Church leadership structure #1

When talking with church planters, I am often asked about the leadership structure of a church. Is there there a structure given by God? What is is? What are the leadership roles in the church? Much has been written about this. Following are some guidelines I have studied and practiced with other church leaders:

1. What are the biblical leadership offices for the church?

Though there are varying interpretations of passages, most Bible students agree that the offices of elder/overseer (commonly called “pastor” in Western culture) and deacon are to be used in the church. This was the understanding of the church beginning within the first 100 years after the writing of the New Testament (Ignatius, Clement of Rome).

Philippians 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:

2. Is the office of apostle in operation in the church today?

Evidently not. An apostle was a leader of the ministry established by Jesus, and one who helped transition this ministry to local church ministries. They were selected by Jesus (Matthew 10:1-4, Acts 9), who also guided the apostles in replacing vacant positions (Acts 1:24). An apostle must have been a witness to Jesus’ ministry from the baptism of John to the ascension (Acts 1:21-22). Paul established elders, not apostles, in churches (Acts 14:23) and he and Peter wrote to them (Philippians 1:1, 1 Peter 5:1). The emphasis seems to move from apostles to elders after the book of Acts.

3. What is an ‘elder’?

“Elder”, from the Greek word presbuteros refers to a spiritually mature person with wisdom who guides God’s people. They emerged in the Old Testament as leaders in cities (Judges 8:14), tribes (Judges 11:5), and in the nation of Israel (Exodus 3:16).

By the time of the New Testament they had become a part of the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish body in the Roman Empire. The Sanhedrin was comprised of the chief priest, scribes, and elders who were considered lay people (Mark 11:27, 14:43, 15:1).

As the first churches were Jewish in membership, it was natural for God to use this idea for church leadership. They begin appearing in Acts, where they received offerings in churches (11:30), were selected by Paul and Barnabas (14:23), were part of the decision makers with the apostles in the Gentile question (15:2,4,6,22,23), and Paul visited with them as the leaders of churches (20:17, 21:18).

4. What is the relationship between ‘elder’, ‘overseer’ (bishop), and ‘pastor’?

‘Elder’ and ‘overseer’ are often used interchangeably, and they overlap with the idea of ‘pastor’ (Acts 20:17, 28, Titus 1:5, 7).

‘Overseer’ (translated as ‘bishop’ in the KJV) comes from the Greek word episkopos which means guardian or superintendent. ‘Pastor’ is from the Greek word poimen, which means to shepherd.

‘Elder’ is the spiritual state of the person, ‘overseer’ is the office or job they hold, and ‘pastor’ is one of their main tasks and the gift they have (Ephesians 4:11)

5. What is the job of the elder?

• To feed and lead the flock of God as a shepherd overseer. Specifically, to
• Receive the offerings (Acts 11:30)
• Make doctrinal and ministry decisions (Acts 15)
• Help the saints mature so the ministry work gets done (Ephesians 4:11-13)
• Preach and teach (1 Timothy 5:17)
• Pray for the sick (James 5:14)
• Oversee the ministry and be examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:2-3)
• Protect the flock (Acts 20:28-30)

to be continued…