How Do You Find Elders and Deacons for a Healthy Church?

Seeking the Long-term Strength and Stability of the Church

For the last several months, we’ve been working through a part of the Bible called 1 Timothy. God gave us this part of the Bible through one of Jesus Christ’s chosen servants, named Paul. And Paul is being prompted by God’s Spirit, here, to write an important letter to one of his co-workers named Timothy. We’ve seen that Paul cares deeply about the spiritual health of Christians. And he’s been instructing Timothy to do and teach a number of things in order to bring stability and strength to the churches. (Instructions on overseers and deacons are part of this).

Early on in Chapter 2, Paul gave instructions about the importance of prayer in the church. When I preached two weeks ago, Paul gave instructions about the ways that men and women should relate in the context of the church. And today, Paul gives us some important instructions related to the oversight and structure of the church.

Specifically, Paul describes what church leaders should look like. He identifies the long-term leadership positions that should exist in the church. And he also describes the kinds of people who should hold these roles in the church. And, as I’ve been mentioning recently – we’re in a season where this is particularly important for us, as a church. Because next year, our hope is that we would be able to identify men from the congregation who fit the Biblical qualifications for church leadership mentioned here in 1 Timothy 3. So our text tonight is pretty important for all of us, because God’s Word tells us here what type of leadership we should be looking for, and what patterns of conduct and character we should be seeking to learn from our leaders.

So if you haven’t opened your Bible yet, please turn with me to 1 Timothy, Chapter 3. I’ll be reading verses 1 through 15. But before I do that, please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

How to Structure a Healthy Church (with Elders and Deacons)

In our text tonight, Paul points out four things that Timothy needs to know how to do, in order to promote the health and stability of the Church. Timothy needs to know how to organize the church, how to identify an overseer (or an elder – the Bible makes it clear in Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5 that elders and overseers are different words for the same thing), how to identify a deacon, and how to encourage a right view of church leadership. And so these will be my four main points as we work through our text: how to organize the church, how to identify an overseer, how to identify a deacon, and how to rightly view of church leadership.

How to Organize the Church

As Paul lays out the instructions we just read (about overseers and deacons) – we see that the first thing he’s doing, is he’s reminding Timothy how to organize the church. And I say that it’s a reminder, because Paul doesn’t feel any need to explain what these overseers or deacons are. Timothy already knows what they are. Paul and Timothy have already been planting churches together, and they’ve been appointing elders and deacons for the church in each town – so Timothy already has an idea of how the church should be organized. This is just a reminder.

But for many of us, Jesus’s plan for church government and church leadership – it may not be something we’re used to. Some of us may come from churches where the church didn’t have elders and deacons. We might be from churches where there was just one primary church leader – the pastor. Or we might come from churches where the decisions were made by committees, or where the decisions were made by an individual church official or bishop that was overseeing a region of churches.

But when the apostles proclaimed the good news about Jesus, and set up churches – they had a very intentional, consistent way of structuring the church. In Acts 14:23, Paul appointed multiple elders – multiple overseers – in every church. And when Paul comes to Jerusalem in Acts 15, we’re told in verse 2 that he’s met by the apostles, yes – but he’s also met by the elders who have been appointed as the next generation of leadership in the Jerusalem church. So God’s plan for church structure is that churches would be led by elders – and (as we see later in our text) that churches would also be led by deacons. And once you’ve noticed this – you’ll see many other places in the Bible that talk about elders and deacons. This is the plan that the apostles handed down for how churches should be overseen and organized. Of course, clearly, that’s the plan Paul hands down to Timothy in these verses. And that’s why, as a church, we have a form of church government which simply consists of elders and deacons – rather than setting up different categories of church leadership that don’t have Biblical warrant – like archbishops, cardinals, or popes.

But even though we can probably see, from our text, that God’s plan is for overseers and deacons to have responsibility for the church, it still might not be clear what these two groups of church officers even are – what they’re supposed to do, or what makes them different from each other.

