The Gospel and Church Leadership

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When you encounter a passage of Scripture dealing with church leadership, are you tempted to skip ahead to something more exciting or relevant? If so, you're probably not alone. I would guess many Christians come to 1 Timothy 3 and think, "What does this have to do with my life?" At this point we need to be reminded that church leadership affects every follower of Christ.

Some believers have been encouraged greatly by church leadership, while others have been hurt in their spiritual journey. In some cases the damage done by a church leader has been so deep that those who once professed Christ have even been pushed away from Christianity altogether. This is why looking at church leadership in Scripture, particularly in our own day, is extremely crucial.

If church leaders are casual about God and holiness and mission, then the church will fall short in these areas. And countless numbers of people who have never heard the name of Jesus will continue to be unreached with the gospel. On the other hand, if church leaders are passionate about these biblical truths, then the church will be strengthened, and, we pray, souls around the world will be transformed by the gospel through the church's witness. So no matter who you are or how you serve in the body of Christ, church leadership matters. Consider, therefore, Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy 3:1-13.

Foundations

Foundations

The Bible identifies two primary leadership roles in the church: elders, who are servant leaders, and deacons, who are leading servants. Both of these roles are identified in 1 Timothy 3. Depending on your denominational background or tradition, different things may come to mind when you hear about elders and deacons. Churches approach leadership differently, sometimes because their beliefs are based more on tradition than on the Word of God. But even among churches that are serious about obeying the Word, there are still a variety of views on church leadership.

While Scripture gives some clear, nonnegotiable truths that should guide our understanding of church leadership, it doesn't always clearly address what these truths look like in practice. This is why different Bible-believing churches can look different when it comes to leadership. The challenge for us is to take an honest look at the nonnegotiable truths in God's Word and then, grounded in these clear truths, consider how53 they can best be applied in the context of the family of faith, the church. We'll begin our discussion by considering God's design for the church.

First and foremost, we need to understand that church leadership is designed by God. It is not man's invention, so we must avoid imposing our own leadership structure on God's design. God has designed the church's leadership to be a display of His glory. Think about it this way: the glory of Christ is displayed in the beauty of His bride, and His bride is the church. Therefore, those who lead the church are to be a visible display of God's glory. Sadly, there are countless ways the glory of Christ has been—and continues to be—compromised before the world because church leaders do not display God's glory. This is extremely serious.

Not only is the church's leadership designed by God to display His glory; it's also designed to be dependent on His gospel. Nothing Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 3 is possible without the gospel of Jesus Christ. The character qualifications, the roles, and the responsibilities of church leaders are possible only as a result of Christ living in His people. We must keep in mind that Jesus is our leader and that people are qualified to lead only insofar as He is living and working within them.

Paul began his discussion about church leadership by talking about elders. The word elder is a fairly common term in Scripture. In the Old Testament, for example, it's used to describe the leadership in Israel that assisted Moses (Exod 4:29). In the New Testament it can refer to someone of a mature age (1 Tim 5:1) or to spiritual leaders in the Jewish community (Matt 26:3). In the context of 1 Timothy 3, it is significant to note that the term "elder" or "elders" is often used in the New Testament to describe a unique leadership role in the church. In fact, nearly every church we know of in the New Testament is specifically said to have elders. Acts 20:17-31 gives us a clear picture of this point, where we read about Paul's address to the Ephesian elders (see also Phil 1; 1 Pet 5:1-2).

The New Testament uses two other words to describe the role of elders: pastors (Eph 4:11) and overseers (Titus 1:7). We know these words are interchangeable because of passages like Titus 1:5-9, where Paul used the term "elders" in verse 5 and "overseer" in verse 7 to refer to the same position of leadership. We see something similar with the elders in Acts 20:28, as Paul said God has made these men "overseers" who are to "shepherd," even though they were previously referred to as "elders" in verse 17 of the same chapter. In Ephesians 4:11 "pastors" translates the Greek word for "shepherds." Therefore, we know that we54 are talking about the same role within the church regardless of whether the word used is pastor, elder, or overseer.

We should also note that the term for elder almost always occurs in the plural in the New Testament. Throughout Scripture certain individual leaders are highlighted among God's people, but when we see the word elder, there's almost always more than one of them in the church. So the picture we have in Scripture is neither a dictatorship nor a democracy; instead, Christ entrusts elders to lead the church.

