A church without effective deacons may exhibit signs of health for a while, but over time its health will suffer. In Romans 16:1, Phoebe is very probably called a deacon. The authority of the apostles was recognized, but even this authority is not wielded without an effort to persuade and unify through a council meeting. Not surprisingly, the New Testament views elders as shepherds as well (e.g. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. (1) A Deacon is to serve the physical needs of the local church community. Check out our consistory resources. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 3:4, 12). Although many of the qualifications are the same or very similar, there are some notable differences. They must be an example to the flock of God, not domineering over those in their charge (1 Peter 5:3). Peter refers to this elder status to illustrate the very point he is making, namely, he does not want to lord it over the elders but by example and exhortation to help them fulfill their calling. To hold office in the church is a God-given responsibility, not a superior position. PDF Leadership: Elders and Deacons - Summit Church While the elders focus on preaching the word, rebuking, reproving, and exhorting, the deacons are appointed to take care of everything else such as administrative tasks, ushering, volunteering, building maintenance, treasurer, etc., according to their gifting used for the needs of the church. What is the deacon's vocation in the church and the world? Offering counsel on a wide-range of questions from actual readers like you! (3.) Verses six to eight give the requirements one should meet in order to be an elder-overseer. The elders/overseers are thus ministers of the word. His own personal character should be one of spiritual maturity which fits him to help others. Therefore it is understandable that the church, as it emerged from Judaism, would in some ways pattern its life and structure on the life and structure of Gods people in the Old Testament of which they were now the true posterity. Deacons, like Elders, have a qualification of character clearly outlined in the Bible (1 Timothy 3:8-13). 1 Timothy 3:1 says that the one who seeks this office desires a noble task. While theduties of this office are never explicitly defined in theNew Testament, the passage in Acts 6 implies a responsibility for serving during mealtimes or feasts as well as distributing to the poor and caring for fellow believers with unique needs. But there is no good reason to do that. What does the Bible say deacons should do? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They are to do it eagerly. This gives, incidentally, clear foundation for our use of the term pastor and pastoral staff, since pastor means shepherd (cf. The role or office of deacon was developed in the early church primarily to minister to the physical needs of the members of the body of Christ. The church suffers b. Stunted in growth c. Splits . That is, they are to care for the physical or temporal concerns of the church. The term deacon comes from the Greek word dikonos meaning "servant" or "minister." Women served in areas of discipleship, visitation, and assisting with baptism. In general, then, we can say that, while through the long history of Israel the role of the elder no doubt changed, they were the older men of the community who, because of their wisdom in counsel and the natural honor due to them (Leviticus 19:32), became the official administrators or leaders of the community. In the New Testament, elders are always plural. In the Reformed Church in America, a fourth office exists, that of General Synod professor. In Numbers 11:16 they are described as officers over the people. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Elders must demonstrate their ability to lead at home. 3.4.2 The second and last text where Paul refers to the bishop is Philippians 1:1, Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. Luke applies the term elders to these and makes plain that there were several in each church and apparently at Ephesus a large number (cf. As a result, each local church is free to define the tasks of deacons based on their particular needs. Now here in 1 Peter 5:3, Peter warns the elders (as an elder who has seen the sufferings of Christ) that they are not to be motivated by a love of human praise or of power. (1) Blurred Lines with Elders - Some say deacons play a major role as spiritual leaders of the church. It could well be that he may not have even used the title in his work until near the end of his life when he wrote the pastoral letters, except that they presuppose some prior acquaintance with the term. The appointment was a kind of ordination to a sacred calling which was performed by the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 5:22; cf. The Roles of Elders, Deacons, and Members - ECC - Emmanuel Community Church Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. In short, enjoy your work, for it you dont you cast a shadow across the wisdom and goodness of him who called you to it. They serve as pastors and teachers and also provide general oversight on financial, organizational, and spiritual matters. In summary, the bishop/overseer is a role that requires a high level of character and spiritual maturity. Obviously the title, as such, was not of great importance to Paul. This seems to imply that there are some elders who labor in the word and teach and some who dont. Therefore the first pair of admonitions calls the elders not to act as if they were being forced to do their job, but to do it as of their own accord. The most extensive passage that discusses the . On Preaching Prophets (Preachers Talk, Ep. 1.2 The early church was born on Jewish soil, its first members and leaders were Jewish, its Lord was Jewish, and it saw itself as the fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures and as the true Jewish people of God. The Elder - Deacon Relationship - GEWatkins.net Nowadays, as in the early church, the role of a deacon may encompass a variety of services differing from denomination to denomination. The responsibilities of a deacon are not clearly listed or outlined; they are assumed to be everything that does not include the duties of an elder or pastor, which is to preach, teach, and exhort. When we put our hands to the plow of our Christian lives, we cannot leave prayer behind. This text raises a number of questions: What does the honor consist of in verse seventeen? Finally, the title overseer (1 Tim. But the opposite of this is that the elders are to do things willingly. In view of this second half of the pair, I would translate the first half as not under constraint. In other words, in verse 2a Peter is not admonishing the elders not to use force, but not to need force for their own motivation. Some believe Paul was referring to Phoebe as a servant in general, and not as one who functioned in the office of deacon. He stops off at Miletus, just south of Ephesus, and calls to him the elders of the church of Ephesus. It was, in fact, to elders that Paul quoted Jesus words: It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). 