In other parts of the Bible – in Acts 20 and in 1 Peter 5 – you can find helpful summaries that explain what an elder’s job is. It involves watching himself, watching over the spiritual health of others, shepherding and leading people into the green pastures of God’s Word, overseeing the decisions and direction of the Church, and setting an example for their fellow Christians to follow. And later on, here in this letter – in 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul does something else that’s helpful for us. He summarizes all these elder responsibilities into two categories: ruling and teaching. Even though Paul acknowledges that all elders have the responsibility of ruling well, he confirms that there are certain elders who will be especially involved in preaching and teaching. And this is why, in a Presbyterian Church like our church in Mt Pleasant, we have a distinction between Ruling Elders and Teaching Elders. Ruling elders are the elders put forward from the congregation to share in the spiritual discipleship and discipline of the church. And teaching elders, in addition to doing that, are the preachers – commonly called the pastors. And together, ruling elders and teaching elders have the same authority – their votes have the same weight – and together they care for God’s people in the Church. That’s what an elder does.

The role of deacon is a bit different. Because even though it involves spiritual care for people, the work of a deacon is generally to provide spiritual care through physical means. The word deacon itself literally means “servant.” The deacon serves those in the church and community who are sick, widowed, lonely, and needy – and this isn’t done singlehandedly. But the deacon leads and organizes the church into caring for people like this. Even though the word deacon isn’t used in Acts Chapter 6, most scholars believe that it’s talking about the first group of deacons who were appointed in the New Testament. There was a conflict that came up because the needy Jews who spoke Aramaic were getting more food and better treatment than the Jews who spoke Greek. And so the twelve apostles, who wanted to focus on preaching the Word and prayer – they set apart seven men to oversee the distribution of food and the other practical needs of the Church. From what we see in Scripture, that’s the type of labor and leadership that deacons are intended to carry out in the church.

How to Identify an Overseer (Elder)

But even when people like Timothy can confidently say that they know that they know that overseers and deacons are important for organizing the church – there’s still the question: how are we supposed to know if someone is ready and qualified to do the work? This is what we’ll start looking at in my second main point: How to Identify an Overseer.

In verses 2 through 7, that’s really what Paul focuses his attention on. He gives a long list of personal qualities that someone must have in order to be an overseer. And we can summarize the list under five points – they all happen to begin with “P.”

Personal Character

First, Paul tells us that an elder should have personal character. Personal character. In verse 2, Paul says that an overseer, “must be above reproach,” a faithful husband to one wife – a man who’s sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable – and in verse 3, we see that he should not be a drunkard, he should not be violent but must be gentle, and he should not be quarrelsome, or a lover of money. He must be a man of personal character.

Of the five qualifications I mention, this is the one Paul mentions first, and the qualification that he gives the most attention to. If elders are going to be leading others to Christ, they must be followers of Christ themselves. The elders must be models of Christlike integrity, so that they can train the Church in what it looks like to live by faith in Jesus.

So elders must be committed to their wives, without chasing after graphic images or other relationships. Elders need to be clear thinkers who aren’t overly impulsive, awkward, or anti-social. Those who are mastered by alcohol or other addictive cravings, instead of being mastered by God – they shouldn’t be elders. And neither should men who find pleasure in violence – who are heavy-handed and aggressive instead of gentle. Men who are argumentative – who have a practice of stirring up disagreement in the Church – Paul says that such men are not qualified to be elders. And elders must not be lovers of money, but lovers of generosity – the type of people who will open their homes, and open their hearts to be a friend or a father-figure to others in the church.

The bar for elder here is high – it’s intentionally high. Being an elder isn’t open to any random person who might decide to volunteer. Instead, for the strength and health of the church, we’re told that elders must be rock solid in their personal character.

Productive Communication

The second qualification Paul mentions is that men must have productive communication. They must be able to teach – which is what Paul says at the very end of verse 2. Elders – especially those who labor in preaching and teaching – but really, all elders need to be convinced of sound doctrine, and they need to be able to communicate it to others – in counseling situations, in classrooms, in conversations – elders must be able to teach – because the church needs to be taught God’s Word correctly and clearly for her long-term vitality.