Four Responsibilities of Elders

Four Responsibilities of Elders

1 Timothy 3:1-7

If God has entrusted his church to elders, then we need to consider the responsibilities of such leaders. It may be helpful to look at Paul's address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. Here we get a good picture of what's expected of those who lead God's people. We'll look at four different responsibilities from this passage:

The first responsibility of elders is that they are to lead under the authority of Christ. That is, elders are entrusted by Christ with the responsibility of overall leadership in the church. Now we can't forget that elders belong to the church, so the elders don't have final authority over the church. When we look at Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; and 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, we see that the authority of Christ is ultimately invested in the gathered body of the church. The church is held accountable in these passages for letting sin persist in its midst. This is why we call elders our servant leaders, because even though God has given elders to guide us, they lead as servants of the church.

As those who belong to the church, elders are appointed by the Spirit of God. You don't campaign to get elected to this position. The Spirit sets aside and appoints men as elders. The church is Christ's and55 He leads it by His Spirit. So elders belong to the church, and the church belongs to Christ. In addition to being appointed by the Spirit of God, elders are accountable to the Son of God. Paul told the Ephesian elders to "shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28). Did you catch that last phrase "with His own blood"? You cannot approach church leadership lightly when you realize the gravity of Acts 20:28. Leading the church was never designed to be a power struggle. Jesus is in control, and He has all power in the church. Therefore, every leader in the church is accountable to Him. This perspective brings the proper humility, even fear, to church leadership.

The second responsibility of elders from Acts 20 is that they care for the body of Christ. Acts 20:28 gives us the picture of a shepherd, and we see the same thing in 1 Peter 5:2: "Shepherd God's flock among you." So what does it look like to shepherd or care for the flock? To summarize, it means first of all that elders protect the flock. Paul told the elders to "be on guard" against false doctrine and to expect false teachers, individuals whom Paul referred to as "savage wolves" (Acts 20:28-30). Elders have a God-given responsibility to guard their own lives and the life of the church. This is the front line of spiritual warfare.

In addition to protecting the flock, elders nurture the flock. Paul committed the Ephesian elders to the Word (Acts 20:32), "which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified." The elder's responsibility is not just to pet the sheep; caring for the body of Christ involves feeding the sheep. This leads us to the third responsibility of elders, that is, to teach the Word of Christ. Paul said earlier in this passage that he did not hesitate to proclaim "the whole plan of God" (Acts 20:27) so that they would be equipped to build up the church through the Word. The Word alone has the power to build up the church, which means the elder's leadership is tied to the Word. If the elder knows the Word and obeys the Word, then he is fit to lead in the church. If he wanders from the Word, he is no longer fit to lead in the church. We don't follow elders or pastors simply because they have a position. We follow them because they know the Word, teach the Word, and follow the Word.

The requirement to teach the Word of Christ means that elders must know the Word extensively. They study the Word, memorize the Word, and meditate on the Word. They know why they believe what they believe. They know what the Scriptures say about theological issues. These men are equipped by the Word to address hard questions in the56 church, and they also know what the Word says about practical issues, such as family life, our interaction with the culture, and numerous social issues encroaching upon us.

Clearly, based on what we've seen so far, elders must have a strong, in-depth knowledge of the Scriptures. But they can't just know the Word extensively; it is imperative that elders communicate the Word effectively. We see this in 1 Timothy 3:2 where Paul said that an overseer, or elder, must be able to teach the Word (see also 1 Tim 5:17; Titus 1:7, 9). An elder must know the Word and spread the Word throughout the church and from the church throughout the world. He must be able to persuade people with the Word, plead with people from the Word, comfort people with the Word, encourage people from the Word, instruct people in the Word, and lead the church according to the Word. This is nonnegotiable.

So far we've looked at three responsibilities of elders: they lead under the authority of Christ, care for the body of Christ, and teach the Word of Christ. The fourth responsibility of elders is that they are to model the character of Christ.

Several passages have lists of qualifications and responsibilities of elders: 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; and 1 Peter 5:1-3. When you put these lists together, most of the emphasis is on character qualifications. Let's consider, then, what is not on these lists and what is on these lists. First, several things that aren't on these lists:

• Age: older men should not automatically become elders, and young men should not automatically be disqualified.
• Business success: success in the world doesn't necessarily equate with leadership in the church.
• Likeability: this is not simply a group of men everyone likes.

Before moving on to what is on these lists, we should also note that women are not mentioned in connection with the role of elder. Scripture gives no indication whatsoever that the position of overall leadership in the church belongs to a female. Remember, this is not an issue of equality or superiority; it's more like the relationship between a husband and a wife. As the husband is the head of the home and leads in this sphere, so elders are to provide leadership in the church. And I'm convinced that the natural reaction of godly women in the church will be to trust and respect godly men who lead us to accomplish the mission of Christ.57

Now we want to consider what is required of elders. You may be surprised to find that almost everything in the list in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 is expected of every follower of Christ. Other than being able to teach, these qualifications are intended by Christ for every member of the church. We might even say the qualifications for being an elder simply revolve around exemplifying the character of Christ. Leaders in the church are to be models in the church. This is why Hebrews 13:7 says to "imitate their faith." This truth ought to weigh on anyone who aspires to lead in Christ's church, since a man cannot lead the church somewhere he is not going himself. Here's the bottom line: What will happen if the church imitates this leader?

