The Fivefold Ministry (Ephesians 4) · Pastor (Shepherd)
poimēn · a shepherd · (translated “pastor” in Eph 4:11) · ποιμαίνω, to tend a flock
a shepherd of God's flock — to feed, lead, protect, and tend the sheep
One word · a shepherd
The Greek ποιμήν means shepherd; in Ephesians 4:11 it is rendered “pastors.” The image governs the whole ministry: a pastor is one who tends a flock — feeding, leading, guarding, healing, and seeking the strayed. In Greek, “pastors and teachers” are bound closely together (one article covers both), for a shepherd feeds the sheep with the Word.
And the calling is always derived. Jesus is “the good shepherd” who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11) and “the Chief Shepherd” who will appear (1 Pet 5:4). The pastor is His under-shepherd — tending sheep that belong to Jesus, “which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).
Christ gave shepherds; the Good Shepherd they serve under; what shepherds do; how they must do it; and the account they will give.
Joined closely with teachers, to feed the flock.
… τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους
… tous de poimenas kai didaskalous
…and the pastors and teachers.
The shepherd ministry is given to tend God’s people, and is tied tightly to teaching — for a shepherd feeds the flock with the Word (Jer 3:15). It is a work of care first, not a position of rank.
One Shepherd laid down His life; all others serve under Him.
ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός· ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων
… tēn psychēn autou tithēsin hyper tōn probatōn
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Every pastor serves beneath Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and answers to Him as Chief Shepherd (1 Pet 5:4). The sheep are His, not the pastor’s — which forbids both neglect and ownership, and sets the pattern: a shepherd spends himself for the sheep.
Feed, lead, guard, heal, and seek the strayed.
βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου … ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου … βόσκε τὰ πρόβατά μου
boske ta arnia mou … poimaine … boske
feed My lambs … tend My sheep … feed My sheep.
Jesus reduces the work to one repeated charge: feed and tend the sheep. Shepherds know the flock, lead them to pasture, guard against wolves (Acts 20:28–29), bind up the injured, and go after the one that strays. The well-being of the sheep is the whole point.
Lead by example, not by force.
ποιμάνατε τὸ … ποίμνιον … μὴ κατακυριεύοντες … ἀλλὰ τύποι γινόμενοι
poimanate … mē katakyrieuontes … alla typoi
shepherd the flock … not domineering … but being examples.
The manner is commanded: willingly, eagerly, not for gain, not lording it over the sheep, but leading by example. The under-shepherd serves the flock; he never uses it. He leads where he himself has walked.
Watching over souls, awaiting the crown.
… ἀγρυπνοῦσιν ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ὡς λόγον ἀποδώσοντες
… agrypnousin hyper tōn psychōn …
they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account.
Shepherding is weighty: pastors watch over souls and will answer for them (Heb 13:17). But the reward is sure — “when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet 5:4). They serve now under the eye of the One they will soon see.
Scripture’s sharpest words for leaders fall on bad shepherds. Ezekiel thunders against those who feed themselves instead of the flock, who do not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, or seek the lost. And Jesus exposes the hireling, who runs when the wolf comes because the sheep are not his concern. Both betray the trust — the self-serving shepherd and the negligent one.
הוֹי רֹעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל … הֲלוֹא הַצֹּאן יִרְעוּ הָרֹעִים
… ha-tson yirʿu ha-roʿim — should the shepherds feed the flock?
woe to the shepherds who were feeding themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flock?
The bad shepherd uses the sheep — their wool, their milk — but does not tend them: “the weak you have not strengthened … the lost you have not sought” (34:4). So God Himself promises to come and shepherd His flock (34:11–16) — fulfilled in Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
ὁ μισθωτὸς … θεωρεῖ τὸν λύκον ἐρχόμενον καὶ ἀφίησιν … καὶ φεύγει
ho misthōtos … apheisin … pheugei
the hired hand … sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees.
The hireling has no love for the sheep, so he saves himself when danger comes. The true shepherd stays, and if need be lays down his life. Test a shepherd not by his gifting but by his love for the flock when it costs him something.
So receive this gentle, weighty ministry for what it is: not a title but a trust. Pastors are under-shepherds of the Good Shepherd, given to feed, lead, guard, heal, and seek the sheep He purchased with His own blood. Tend them in love, lead by example, never lord it over them, and keep watch over their souls — for the Chief Shepherd is coming, and the flock is His.
1 PETER 5:2 · THE CHARGE
ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ θεοῦ
Shepherd the flock of God that is among you.
When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory (1 Pet 5:4). Tend His sheep now, in love, as one who will soon give an account to Him.
The pastor / shepherd ministry is recognized across nearly every Christian tradition, and Scripture sets clear qualifications for it — character before competence, a proven home, gentleness, and freedom from the love of money and power (1 Tim 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Pet 5:2–3). Note too that “pastor” means shepherd: a work of care, not a corporate or celebrity office. Beware the CEO-pastor and the platform-pastor; the model is a shepherd among the sheep.
A pastoral caution about pastors: the shepherd’s great temptation is to use the flock instead of serve it — to feed himself, to dominate, to fleece (Ezek 34). Guard against controlling, fearful, or abusive “shepherding,” which Scripture condemns outright. A true pastor leads people closer to Jesus and leaves them freer, not more dependent on him. The sheep belong to the Chief Shepherd; the under-shepherd is a servant, accountable to Him and to the Word.
“Pastor” is not first a title or a pulpit but a work: feed, lead, guard, heal, and seek the strayed (John 21:15–17; Ezek 34:4). The test of a shepherd is the well-being of the sheep, not the size of the flock or the height of the platform. And every pastor is an under-shepherd — the sheep belong to Jesus, “purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). That single fact reshapes the whole ministry into humble, careful stewardship.
The shepherd’s besetting temptation is to use the sheep rather than serve them — to feed himself (Ezek 34:2), to fleece, to dominate (1 Pet 5:3). But the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11), and the under-shepherd leads the same way: by example, not by force; willingly, not for gain. The crook is for the sheep’s good, never the shepherd’s gain. Lead where you have walked, and spend yourself for the flock.
| Theme | Key texts |
|---|---|
| The shepherd given | Eph 4:11; Jer 3:15; 1 Pet 5:1–2 |
| Under the Good Shepherd | John 10:11–16; 1 Pet 5:4; Heb 13:20 |
| What shepherds do | John 21:15–17; Acts 20:28; Ezek 34:11–16 |
| Shepherd, don’t lord | 1 Pet 5:2–3; Mark 10:42–45 |
| Bad shepherds | Ezek 34:1–10; John 10:12–13; Jer 23:1–2 |