Church Leadership in the New Testament

Church Leadership in the New Testament

This morning we are going to be doing a quick study of church leadership in the New Testament. Several months ago, the trustees presented a revised constitution to the church that we voted on and approved, and in the near future they will be presenting a revised set of by-laws that we will discuss and vote on as well. One of the matters that is covered in the by-laws is this matter of church leadership, and in particular, what labels should we use to refer to the men who lead this church.

And to start us thinking about this, I have some questions for you. Why am I called a pastor, but in other churches the man filling my role in the church is called “Father?” Why are some men in a church called a “bishop?” Why do some churches have “elders,” and “teaching elders?” Why am I called “Pastor Murray?” Why is Nancy sometimes called “Mrs. Pastor?” What does the word “pastor” mean? Is it biblical? Is it the best word to use to describe my function. Let‟s see if we can answer some of these questions this morning.

Let‟s start by looking at 1 Peter 5, and what I want to show you is that there are five different words used in the NT to describe male leaders in the church, the first one is found in 1 Pt. 5.

1. Elder – 1 Pt. 5:1

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

presbuteros – emphasis on age, wisdom, and maturity.

2. Deacon – Phil. 1:1

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

diakonos – emphasis on physical ministry to the body of Christ.

3. Overseer (the KJV uses the word bishop) – 1 Tim. 3:1

It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

episkopos – emphasis on oversight and superintendence.

4. Pastor – Eph. 4:11

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers

poimen – emphasis on shepherding, tending, protection.

5. Teacher – James 3:1

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.

didaskalos – emphasis on instruction.

Summary: according to what we have just seen, there were five specific leadership roles in the New Testament Church: elder, deacon, overseer, pastor and teacher. I don‟t think every church had one of each, and there is evidence that some of these roles overlapped. For instance, in Eph. 4:11 shows us that the concept of pastor and teacher was a dual role. In Col. 1 Paul refers to himself as a diakonos.

What I want us to do now is look at a very instructive passage in Acts 20 where you see three of these words used in the same paragraph to describe the same group of men. In verse 17 we read, “And from Miletus [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders [our word presbuteros – what is the emphasis on? wisdom, age, and maturity – it was a clearly identified, select group of men] of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them . . .” From verse 18 through 35 Paul leaves his parting challenge with these elders.

Now, in verse 28 he says, speaking to this group of elders, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos – oversight, superintendence], to shepherd [poimein – tend, protect] the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

What do we see from this passage? First of all, we see that the “elders” and “overseers” refer to the same person, and secondly, we see that their responsibility is to shepherd. What this means is that the label to use for these men is “elder,” and the functions they perform are twofold: oversight and shepherding. So remember that the label is “elder” and the functions so far are “oversight” and “shepherding.”
Now, there is a third function an elder performs, and that is found in Eph. 4:11 and James 3:1 where we read that God has graciously given “teachers” to His church. In Eph. 4:11 we have the idea of the “pastor – teacher,” and in the James passage we have the admonition not to be too eager to become a teacher in the church because of the additional accountability you incur.

Summarize: so do you see that elder, overseer, pastor, and teacher are all synonyms for the same group of men. Only one of the terms (elder) is a label; the other terms (overseer, pastor, and teacher) are all functions. You can‟t “elder” a church, but you can “oversee / pastor / teach” a church.

Now, let me give you a curious note about elders: the word “elder” is used as a singular noun only four times in the NT.

 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis . . .” 1 Tim. 5:19
 “. . . as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ . . .” 1 Pt. 5:1
 “The elder to the chosen lady . . .” 2 John 1:1
 “The elder to the beloved Gaius . . . “ 3 John 1:1

Otherwise, the term “elder,” used in connection with the local church, is always used as a plural. Fifteen times the male leadership of the church is referred to as “the elders.” A quick sampling includes:

 Acts 14:23 – “when they had appointed elders for them in every church . . .”
 Acts 15:2 – “go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders . . .”
 1 Tim. 5:7 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered . . .”
 Titus 1:5 – “I left you in Crete that you might . . . appoint elders in every church.”
 James 5:14 – “Call for the elders of the church . . .”
 1 Pt. 5:5 – “. . . be subject to your elders . . .”