Here are some questions to ask of a leader in the church. These questions have been taken from 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; and 1 Peter 5:1-4, and they are grouped under four different categories.

In His Personal Life

• Is he self-controlled?
• Is he wise?
• Is he peaceable?
• Is he gentle?
• Is he a sacrificial giver?
• Is he humble?
• Is he patient?
• Is he honest?
• Is he disciplined?

In His Family Life

• Is he the elder in his home?
• If he's single, is he self-controlled?
• If he's married, is he completely committed to his wife?
• If he has children, do they honor him?

In His Social/Business Life

• Is he kind?
• Is he hospitable?
• Is he a friend of strangers?
• Does he show favoritism?
• Does he have a blameless reputation (not perfect but above reproach)?58

In His Spiritual Life

• Is he making disciples of all nations?
• Does he love the Word?
• Is he a man of prayer?
• Is he holy?
• Is he gracious?

In the end no one will fulfill these qualifications perfectly. Each of us has numerous sins to confess daily. However, elders ought to live lives worth imitating, lives that reflect the character of Christ. They need to know the Word, teach the Word, and obey the Word so that others in the church will be instructed and spurred on to greater faithfulness. Who in your church do these qualifications bring to mind?

Three Responsibilities of Deacons

Three Responsibilities of Deacons

1 Timothy 3:8-13

In verse 8 Paul turns his attention from elders to deacons. While we do see a list of requirements for being a deacon in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, the responsibilities of deacons are not as clear as that of elders. In fact, in the picture we have of the early church in the book of Acts, we rarely see deacons at all. Even in Acts 6, where we have a form of the word for "deacon," we see the same word used to describe one of the tasks of elders (Acts 6:4). The fact that deacons aren't highlighted in the New Testament may be one reason we've got a variety of opinions about the role of deacons today. However, it should be said that some churches clearly have an unbiblical practice when it comes to deacons. So, if there are some things we don't know for sure about deacons, what are the things we do know from Scripture?

The word group (both the noun and the verb) for deacon—diakonos, diakonia, diakoneo—is used more than one hundred times in the New Testament, almost always referring to some form of ministry or service. It's the same word used in Ephesians 4:12 to refer to "the work of ministry" that is the responsibility of all members of the church. We are all commanded to be servants. At the same time the early church does give us brief glimpses of people who lead out in service, and that's what we see in Acts 6:1-7:

A form of the word for deacons is used three times in verses 1-4, and in verses 1 and 2 this terminology is applied to those who were responsible for leading others to serve. That's why we're calling deacons "leading servants." Some may respond by saying deacons are simply those who serve in the church. But that's not true because we all serve in the church. Deacons lead the church in service. They are leading servants. It's interesting that a form of the word describing how they "handle" financial matters in verse 2 is also used in verse 4 to refer to the apostles' "ministry" of the Word. So even though we don't see this word or the title "deacon" throughout the rest of the book of Acts, we do see two primary leadership roles delineated here in Acts 6. A group of men are responsible primarily for prayer and the ministry of the Word—the elders—and another group rises up to lead out in specific areas of service. This latter group we're referring to as deacons based on the picture we see in 1 Timothy 3.11

So the next question we need to ask is this: What do deacons do? Try your best to get the traditional picture of a deacon out of your mind, whatever that may look like according to your background. In the mind of some Christians, deacons are those who meet together, sit in the front of the church, and talk poorly about the pastor. That kind of unbiblical picture of deacons is why we need to take an honest look at what these leading servants did in Acts 6 and the way they are described in60 1 Timothy 3. First, we'll look at Acts 6 and notice three primary responsibilities of deacons.

The first responsibility of deacons is to meet needs according to the Word. This is their primary role—spiritual service aimed at meeting specific needs. When you read Acts 6:1-7, you notice that deacons' ministries arise from specific circumstances. The church was growing, and as they shared their resources with one another, they needed someone to lead out in the distribution of aid. A specific need necessitated these leading servants. The fact that different needs call for different types of leaders may help explain why we don't see clear responsibilities for deacons spelled out in the New Testament.

