Shepherding is the primary role of elders. Administrative activities will be relegated to others. Those who wish to be designated as shepherds should be those who were already doing the work of a shepherd as a natural outcropping of their voluntary service to the Lord. Such service includes counseling and comforting those who are distressed or grieving, teaching others, and leading by example as to how one grows in grace to be as Christ. Their utmost concern is care and safety of the sheep.
Shepherds are to be above reproach, blameless, and humble in their service.
Any member who strays into sin should expect to be approached by his brethren compassionately about his behavior. Our worship will remain simple and our singing will remain a capella in the tradition of the early Christians. Allen, C. Leonard, and Richard T. Hughes. The Ancestry of Churches of Christ . A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today .