PRINCIPLE 31 |
The New Testament teaches that there are two offices, or positions of leadership, in the local church: elder and deacon. We will begin by examining the office of elder.
The five terms, elder, overseer, bishop, shepherd, and pastor, all refer to the same office in the local church. This can be seen by examining the three Greek words that are used in the New Testament to refer to church leaders.
| Greek | English |
|---|---|
| 1. πρεσβυτερος (presbyteros) | elder |
| 2. επισκοπος (episkopos) | overseer, superintendent, guardian, bishop |
| 3a. ποιμην (poimēn) 3b. ποιμαινω (poimainō) |
(noun) shepherd, pastor; (verb) to tend a flock, to shepherd, to pastor |
(1) The noun presbuteros, which is used over sixty times in the New
Testament, means an aged person or elder.
(2) The noun episkopos
means overseer, superintendent, or guardian, and is also translated "bishop" in some
translations.
(3) The noun poimen means shepherd and is translated
"pastor" in one passage (Ephesians 4:11).
These three Greek words are used interchangeably in several passages.
(Even if you are not a Greek scholar, you can easily check the accuracy of the above claims in one of the online Greek-English interlinears. See Bible Study Tools.)
Thus there are three basic Greek words which the writers of the New Testament used interchangeably to refer to the official spiritual leaders of the local church. These three Greek words are translated into at least five English words which we can also use interchangeably to refer to our church leaders: elder, overseer, bishop, shepherd, and pastor.
Notice that the word deacon (διακονος, diakonos) is not used in any of these passages. The office of deacon is a different office.
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders (note the plural) in each church they had established in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (Acts 14:23).
By the way, there is a possibility that when Paul and Barnabas "appointed" (Greek χειροτονεω, cheirotoneō) elders they actually guided the church in an election process. (This Greek term can mean this. See the NIV note on Acts 14:23, and compare 2 Corinthians 8:19, the only other occurrence of this term.) However, the wording in Acts 14:23 seems to favor appointment by the apostles rather than a church election under their guidance.
Regardless of the method of appointment, notice that there was a plurality of elders in each church. Besides the three locations mentioned in Acts 14:23, this was also true in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:2-4), at Ephesus (Acts 20:17), and at Philippi (Philippians 1:1). Titus was told by Paul to appoint elders in every town on the island of Crete (Titus 1:5). James instructed the believer to call for the elders of the church when he was sick (James 5:14). And Paul spoke of several who were "over" the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:12, compare Hebrews 13:17). Having a plurality of elders was standard practice in the local churches of the New Testament.
Some maintain the view that each church should have only one pastor by claiming that there are two kinds of elders, teaching elders and ruling elders. This idea is supposedly based on 1 Timothy 5:17.
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
According to this idea, each church would have one teaching elder and he would be called the pastor. Each church would also have a plurality of ruling elders who would be below the pastor's position in authority. But this view is not supported by Scripture. The above passage does not even hint that there should be only one teaching elder in each church, or that (if there were only one) he should rule over the other elders. Also, in light of what Jesus told his disciples about the insignificance of position (Matthew 20:25-28; 23:6-12) it would be strange indeed if Paul had told Timothy to reward certain elders just because of their position (as though 1 Timothy 5:17 established the teaching and preaching elders as a distinct group who were especially deserving of double honor). Furthermore, since there is only one set of qualifications for elders, and since all elders must be apt to teach, we conclude that there is really only one kind of elder.
There is no term of office given in the New Testament for the elders. Evidently, they were to remain elders as long as they wanted to and as long as they continued to meet the qualifications.
In many conservative and evangelical churches today there is only one pastor. According to this practice the pastor is often above the other church leaders (whether they are called elders or deacons or whatever) and he is the only one who is referred to as the minister. He ministers while the others serve on the board and make policy decisions. There are four serious problems created by this practice.
All of these problems are solved when the church has a plurality of pastors or elders. This does not mean, however, that it is improper for one elder among the several to have extended formal training or to devote full time to the work. The danger is in viewing this one as the only one who ministers or viewing him above the others when it comes to making decisions.
There is a great deal of wisdom in having more than one elder (pastor) in each local church. By having several, the burden of the ministry does not overwhelm any one person. Also, each elder has different gifts and abilities and is able to relate better to certain individuals than others. So each person in the church is more likely to have a satisfying relationship with a pastor. And, of course, the collective insight and wisdom of several pastors will be more balanced than that of one individual.
There is no indication in the New Testament that the church should have a hierarchy of officials (an arrangement with several levels as illustrated by a typical organizational chart). The depth of church structure pictured in the New Testament is very shallow, only one level deep (or at most two). In other words, the notion that the church should have some officers who are over other officers who are over still other officers seems to arise, not through the study of the New Testament, but through the imitation of human organizations such as civil government and the corporation.
