part ministry oversight, especially any work related to encouraging Christian generosity and practicing biblical fundraising.