3.2.1 In Acts 14:21 Paul begins to head back to Antioch of Syria, retracing the steps of his first missionary outreach to the churches of southern Galatia: Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia. 3.2.2 The second reference to elders in Pauls churches in Acts comes in Acts 20:17. Finally, we note again that the elders are appointed. Are there special benefits of praying at certain times? Do you believe that too? 3.2.3 From these two texts in Acts we can see that from the earliest times in the churches of Paul there have been appointed leaders who function as overseers of the flock, to guard it, feed it, and help supply its physical needs. Our work is possible by the generosity of our readers. Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. The disciples of Antioch had decided to send relief funds to the church in Jerusalem and they did so, sending the elders by the hand of Paul and Barnabas. No mention is made of deacons or apostles here. We believe the answer is simple: a) God has planned for there to be proper leadership in the church. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.. One implication concerning this distinction could be that those who hold the office of elder are more susceptible to pride because they possess leadership over the church. The office of overseer in the church is that of the pastor (s) and elders, who are the spiritual leaders or shepherds of the congregation ( Acts 20:28 ). All Christians need the grace that brings forgiveness, communicates Gods love, and orients their lives according to the purposes of Christ. Also, as in Acts, the emphasis falls on the ministry of the word: the elder/overseer should be well-grounded in doctrine (didach, verse 9) and able to exhort with sound teaching and reprove the opponents (verse 9). By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The primary responsibilities of deacons fall into six main categories: mission involvement, disaster response and volunteer service opportunities, hunger advocacy and relief efforts, special individual and family concerns, stewardship education and congregational giving, and caring for creation and living simply. Those who hold office are responsive to the congregation but responsible to Christ alone in the exercise of their office. See also 1 Timothy . Elders Position Paper | The Well - The Well Community Church They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.". "An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. They are to build up and equip the church for its ministry in the world. Then the elders urged Paul not to give offense to the Jewish Christians; he accepted their advice and purified himself and entered the temple. So the role of a pastor is to feed the flock of God through teaching. Luke apparently assumed that in his day the office was so common that it needed no explanation. When reading through scripture, we can identify two primary leadership offices. 3:1) and encompasses guiding, protecting, teaching, disciplining and governing the church. The first reference is in Acts 11:30. The Holy Spirit was active in these appointments so that it could be said that he had made them overseers (Acts 20:28). The only thing new we learn here is a specific illustration of the kind of practical ministry the elders were to have in the churches of the Dispersion (James 1:1). Leaders in the Office of the General Assembly are preparing to launch a year-long initiative that . But 1 Timothy 5:17 may mean that there were ruling elders who were not involved in preaching and teaching. b) If good, spiritual men do not offer to lead, then those unqualified will take the position of leadership and cause problems. Of their name. The minister should draw congregants into the service of worship and then send the people of God into the world as ambassadors. Finally, it is wise to consider that elders must not take the place of Jesus in terms of final authority. But this divine guidance did not short circuit the normal assessment of a persons character since according to 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:5-9 the elder/overseer had to have an exemplary family, a spiritually mature character, and an ability to give sound teaching. You can follow him on Twitter. The Duties of Deacons - Purely Presbyterian A second feature of the ministry of elders which we have not seen before is that they are apparently ordained by the laying on of hands. But qualifications for a deacon's character are clearly outlined in Scripture. Officers are to be nothing less than agents of Christ in the power of the Spirit. The main difference between an elder and a deacon is a difference of gifts and calling, not character. In either case, it is not so much the structure of the church that is at stake as it is the titles one applies within that structure. The first duty of the elders is to seek and follow the will of Christ for the church. Elders should thus take special opportunities to know and guide congregation members toward deeper faith and discipleship, including regular and intentional home visits with congregation members. Deacons are the servants of our church, men and women (cf. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Thus, some Bible translators believe 1 Timothy 3:11 does not concern deacons' wives, but women deaconesses. When the letter was delivered, for example in Acts 16:4, Luke comments that the decision about circumcision had been reached by the apostles and elders. But this is a terrible motive for an elder, for it shows that his heart is in the wrong place, for where your treasure is there will your heart be. Concerning the elders here, again we note that Paul does not call them elders, but rather overseers (v. 28). Like elders and deacons, the minster holds an office of servanthood and service to the congregation. In addition to pastors or elder, the local church may have other responsible servants, for example deacons and deaconesses whose role it is to assist the pastors or elders in their ministry, by assuming especial responsibility for everything that relates to the material interests of the congregation. Elders must teach sound doctrine in the church and refute false teachers and teachings (Titus 1:9). Pastoral care, a responsibility of the elders, requires good listening skills, intentional visits, and empathetic care. Christ is represented through the church offices, but is also represented by and through the people. Paul and Barnabas debated with them until Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question (15:2). The Duties of Deacons A Short Treatise on Deacons by James Guthrie (1612?-1661) That we may also understand what doth belong unto deacons, we shall speak of them briefly, after the same order. 3:5). By the function of this office, working with the other offices, the baptized people of God are drawn into a community that discloses the faith, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, justice, and joy of the kingdom. The congregation does not deal directly with the pastor, but through bodies comprised by officeholders. This division of labor is similar to what we see with the offices of elder and deacon. Paul notes that if an elder is a recent convert he may become puffed up with conceit (1 Tim. He is author of. The first pair (verse 2a) is ambiguous in the RSV: not by constraint sounds like Peter is urging the elders not to force people to do things.