Elders and Deacons: Origin, Function, and Definition
The church, it would seem from the Scriptures, is given two perpetual offices by her Savior: namely, that of the elder and the deacon. Together elders and deacons represent Christ's ongoing and comprehensive care for the church and world. There are many ways we could come at this, but it might be interesting to: first, trace the origin of these two offices; second, identify their general function in the church; and then finally make our way towards a working definition.
1. Jesus
Any discussion of authority in the church has to start with Jesus. He is the Head (Col. 1:18), the Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20), the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4). All authority we are given in the church is derived from him. So we can learn what leadership in the church ought to look like by looking at how Jesus led. And as we look at him we recognize that he came to his people as a servant-leader. And he came as a servant-leader concerned primarily with the ministry of two things: word and deed.
That’s why, Matthew describes our Lord’s entrance into public ministry in this way: “He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23, emphasis added). Word and deed. Truth and love. When Christ walked the earth, he did not merely proclaim the kingdom, he presented and produced it. His preaching was confirmed with power. God is not just all talk. His checks don’t bounce. When he says he’s coming to love, to heal, to free, to save, that’s what he does. And Jesus seals this once and for all in his death and resurrection.
That’s why, Matthew describes our Lord’s entrance into public ministry in this way: “He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23, emphasis added). Word and deed. Truth and love. When Christ walked the earth, he did not merely proclaim the kingdom, he presented and produced it. His preaching was confirmed with power. God is not just all talk. His checks don’t bounce. When he says he’s coming to love, to heal, to free, to save, that’s what he does. And Jesus seals this once and for all in his death and resurrection.
2. The Apostles
And then this authority and ministry of Christ starts to pass to the church. Luke makes the connection between the word and deed ministry of Christ with that of the early church when he writes: “In the first book [the gospel of Luke], O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen” (Acts 1:1–2, emphasis added).
The implication of Luke’s statement is twofold for our discussion here:
- First, if Luke’s gospel only records what Jesus began to do and teach, then the book of Acts must record what Jesus continues to do and teach.
- But, second, this doing and teaching, this word and deed ministry, would now be by Christ’s Spirit in and through the church, particularly in and through “the apostles whom he had chosen.” Here is the first form of official leadership established by Christ in the New Testament church.
But something happens in Acts 6. The church has grown. It’s grown so big in fact that the apostles cannot possibly head up both the word and deed ministries in the church. The gospel they were preaching was being contradicted in the community as Greek widows were not being cared for like those of the Hebrews. When gospel word is not accompanied by gospel deed, the very gospel itself is at stake. So, we read that “the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (vv. 2–4).
“We need another office to take up the deed ministry, because we can’t neglect the word ministry.” And because of this new appointment of some to official leadership, we go on to read: “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem” (v. 7).
3. Elders and Deacons
Now, this vignette has critical implications for official leadership as it comes to be developed in the church.
The apostles, commissioned here to minister the word in particular, are seen in Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5 handing off this ministry to elders. This accounts for the one qualification that particularly distinguishes an elder from a deacon: he must be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2); and “[h]e must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9). He must be able to take the apostolic word and proclaim it to the church.
The office of deacon, on the other hand, is understood by many as having its roots in this original group of seven appointed to serve the church in gospel deed. Deacon (Gk. diakonos), after all, means servant. They are appointed both to liberate the elders to focus on the broader ministry of the word and to legitimize that ministry of the word by serving and loving those under the elders’ care. They exist to help the church make sure she isn’t just all talk, that the church’s checks don’t bounce, that the gospel has hands and feet, that we don’t say, “Be warm and filled in the name of Jesus” while we send them away cold and empty (James 2:16).
To put definitions on these two offices at this point:
It is a devastating thing that when so many think of church leadership the first thing that comes to mind is hypocrisy. God actually designed and established church leadership for precisely the opposite reason! They are to keep the church from hypocrisy. Gospel word without gospel deed is unloving. Gospel deed without gospel word is untrue. But Gospel word plus gospel deed is Christ. And so God establishes elders and deacons to help the church more effectively represent Christ to the world!
In all of this, we are not taking away from our passion for "every-member ministry." The church as a whole is commissioned by God to participate in this ministry of word and deed (1 Pet. 4:10-11). But God gives official leadership to help organize, equip, and stimulate such ministry in all the members.
Philippians 1:1 puts a nice cap on this discussion. Paul begins his letter to the church this way: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons . . . .” In the church you have the saints (members), who are under care of overseers (synonymous elsewhere with elders) and deacons, who were given their authority from apostles like Paul, who is himself a servant of, under the authority of, Christ Jesus.
The apostles, commissioned here to minister the word in particular, are seen in Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5 handing off this ministry to elders. This accounts for the one qualification that particularly distinguishes an elder from a deacon: he must be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2); and “[h]e must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9). He must be able to take the apostolic word and proclaim it to the church.
The office of deacon, on the other hand, is understood by many as having its roots in this original group of seven appointed to serve the church in gospel deed. Deacon (Gk. diakonos), after all, means servant. They are appointed both to liberate the elders to focus on the broader ministry of the word and to legitimize that ministry of the word by serving and loving those under the elders’ care. They exist to help the church make sure she isn’t just all talk, that the church’s checks don’t bounce, that the gospel has hands and feet, that we don’t say, “Be warm and filled in the name of Jesus” while we send them away cold and empty (James 2:16).
To put definitions on these two offices at this point:
- Elders are under-shepherds of Christ, appointed by the Holy Spirit, through the church, to serve by leading, especially in the ministry of gospel word.
- Deacons are assistants to the Elders, appointed by the Holy Spirit, through the church, to lead by serving, especially in the ministry of gospel deed.
It is a devastating thing that when so many think of church leadership the first thing that comes to mind is hypocrisy. God actually designed and established church leadership for precisely the opposite reason! They are to keep the church from hypocrisy. Gospel word without gospel deed is unloving. Gospel deed without gospel word is untrue. But Gospel word plus gospel deed is Christ. And so God establishes elders and deacons to help the church more effectively represent Christ to the world!
In all of this, we are not taking away from our passion for "every-member ministry." The church as a whole is commissioned by God to participate in this ministry of word and deed (1 Pet. 4:10-11). But God gives official leadership to help organize, equip, and stimulate such ministry in all the members.
Philippians 1:1 puts a nice cap on this discussion. Paul begins his letter to the church this way: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons . . . .” In the church you have the saints (members), who are under care of overseers (synonymous elsewhere with elders) and deacons, who were given their authority from apostles like Paul, who is himself a servant of, under the authority of, Christ Jesus.