Within the local church: In the New Testament church there were apostles (the original elders) and the rest of the people. (For a discussion of so-called apostolic succession see chapter 3 of the book Roman Catholic Teachings Compared with the Bible.) This existence of apostles and people constitutes a hierarchy (if it must be so called) of only one level above the people. Some would suggest that there is a second level because of the office of deacons who were appointed by the apostles/elders (Acts 6:3). However, the appointment of deacons was not entirely a top-down decision. It was the people who raised the issue, approved the plan of the apostles/elders, and chose the deacons (Acts 6:1-6).
Above the local church: Some would suggest that a hierarchy should exist above the local church, and that such a hierarchy is justified by the example of Acts 15. There Luke tells about Paul and Barnabas and some others (perhaps their opponents) being sent to Jerusalem to find out what the rest of the apostles and elders thought about the idea that gentile believers needed to follow Jewish law. Keep in mind, however, that this was done to settle a doctrinal issue, not a mere organizational issue. Also keep in mind that this happened around A.D. 50, during the time of the apostles and before the writing of most (if not all) of the New Testament. Such issues today are still best settled by going to the apostles, that is, to their writings in the New Testament. And even in this case, the decision was not entirely top down, as the decision was approved by the whole group of believers (Acts 15:22). Thus, Acts 15 gives no support to the idea that an organization above a local church should make decisions for a local church.
What does this imply about denominations? Keep in mind that there is an important distinction between a denomination and an association. A denomination has decision making power over its member churches, including such things as placement of pastors and distribution of church funds. In contrast, an association of churches (even though it has requirements for a church to become a member), leaves all major local church decisions up to the local church and serves as a resource for the local church and a means of organizing joint ministries involving like-minded churches (such as missions and education). To be consistent with what we have explained above, we would have to say that associations are a better idea than denominations.
Elders must be "above reproach" (1 Timothy 3:2) or "blameless" (Titus 1:6-7). This was the first qualification mentioned in both of Paul's lists of qualifications of elders. Of course, this is not a reference to sinless perfection. Rather, it is an emphasis on the importance of the character and life of the leader.
Paul gave both Timothy and Titus specific, detailed instructions regarding the qualifications for elders (see the table below). Notice that these lists say nothing about the individual's ability to address large groups with forceful eloquence, to organize and administer an efficient church organization, to promote successfully the various programs of the church, or to raise funds. Nor do they say anything about his formal training.
| 1 Timothy 3:1-7 | Titus 1:5-9 |
|---|---|
| ABOVE REPROACH | BLAMELESS, one who loves what is good; upright; holy |
| the husband of but one wife | the husband of but one wife |
| temperate; self-controlled, not violent but gentle; not quarrelsome | not overbearing; not quick tempered; not violent; self-controlled; disciplined |
| hospitable | hospitable |
| able to teach | hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it |
| not given to much wine | not given to much wine |
| not a lover of money | not pursuing dishonest gain |
| manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect | a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient |
| not a recent convert | |
| respectable; a good reputation with outsiders |
The above qualifications focus on character rather than skills (business skills, oratory, etc.) and can be summarized under six categories:
Because of the educational level of our North American culture he should also have formal training. Such training can contribute a great deal to the fourth category above. However, churches make a serious mistake if they look for such qualifications as formal training and speaking and administrative abilities but forget about all the other matters of Christian character listed by Paul.
Many of these qualifications, especially those listed in categories 2, 3, 5, and 6, are rather difficult for a congregation to find out about unless they know the individual personally. Many times a congregation never learns about these personal matters because they are considering a pastor from another location. They do not have enough time to get to know him and his family well or to find out about his character and reputation.
If they were selecting an elder (pastor) from among their own congregation they would already know him quite well. Also, he would know them quite well. He would not have to spend his first year getting acquainted with the people of the church. Unfortunately, many churches never think about looking among their own members for elders. They fall into the trap of believing that pastors are always hired from far away. The New Testament churches grew their own leadership.
While Paul gave Timothy and Titus very explicit teaching in two extended sections of his letters regarding the qualifications of elders, he did not do the same for the duties of elders. The reason is simple. If we have the proper Christian character, we will not need a list of duties to follow. In other words, if we have the "right stuff," we will know what needs to be done and how to do it. How dangerous it would have been for Paul to have written a long list of duties but to have said nothing about the qualifications. Instead, he stressed the qualifications and made only incidental references to the duties of the elders. We can put these incidental references together with a few other lines of evidence from the New Testament and come up with some general statements about the duties of elders.
