1. When Paul wrote his Letter to the congregation at Philippi, he addressed it to “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons” (Philippians 1:1). This verse (with others from the New Testament) indicate that when completely and Scripturally organized, a congregation will have leaders who belong to the offices of overseers and deacons.
The intent of this lesson is to give a brief overview of the organization of a mature congregation of the New Testament Church.
2. In Ephesians 2:19-22, we learn that the Church was built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus being the Cornerstone: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Not only is Christ the “cornerstone,” but also the Head of the Church. Ephesians 1:20-23; 5:23-24, “He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body….For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”
Christ rules the Church as its Head by delivering to it His rules and regulations. He has delivered those rules and regulations through His 1st Century Apostles and Prophets, which are collected together in the New Testament Scriptures. To help the Church to understand and follow those rules and regulations, Christ established ministers for the Church. Ephesians 4:11-13, “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.”
3. The primary ministers who are to lead a congregation are the “overseers” as mentioned in Philippians 1:1. The “overseers” are given three different names in the New Testament. Let’s briefly look at the three different names -
Elders or Presbyters.
The most common name given to the congregational leaders was “Elders.” Acts 14:23; 20:17, “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed….And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.”
The term “elders” is from the Greek word presbyteros, meaning “one who is older, indicating maturity of spiritual experience.” Obviously, those who were to lead the congregation would be those who are themselves spiritually experienced and wise in Christian living. That is why, in 1 Timothy 3:6, it is said that an elder or overseer cannot be “not a new convert.”
Overseers or Bishops.
The term “overseers” is from the Greek word episkopis, meaning “one who oversees, supervises or presides over indicating their work of overseeing and presiding over the activities of and inter-relationships in the church congregation.”
We gain insight into the kind of man who would be considered eligible to be congregational overseer in 1 Timothy 3:4-5, where it says that that have had to show success in running their household and raising a family - “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?).”
Shepherds or Pastors.
The third name used to refer to the congregational leaders is “pastors” which is an old English translation of the Greek word poimen, meaning “to shepherd.” The pastors are responsible for the spiritual well-being of the souls of their flock or congregation. The term “pastors” is found but once in the New Testament, in Ephesians 4:11.
I now want us to see that the terms elders, overseers-bishops and pastors-shepherds all referred to the same ministry. These terms were used interchangeably depending upon what aspect of the ministry was being highlighted.
Acts 20:17-31, “And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the ELDERS of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, ‘You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you OVERSEERS, to SHEPHERD the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.’”
1 Peter 5:1-4, “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, 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; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
What these passages show is the importance of a congregation having elders. As Christians in a location try to live godly lives, it is a blessing to have (1) spiritually experienced men (elders, presbyters) to guide us along (2) qualified men over us (overseers, bishops) to see that we grow (3) capable of feeding and protecting us from grievous wolves (shepherds, pastors).
4. I want to finish our look at elders-overseers-pastors by considering how they are appointed within a congregation. In the Scriptural evidences we have, the congregational leaders are appointed by an evangeslist; that is, one who who goes out and establishes congregations or supports fledgling congregations.
Acts 14:19-23, “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the multitudes, they stoned PAUL and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he arose and entered the city. And the next day he went away with BARNABAS to Derbe. And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’ And when THEY had APPOINTED ELDERS for them IN EVERY CHURCH, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
Titus 1:4-5, “Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior; to TITUS, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. 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.”
I would have you note from these two passages not only that it is an evangelist who appoints congregational elders but that in each congregation there were more than one man appointed. It is a known feature of the New Testament Church that every congregation that had appointed leadership had a plurality of leaders. Never were there instances where a congregation had a single elder, overseer or pastor.
The first corruption of the New Testament pattern for the Church occurred in the 2nd Century when, in a few communities, one of the congregation’s leaders was lifted to a position of authority above his fellow leaders. He was referred to as the chief or senior elder, bishop, or pastor. Again, this was a corruption of the Scriptural pattern where each congregation had a plurality of leaders who were co-equal.
The last point to be considered is that the men who were candidates to be appointed elders, overseers or pastors had to meet specific qualifications. There are two lists of such qualifications -
1 Timothy 3:1-7, “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of OVERSEER, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?); and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
Titus 1:5-9, “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, namely, if any man be above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the OVERSEER must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
These are significant qualifications. The idea that a man can go to a school and pick-up a degree in theology or pastorship and become a church leader is totally foreign to the Bible. God’s qualifications make it evident that its not enough to be able to talk the talk but a true leader is one who has shown in their life that they have been able to walk the talk.
5. Our consideration of “deacons” will be quick because the Scriptures don’t talk in detail about the deaconship as it does the eldership. Deacon is a title that comes from the Greek word "diakonia", meaning “server, or one who serves.”
Like elders, men who were candidates for the deaconship had to meet Scriptural qualifications -
1 Timothy 3:8-13, “DEACONS likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”
The writings of the “Early Church Fathers” of the 1st and 2nd Centuries state that deacons were men who were responsible to the elders in performing tasks, especially those tending to the physical and material needs of the congregation.
If this be so, many Bible students believe that we might have the appointment of the very first deacons - those in the congregation at Jerusalem - 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. 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. 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. But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.’ 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. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.”
That is all that we learn about the deacons in the Church of the Lord.
As I conclude our study, I want to simply say that the subject matter we have considered may not have a direct bearing upon our congregation; that is, our congregation may be very far from the point where we can contemplate the appointment of Scriptural leadership. However, it is always important for us to know what organizational pattern Christ has established for His Church. We have to know what is right to strive for what is right and to keep ourselves from what is wrong. And most churches are wrong when it comes to how they organize their church from a leadership standpoint. They have rejected the New Testament pattern. To do right, we must know what is right and perhaps we can share with others what the Scriptures says regarding Church leadership structure.
