1 Thessalonians 5:12-15, The Question of Leadership

Leadership is inevitable. Groups of people will always develop leaders. There are natural leaders and there are appointed leaders. Hopefully they are the same. Hopefully the appointed leaders are gifted leaders who command respect. In the churches, Paul always appointed leaders, a group of them, whom he called elders, overseers and pastors (see Acts 20:28 where the elders of Ephesus are called overseers who pastor the flock). Paul works toward the conclusion of his letter by addressing leadership in the church at Thessalonica.

^5:12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to recognize those who work hard among you and lead you in the Lord, and instruct you, ¹³ and show earnest regard for them in love because of their work. Be at peace with one another.

¹⁴ We also urge you, brothers and sisters, to instruct those who are idle, console those who are fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient toward all. ¹⁵ See to it that no one renders evil against evil, but always pursue love toward one another and toward all people.

Paul makes a call to honor the leaders in the church. Honor includes recognition of their leadership, which may include financial support or remuneration (1 Timothy 5:17), honor includes respect or regard, and honor includes love. The leaders work hard to provide leadership, like Paul did when he was there, working for his own upkeep and working to care for the believers like a mother or father (1 Thessalonians 2:8-11). The leaders lead people in the Lord, embodying the life of the Lord Jesus and serving as examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:3). The leaders instruct the church in the word of the Lord. The church members need to be at peace with one another, especially with their leaders, not contentious and making the job of leadership all the more difficult.

These descriptions, of course, are not true of every leader in the church. How do we honor those who fail in regard to working hard, leading and instructing? Paul doesn’t address that here, as he does in other places (1 Timothy 5:17-22). The leaders must be subject to instruction, rebuke and discipline as much as the rest. And they may even need to be removed from leadership.

Some have interpreted verses 14-15 as addressed directly to these leaders. In other words, verses 12-13 are addressed to those who are being led, verses 14-15 to those who lead. This is possible and makes sense because it is then a balance between challenging the congregation and challenging the leaders. But it is possible that Paul is conceiving of verses 14-15 as applying to the whole congregation, viewing the whole congregation has having some leadership responsibilities.

In any case, Paul makes it clear that the kind of leadership people need depends on what they are struggling with. For the idle ones at Thessalonica, representative of all who deliberately shirk their responsibilities as believers, there is a need for stern instruction. For those who are fainthearted, as we imagine many might have been in the face of the persecution they were suffering, there is a need for consolation. For those who are weak, there is a need for help to shoulder the burden. Good leadership, whether formal or informal, recognizes the difference and will always display patience toward everyone.

A critical part of congregational life and leadership is choosing to exemplify the character of Jesus by not returning evil for evil. Jesus taught on this specifically in his sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7). Retaliation was forbidden to those who trusted in God to bring revenge, if such was needed, and who were seeking to love as the Father loved them. It is the pursuit of love toward one another that is to mark the congregation as belonging to Jesus.