The words themselves imply some areas of responsibility. The word elder suggests the ability to apply wisdom to the situations and needs of the church. Obviously, an overseer is one who oversees or superintends, who has an overall perspective on the life and work of the church. A shepherd is one who feeds, cares for, and guards the flock.
The New Testament concept of leadership (Luke 22:24-27; Matthew 20:25-28; 23:6-12) requires the elder to see himself as a servant of others, "not lording it over" those entrusted to him, but "being examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:3).
Besides these we have Jesus' own example of humble service and sacrifice (Philippians 2:3-8; Ephesians 5:25; John 13:12-17) and Paul's own example of personal caring (1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8, 11). When Paul referred to the elder as one who would "take care of God's church" (1 Timothy 3:5), he used the same Greek word that Luke used to describe the way the good Samaritan took care of the roadside victim (Luke 10:33-35). Certainly this was a personal, compassionate kind of caring.
So, we are not without some general ideas of the attitudes and activities of the elder. Besides this we have such duties mentioned as directing the affairs of the church, working hard in word and teaching, encouraging, refuting, shepherding, being examples, and praying (1 Timothy 3:5; 5:17; Titus 1:9; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:3; James 5:14).
But what are the elders' most important responsibilities? Two passages explicitly place certain duties in priority above others. In Acts 6:1-4 we read that the apostles (who functioned as the first elders) gave their attention to the ministry of the word and prayer rather than distributing food to widows. In 1 Timothy 5:17 those who work hard in word and teach are singled out as especially noteworthy among those who direct the affairs of the church. (The New International Version says "preaching," but the literal rendering is "in word.") And it is certainly no accident that "pastors" and "teachers" are closely related, perhaps even identified with each other, in Ephesians 4:11. Thus, (1) the ministry of the word (which is probably essentially the same as teaching and working hard in word) and (2) prayer emerge as the elder's two principal responsibilities.
The above chart summarizes the work of the elder and contrasts it with the popular view of the elder or pastor that is held in many of our churches today. The popular view of the work of the elder appears to be borrowed from the business world rather than from the New Testament. It does not adequately emphasize either the central concept of the elder's work (serving people) or the priority duties of the elder (prayer and teaching). The biblical concept of the work of the elder requires that he have intensive and extensive interaction with people. The popular view does not.
Thus, our churches today have a dual problem when it comes to leadership. First, many church leaders are simply not qualified to be elders. Second, the current notion of what an elder is and what his duties are does not square with the New Testament. Churches cannot be expected to rise above their leaders, so we should not be surprised at the sad state of many churches in view of the sad state of the leadership.
Should an elder (pastor) be called a preacher? Regrettably, pastor and preacher are considered synonymous by many. They often equate the word preach with sermonizing or teaching doctrine to believers. However, in the New Testament, preach is used mainly to refer to the proclamation of the gospel to nonbelievers. Certainly any pastor should preach (evangelize) when he has opportunity to do so with non-Christians, but his responsibilities toward believers do not include preaching (evangelism).
If we think about the biblical view of the elder, we will recognize that the work of the elder is the work of disciple making. Even though the terminology is not identical, the basic ministry is. The elders are the principal disciple makers in the church. Certainly parents are the main disciplers of their own children, but we should expect the elders of the local church to be regularly discipling the adults.
The office of deacon (daikonos) is a different office than that of the elder. The word diakonos is a general word which means minister or servant. Even though all Christians are to serve and minister to others, some Christians are recognized and approved by a local church as servants and are given responsibility for specific duties. These recognized servants are the deacons.
The duties of deacons can include any area of general service (as distinguished from the spiritual leadership of the church, which is the responsibility of the elders). As needs arise, deacons can be appointed or elected to meet those needs. While every local church should have elders, according to the pattern in the New Testament (Acts 6:1-6) a church should have deacons only when the need is identified.
Both men and women can be officially approved as deacons. Qualifications for both men and women deacons are given in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, and Phoebe is named as a servant (deacon) in the church of Cenchrea (Romans 16:1).
The qualifications for deacons, like the qualifications for elders, focus on the character of the individual (Acts 6:3; 1 Timothy 3:8-13). The qualifications for deacons are quite similar to those for elders, but there are some significant differences. Elders must be able to teach, but this qualification is not listed for deacons. Evidently, elders are the main teachers in the local church, not the deacons. Also, since deacons are selected for specific duties as the needs arise, and since the office of deacon is not a universal one nor a permanent one, deacons are not expected to rule, as are the elders. The sphere of authority of the deacon is limited to the area of the need that has arisen.