Now, something significant that I want to point out to you is that never once do you see the term “pastor” as a singular noun in the NT, as in “the pastor.” It is seen only once as a plural noun, in Eph. 4:11; and there, the context is the universal church, not the local church. One of the gifts God has given “the church” is “pastors.”

Where then does the idea of “a pastor” as the head of the church come from?

Turn with me to 1 Tim. 3:14. In these verses we have Paul‟s purpose for writing to Timothy, and he says, “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

Paul‟s intent / purpose in these two letters to Timothy was to give Timothy instructions on how a church was to function. This is why we have extended sections dealing with

 prayer in the church,
 the role of women in the church,
 qualifications for bishops (church leaders),
 qualifications for deacons (church leaders),
 how to care for widows in the church,
 the function of elders (church leaders),

In other words, 1 and 2 Timothy is all about what a biblical church should look like. But these aren‟t the only books in the NT that address this issue, because the letter to Titus contains the same basic information. Look with me at Titus 1:5.

“For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you.” And as you read further through Titus you see many parallels to the letters to Timothy.

Now, here is my point. I‟m trying to answer the question, “Where does the idea of a pastor (as opposed to a group of men) as the head of a church come from?” and the answer is that when Paul was writing to a church to give them instructions on how they should function, he sent those letters to an individual, not to a board. Timothy and Titus were the acknowledged human leaders of the church in Ephesus and Crete.

In addition to this, when the Apostle John wrote to a group of churches in Asia Minor, he addressed his message to “the angel” of the various churches. In Rev. 1:20 we read "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Then when you go into chapters 2 and 3, each section dedicated to a church starts with the phrase, “to the angel of the church in ________________.”

The word used here can be translated as either “angel” or “messenger,” and the context indicates that this “angel” was the human leader of the church. So the point is that when John had a message to communicate to a church, he did not write to a board, or a group of men, he wrote to an individual.

This is where the idea of “a pastor” comes from. But understand that it is a role. It is a function a man fulfils in the church. Technically, it shouldn‟t be used as a label. Now, is it wrong, or unbiblical to refer to me as Pastor Murray? Not at all. That is the role I fill in this church. But what am I? I am a presbuteros (elder) who episkopos (oversee), diakonis (serve), poimein (shepherd), and didaskolos (teach).

Summary: By far, the term used most often to describe the leadership of the local church is “elders.” And the fact that it is most often plural (15 out of 19) is significant. What this tells us is that it is the plurality of godly leadership in a church that provides the most comprehensive care and the most balanced leadership.

Now, what about deacons? In the New Testament, deacon refers to the men charged with the physical dimension of church ministry. Most Baptist churches mistakenly label these men as trustees. But when you study the scriptural accounts of how the work was carried out in the early church, you see there is a clear division of labor between spiritual ministry and physical ministry. We see this most clearly in Acts 6:1-6.

Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 "But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 "But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." 5 And the statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

Something interesting about this passage is that none of the terms under discussion are found in this passage, but what we do see is that there is a clear difference between “serving tables” (v. 2) and the “ministry of the word” (v. 4). The parallel between the work to which the apostles wanted to limit themselves, and the work of the elders / overseers / pastors / teachers is very obvious -it is the “ministry of the word.” What that leaves is the “serving of tables,” or the physical ministry of the church.

The word “deacon” (diakonos) means “one who executes the commands of another.” It is often used to refer to a servant, as in Mt. 22:13 – “Then the king said to the servants (diakonois), „bind him . . .‟” Mt. 20:26 – “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant (diakonos).” John 2:5 – “His mother said to the servants (diakonois) „Whatever He says to you . . .‟”
Several times diakonos is translated as “minister” showing the spiritual dimension of the word. Col. 1:25 – “Of this church I was made a minister (diakonos) according to the stewardship from God . . .” Eph. 6:21 – “Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minster (diakonos) in the Lord.” Mt. 4:11 – “Then the Devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister (diakonoun) to Him.” His qualifications for the position are listed in 1 Tim. 3, but how he actually serves the church is found in how the word is used throughout the NT.

So that is a summary of what the NT teaches about church leadership – two clearly defined roles that overlap from time to time. What does all this mean for us? How closely do we want our church to follow the model for church leadership established in the New Testament? In a couple of months, you will be voting on a new set of by-laws that reflect this understanding. I look forward to your feedback and questions.