As a church rooted in the Reformed tradition, the leadership of Faith Church consists of two sets of officers known as elders and deacons. Since a key tenet of Reformed Churches is that the Bible is the only rule for what we believe and what we do, it is unsurprising and also very fitting that the overarching reason for these two sets of officers is that we see them in the Bible. For example, the Apostle Paul addresses his letter to the Philippians to the “overseers and deacons” (Philippians 1:1). He also sets forth the qualifications for the offices of elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, and Titus 1 indicates elders and overseers to be the same because what Paul calls an elder in verse 5 is called an overseer in verse 7. Therefore, the reason for these officers is not because of tradition or expediency but rather due to faithfulness to God’s Word.
These passages show that these offices are not things our church made up or invented, however, they don’t necessarily answer the deeper question: Why do they even exist? Once again, I believe that Scripture itself speaks to the reason that they are needed, with the reason given for their need pointing to what they do. In particular we see that we need the shepherding leadership of the elders because of the spiritual dangers that exist in the world until the return of Christ, and we need the servant leadership of deacons because there are important details that need to be taken care of in order for the message of the gospel to go forth to all the ends of the earth.
Elders are Shepherds in the Face of Spiritual Dangers
In Acts 20:17-35, the Apostle Paul speaks to the elders of the church in Ephesus and provides insights not only to what they are to do but why they are needed. After reminding them in verses 18-27 of his example and declaring his intention to go to Jerusalem (even in the face of certain suffering and permanent separation from his friends), Paul gives a charge to the elders. He states they are to “be on guard” for themselves and the flock that God appointed them over which was purchased by God through the blood of Jesus (20:28). The reason they need to pay attention is because “savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them” (20:29-30). Elders are shepherds, and the reason shepherds exist is because there are wolves that threaten the sheep. Thus, we have elders to keep watch over the church, to make sure false teachings do not penetrate the church and that people are not led astray by these teachings.
Paul’s words show that some of the greatest dangers to the flock are not found outside the community but rather inside the community, as these wolves will “rise up from your own number.” That statement likely even points to some of these wolves being the elders themselves. This is why it is essential the elders watch themselves and the flock – they need to pay attention to themselves to ensure they do not become one of these wolves. Unfortunately, there have been too many examples of individuals who started out as faithful shepherds, but perhaps by not paying attention to themselves (and not having others pay attention to them), they became wolves who ended up damaging the church. This is why we need multiple shepherds – what we often call “the plurality of elders.” We need multiple elders to pay attention to the flock and to make sure their souls are being watched over as well.
The elders also need to be sure these wolves don’t draw “disciples” after them: to make sure the false teachings and ideologies that often sound good (but are destructive) do not invade and infect the church community. The best defense is a good offense, so this means being proactive in instruction and exhortation. In addition to teaching the truth, elders need to model the truth; just as Paul points them to his own example, so elders need to be people who “walk the walk” and don’t just “talk the talk.” That need is why the qualifications for an elder in 1 Timothy 3 focuses on their character.
Deacons are Servants Who Take Care of Spiritual Details
While the term “deacon” does not appear in Acts 6:1-7, the verbal form of the Greek word “deacon” does, so this passage is often deemed to be the “origin story” for deacons. We discover here that the early church was not free of conflict, as a dispute arose concerning the care being given to the Greek-speaking widows in their midst. The apostles’ solution to this problem was not to get directly involved but rather to appoint from among the people “men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom” (6:3) to take care of these tasks so that the apostles could focus upon prayer and sharing the Word of God (6:4). The apostles delegated these tasks to these other godly individuals not because they did not want to do them or viewed the matter as “beneath them,” but rather because they saw this need as important but would be unable to tend to it along with their other duties; they wanted to ensure that the needs of these widows would be met both in this moment but also moving forward. The result of this “division of labor” was that many people came to believe in Jesus (6:7).
Thus, if the elders guard against the deception of false teaching, then you could say that the deacons help us guard against the distraction of too many details to manage in the ministry and mission of the church. Deacons make sure that things – especially people in need – don’t fall through the cracks and make sure the right things are being done in the correct way, which ensures that the church fulfills both the Great Commandment (to love God and love neighbor) and the Great Commission (to make disciples of all nations). They are servants (which is what word “deacon” means) who both serve the church leaders who lead and feed the church (the role of elders today; see 1 Timothy 5:17-18) and care for those in need by taking care of important matters that might otherwise be overlooked or overwhelming for the elders to tend to along with their other tasks.
In his book Deacons, Matt Smethurst describes deacons as those “who get things done,” and I think that is a fitting way to think about the role of deacons. Because deacons get things done, they can be (and often are) delegated important tasks like maintaining the budget and the building, but those tasks should not cause one to forget the mercy ministry – the care for those often forgotten, who are embodied by, but not exclusively composed, of widows. While there is a sense in which the “details” that the deacons manage may lead one to think of their ministry as “practical” rather than spiritual, we should recognize their work as spiritual because details are where we really work out what we believe and live, putting our belief into practice. In addition, taking care of these “details” is what leads to good news of Jesus spreading to others. Finally, we need to remember that Jesus was a servant, so these servants reflect Christ both in what they do and in how they do it.
The Enduring Need for Elders and Deacons
I have come to realize over the years that the Bible speaks about elders and deacons but doesn’t give much detail in terms of how exactly they go about their work. That is, the Bible seems more interested in describing the character needed to serve in these offices and also the overarching reason for them than in producing a detailed job description for them; it is more about who and why than on what. I think this is intentional, as the way they go about their work may look different in different cultures and eras in light of the various dangers and details that can derail the church from its mission. Thus, their particular duties may look different, but always flow out from their character and have the same function. As long as we remain in this sin-cursed world in which Satan is seeking to oppose the Word of God, we need godly shepherds and servants who help Christians remain faithful to the truths and mission given to us from our Good Shepherd who came as a servant to rescue us from our sin and will return at the end of the age.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Bible translations are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers.
