Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.
Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...
Who Are Overseers and Deacons?
Most scholars read this as the two offices set by the Scriptures for the leadership and functioning of the church.
Overseers are sometimes also called bishops, or elders. In our church we call them elders, though you can also call them pastors.
There is much written about the overseers' qualification requirements, role and function in the scriptures. Most notably, 1 Timothy 3:1-13 talks about both overseers and deacons.
One pastor, Jeff Vanderstelt, of Soma Communities teaches that the bible calls elders to serve 1) Over, 2) Among and 3) Under the local church members and we can look at scripture to clarify that.
Elders serve OVER the flock: Obviously the term is "over"-seer. And while we live in a culture that bristles with the very mention of someone serving over us, the Scriptures put the weight of the office on the elder, not those being overseen. For one, elders are to understand that they will have to give an account to God for how they lead:
"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account..." (Hebrews 13:17a)
Further, elders are instructed to utilize their leadership role for the good of the flock, not primarily for the good of the leader:
"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly" (1 Peter 5:1-2)
Most importantly, Elders are encouraged to lead as ones who understand the value God places on His church:
"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28 ESV)
Elders serve AMONG the flock: The Apostle Paul speaks to the importance of church leaders to see and be seen by the church members in the everyday rhythms of life. What elders pass on to the next generation is more Caught than Taught. "Catching" what it means to be a follower of Jesus happens in life more than it does in pews.
Elders today can learn from the Example Paul left for the elders in Ephesus:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:18-21)
This is why Paul told Timothy to "set an example" for believers, not only to teach a class or not to even ONLY Preach the Word. It is by seeing/hearing Timothy's words/actions/reactions in the mess of life that new believers are more likely "catch" what it is to live as a Christian in a broken world.
"...set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12a)
And Paul's words to the Corinthian church highlight two things 1) we should imitate the example of the elders who live among us 2) as the elders imitate Christ.
"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Our ultimate example of elder leadership is Jesus himself, who Was and Is above us, yet was not above dwelling among us so that we could learn from him.
Elders serve UNDER the flock: Again, more than any fallible human, our primary example of this "Servant Leadership" is Jesus himself.We will quickly look at two of Jesus' clearest instructions in this regard:
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:12-17)
When we read the passage above, we see that Jesus taught with words, only what he first demonstrated with action. Again, this goes back to the "caught, not taught" idea. Also, we see that we (whether you are an elder, deacon our member of the church), we are blessed IF WE DO these things. Jesus never taught, just so we would have head knowledge on a subject. He always taught for heart change and life transformation. It is a foolish leader who knows what is right but does not put what he knows into practice.
The other important passage where Jesus highlights the "Under" shepherding role of a church leader comes from the gospel of Mark:
And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)
Deacons are first mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 6:1-7. The deacons were first established to help care for the physical needs of the church, in order to free up the elders/overseers to devote their time to the spiritual guidance and leadership of the church - through preaching, prayer and the ministry of the Word.
Ultimately, the term deacon is the same as the term servant. In that sense, as we discussed in the article about our servant identity, all of us, no matter what our official role - should look for ways in which we can serve or "deacon" our brothers and sisters in the local body. This could be through helping with meals when someone is ill, assisting someone in home or car repairs if you are skilled to do so, doing your part to help maintain the church building, etc.
But the official role of deacon is set aside with qualification requirements in the Bible (1 Timothy 3:8-13) and carries a level of responsibility that is not demanded of other members of the church.
In our local church family, we may in fact entrust more responsibility to those designated in the actual role of Deacons than what is seen in the New Testament example. The way we phrase this in our church constitution is "The deacons serve in whatever capacity they are needed as determined by the elders." (Article VII)
Two final points.
1) There is a biblical warrant for a plurality of leadership in any local church. The two strongest reasons that our family has elders (plural) are that 1) it is biblical, 2) it protects against the dangers of placing too much authority in to one person and 3) it is impossible for a church leader to survive under the weight of the office, if he works alone (for further reading on that point, please read Exodus 18:13-27.
2) The first part of Hebrews 13:17 is quoted above as instruction to the overseers. It would also be good for us all to keep in mind the flip side of the verse, which reads, the part that speaks to our submission to the leadership:
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)
Remember that the leaders of your church are serving you for your good and God's glory. Do your part to help them continue to lead with joy, which will be to your advantage. 