A Special Charge to Elders

5:1  Peter now turns to address the local church leaders, the elders among you. The term elders can indicate those senior in age (as in v. 5) or as here, senior in experience. In the nature of the case, of course, the latter meaning will often include the former. Hints of the function of elders can be gleaned from verses 2–3. Their duties include leading and pastoring church members, taking financial responsibility, and living exemplary lives that match up to Christian teaching. With many of the first believers coming from a background of Judaism, it would be natural for the early churches to be organized on the well-established model found in the Diaspora, Jewish settlements scattered abroad. This was the Sanhedrin, a council of elders under a president, who toge…