In the sermon 'No Hope Without the Church' by Kris Baines, it is emphasized that church shepherds, including pastors and elders, play a crucial role in modern society by maintaining the church as the pillar and ground of truth, as stated in 1 Timothy 3:15. The church provides stability and hope in a constantly changing culture. Shepherds are responsible for preaching the Word consistently and faithfully, equipping church members for ministry and evangelism in their everyday lives. The sermon underscores the necessity of having biblically qualified leaders to lead, feed, care for, and protect the church members, thereby maintaining the church's essential role in providing hope to society.
As far as church shepherds, pastors, elders, they play a vital role in the times that we're living in because every community, every society needs the church because the church is the pillar and ground of truth as it says in 1 Timothy 3.15. So church shepherds have a responsibility to build into the members by preaching the Word consistently, faithfully, and being a place where truth is proclaimed in society, being a solid base that is not moved even though the culture around is moving all the time. Without a church in society there's no hope. And so we have a great responsibility as shepherds to let Christ be the great shepherd, to let the church be governed first and foremost by his word, and to seek to do what we're commanded to in Ephesians, to equip the saints for the work of ministry. So that they can go out to the front lines of evangelism, which is their everyday life.
But it's such an important role to do that equipping so that they they're ready with a reason and a defense for the hope that's in them in their normal everyday life. So shepherds, The church needs shepherds. Without shepherds there is no church. Men who are qualified biblically to lead, feed, care for and protect the sheep is essential in the culture that we live in.