In their various responsibilities deacons are accountable for specific commands. In the case of Acts 6, Scripture necessitated that the church look after widows. Therefore, in order to carry out God's commands, which reflect His own heart, deacons today must also willingly serve. They meet needs according to the Word. To be clear, some areas of service, such as assisting with parking, may not be specifically mentioned in Scripture, but they fulfill a specific need related to a scriptural mandate. A deacon who leads a parking team enables the church to obey the biblical command to meet together (Heb 10:24-25).

A second responsibility of deacons is to support the ministry of the Word. The men in Acts 6 were certainly filling a need, but that's not all they were doing. Because the widows were being overlooked in the distribution of food, the apostles were being taken away from their overall leadership responsibilities, most notably prayer and the proclamation of the Word (Acts 6:4). As a result, the mission of the church began to suffer. The deacons were appointed to free up the apostles' availability for the preaching of the Word. We see, then, the balance that God intends for His church—to be fully devoted to the Word and fully devoted to meeting needs in the world. The church needs individuals who are devoted to both of these tasks.

We're beginning to see the vital role deacons, leading servants, play in the church. Deacons serve elders so they can lead. Stephen and the others in Acts 6 freed the apostles to devote themselves to prayer and the Word. The deacons were not like a second power block in the church, a body of leaders competing with the elders to provide overall leadership in the church. Unfortunately, that's exactly what many of us have seen in our various traditions when it comes to the role of deacons. Deacons have assumed the role of being supervisors of the staff and the pastor.61 This is not biblical. The deacons in Acts 6 are serving fundamentally as supporters and encouragers of the elders in the ministry of the Word.

Deacons not only serve elders so they can lead; they lead others so they can serve. Notice that only seven leading servants were chosen in Acts 6, which is certainly not a large enough group to handle the food distribution problem for a church that contained thousands of people by this time. These deacons were surely organizing others to make certain the work was done. Again, though everyone in the church is intended to serve, the deacons are leading servants.

Finally, the third responsibility of deacons is that they unify the body around the Word. There were certainly needs to be met in Acts 6, but there were also deeper issues at stake. Physical neglect was causing spiritual disunity, and Christians were beginning to complain against one another. Deacons were appointed to squelch the tension and the rising disunity in the church. Again, this runs directly counter to our typical association of deacons with disunity, gossiping, and complaining. But in Scripture deacons labor to promote unity in the church. They are what we might call the shock absorbers in the church.

Qualifications

Having looked at the responsibilities of deacons, we now turn to their qualifications from Scripture. When we consider 1 Timothy 3:8-13, alongside our discussion of Acts 6 (above), we can see two main qualifications for deacons. First, they must have a mission mind-set. The church was growing in the early chapters of Acts at a breathtaking speed, and the church needed leaders who would embrace the mission God had given them and unite others in the same cause. That's why deacons can't be small-minded individuals engrossed in turf wars, maintaining their rights and lobbying for their own causes. Instead, they are to see the mission of the church and work to help others understand that mission. Every facet of their ministry is part of that overarching mission.

The church is on a mission to make the gospel known in all nations, which is exactly why the adversary delights in turning the church of Jesus Christ inward on itself at every opportunity. Satan loves seeing the church embroiled in battles over this or that issue. In such cases deacons may be called in to absorb the shock. Certainly valid complaints and real needs arise, and when they do, deacons should rise to meet those needs so the mission of the church can thrive. Churches can get so engrossed in catering to every complaint that the primary mission62 gets lost. Therefore, if someone is pulling the church away from its mission, that person is not qualified to be a deacon. This leads to the second qualification.

Deacons must have a Christlike character. Scripture doesn't give us a lot of detail regarding what deacons do, but it does make the character of deacons pretty clear. We might say Scripture is more concerned about the sanctity of our lives than the structure of our leadership.

Let's return to 1 Timothy 3:8-13 to look at those character qualifications. What stands out about these qualifications is that they are similar to what is expected of any Christ follower. Deacons are, quite simply, intended to exemplify the character of Christ. Here's a set of questions we might ask to discern whether someone should serve as a deacon:

Questions

• Is this person honorable?
• Is this person genuine?
• Is this person self-controlled?
• Is this person a sacrificial giver?
• Is this person devoted to the Word?
• Is this person faithful? (not perfect, but morally pure)
• Is this person honoring Christ in the home?
• What about women?

This last question, What about women? is the million-dollar question. We've already seen that elders must be men, but what about deacons? There are basically two schools of thought on this question. Bible-believing scholars and pastors that I respect greatly differ on this difficult issue. And depending on what tradition you were raised in, you're probably already inclined to one of these positions. But the reality is that it is not up to our preference on this issue; it's up to the Word. Yet, even while we agree that the Word is the final authority, the Word is not entirely clear or explicit in this instance.

