I received a phone call one day from a local church planter. The gist of the conversation went something like this: “Hi Juan. I hope you’re well. Look, I just met with a guy. He will either be a great future elder, or he’s a wolf. I’m not sure which one, so I’m sending him your way.”
I understood his unwillingness to take that gamble. The church was still in its infancy, so, as you can imagine, still fragile. As a more established church with processes to identify future elders, we were in a better position to withstand the possible destabilization of a lone wolf. Thankfully, that phone call was enough to alert us to be on guard.
We won’t always receive such preemptive warnings. So, how should we confront the problem of wolves in the church? At times, we must protect the sheep by whacking the wolves with the shepherd’s rod. Lest we be quick to whack them, though, let’s take our cues on handling wolves from the apostle Paul.
Pay Careful Attention to Yourselves (Acts 20:28)
Wolves tend to emerge among those recognized as teachers in the church. Paul acknowledged as much when he warned the Ephesian elders
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