Some believers may look at this passage and think, "This issue is clear in Scripture. Can't you read?" After saying that deacons must be "worthy of respect" and that they must have certain character qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:8-10, Paul then went on to say the following in verse 11: "Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything." So both deacons and their wives have to display Christlike character. Doesn't that pretty well settle the issue?63 How can women serve as deacons if Paul talked about deacons having wives? This is a valid question, but there's more to consider.

We certainly don't want to succumb to pressures from the culture when we interpret Scripture, and we don't want to come to the text with an agenda; however, based on Scripture, I do believe it's possible for women to serve as deacons in some settings. Let me give four reasons I believe this to be so. First, some English translations of verse 11 address "their wives," but the pronoun "their" is actually not in the Greek, the original language of the New Testament. Some translators think it is implied, but it's certainly not explicit. There's some ambiguity here, though it's very possible that the best translation for verse 8 is not "their wives."

Second, we need to ask this question: Why would Paul talk about deacons' wives and not elders' wives? This is especially curious given that more is said about an elder's responsibility in the home according to 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Despite the fact that elders have stricter qualifications, there is no mention of their wives.

Third, the overall structure of the passage seems to lead to the conclusion that Paul was not referring to the wives of deacons in verse 8. He used the word "likewise" to transition from talking about elders in verse 7 to talking about deacons in verse 8. Paul then used this same word "likewise" in verse 11 (translated "too") to transition into talking about deacons' wives or, as I am trying to argue, deaconesses. It doesn't seem natural for the flow of the passage to run like this: first elders—likewise deacons—likewise deacons' wives. The following seems more likely: first elders—likewise deacons—likewise deaconesses.

A fourth reason for understanding the role of deacon to be open to men and women is the role given to Phoebe in Romans 16. She is referred to as a "servant of the church," and the word used comes from diakonos, which would seem to point to a diaconal role. When you couple this with the picture of women who played integral leadership roles in the mission of the church, the case becomes even stronger. Paul specifically mentioned 17 of these women. The issue is not whether women can be leaders but how the Bible describes their role in the context of a local church.

When you consider the responsibilities we have outlined for deacons above—they meet needs according to the Word, they support the ministry of the Word, and they unify the body around the Word—then there is no biblical evidence whatsoever that these responsibilities should only include men. Even with this understanding, however, we64 need to be careful. The reality is that many churches have deacons that play a significant leadership role over the entire church, and if that's the case, then women should not serve as deacons in those churches because they would basically be serving as elders.

There is much biblical evidence to affirm women who lead in various ways, such as hospitality, children's ministry, and visitation. It may be an adjustment for many people to think of deacons in this way, but I think we're on safe ground in the Word. In fact, I think the Word should lead us to make this adjustment if we want to be obedient in this area. In the end we want everything we do in the church to conform to God's design for the church.

The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line

Given what we've seen about elders and deacons, what does this look like practically? Two applications stand out. First, the church appoints and follows servant leaders who are wholeheartedly committed to accomplishing the mission of Christ. This follows from what we've seen above. How does the Spirit appoint elders? Through the church. So we ask the Spirit of God to show us who these men are in the church. Scripture is obviously not specific about particular names, but we ought to pray for the Spirit's guidance in helping us discern which men are qualified to serve as elders. These are men who, according to Hebrews 13:17, we want to obey. Remember, it's scriptural to obey your leaders.

Second, the church affirms and honors leading servants who use their gifts to build up the body of Christ. This includes a variety of ministries within the church carried out by both men and women. Depending on the church, these roles may look a little different. Deacons may be a part of the church's paid staff, they may provide accountability and wisdom in financial matters, they may lead in worship, or they may be a part of a hospitality team. And remember, someone doesn't have to be wearing a deacon's badge to serve as a deacon, nor do they necessarily have to participate in weekly meetings. These men and women are doing what is outlined in Scripture, and they should be honored, prayed for, and relied on to provide unity around Christ and His mission. That's the end goal.

The church is composed of ministers who multiply the gospel throughout the world. Following the appointment of deacons in Acts 6:1-6, we read about the result in verse 7: "So the preaching about God65 flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith." The problems that arose in the church were threatening the growth of the church, but when biblical, Christ-honoring leaders responded, the church reorganized for multiplication. Acts 6:7 is the by-product of a biblical structure of church leadership: elders (servant leaders) gave themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word, and deacons (leading servants) met needs, supported the ministry of the Word, and unified the body of Christ. And together all members of the church are to minister in order to see the multiplication of the gospel throughout our neighborhoods and among the nations. May it be so in all of our churches.

Reflect and Discuss