Paternal Management

But Paul mentions a third qualification in our text. An elder must be active in the paternal management of his home. Paternal management. We see this in verse 4. Paul says that he – the elder – must manage his household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive [verse 5], for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”

So there are actually two things Paul’s telling us here. For one thing, Paul’s making it clear that the role of elder is intended for men – not women. I preached on this on Sunday evening when it was mentioned in our text a couple weeks ago. Paul isn’t saying that women are physically or mentally incapable of teaching, or governing, or making decisions. Instead, Paul is simply acknowledging that God has made men and women differently, to carry out different roles in the home and in the church. God has given husbands and fathers the primary responsibility to provide spiritual direction and oversight for their families. And God intends that the spiritual management for the larger household of the Church would likewise be carried out by qualified men.

Yet the other thing that we see from verses 4 and 5, here, is that the fitness of a man to serve the church can be determined by looking at the way that he serves and leads the people in his household. If men aren’t taking time at home to invest spiritually in their children, if they aren’t praying for their family, if they aren’t even consistently reading the Bible themselves – then those men shouldn’t be elders. It doesn’t matter how much those men might look like leaders, or how successful they are in their professional life – if they aren’t involved in the spiritual care of people in their own homes, then they aren’t ready to be leaders in the church.

Proven Faith

And Paul goes on from here to mention a fourth qualification – that elders must be men of proven faith. In verse 6, Paul says that a man being considered for elder “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” Just as the devil got arrogant, and desired to rule God’s people for selfish gain – the same danger is true for young converts who are put into a position of leadership. There’s the temptation to think that the Church is simply another sphere for job advancement – another place to gain influence, or to make a name for yourself. Elders will be tempted to use church authority to serve themselves, rather than to serve the sheep. And so Paul insists – elders must be men who have weathered difficult situations, who have shown victory in their struggle against sin, who have produced good fruits of the Spirit – they must be men of proven faith.

Public Reputation

And then fifth, and lastly, Paul tells us that elders must have a public reputation – a positive reputation. In verse 7, Paul says that elders must be “… well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” An elder shouldn’t have a reputation for being rude or antagonistic toward people outside the Church. Instead, Paul tells us that elders should display integrity and kindness that wins the respect of outsiders, and that sets an example for the Church members under their care.

So Paul wants us to know – those are five qualities that a man should have in order to be an elder: Personal character, productive communication, paternal management, proven faith, and a public reputation (a good one).

How to Identify a Deacon

As we come to my third main point, though: how to identify a deacon – we’ll move a bit faster, because many of the expectations are the same. In verse 8, we’re told that deacons, likewise, must have personal character. Like the elders, they must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.” Deacons also need to be paternal managers of their homes. Verse 11 says they should have respectable wives, and verse 12 says they should be able to manage their children and household. And then in verse 10, we see that deacons, like elders, also need to be men of proven faith. Paul says that deacons should be “…tested first, then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.” The qualifications for elder and deacon are almost the same – but there are a couple minor differences I’ll point out.

First, you’ll notice that there’s no requirement for deacons to be “able to teach.” The work of deacons isn’t primarily a teaching or pastoral role, and so it makes sense that this wouldn’t be necessary. But even though this is true, Paul still insists that it’s necessary for deacons to be well-grounded in sound doctrine. In verse 9, he says, “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” Deacons must be able to affirm the glorious teachings of the Church, with a clear-conscience ability to say, “Yes, I know the teachings of Christianity, and this is what I believe.”

The second thing you’ll notice, too, is that Paul inserts a brief word here to describe what a deacon’s wife should be like. As the deacons lead and organize the church to care for the material needs of people in the church, it’s recognized here that some of the primary people mobilized by the deacons will be their wives. And because a deacon’s wife will have more awareness and involvement in supporting her husband’s work than other people in the church might have – Paul says that it’s important for these women to be dignified and sober-minded. She can’t make demeaning, slanderous comments about the poor and needy families in the church that they’re serving. In whatever way she assists her husband, she should be faithful in all things. So ultimately, we see here that deacons must be men who can lead others, including their wives, into charitable, cheerful service to others.

How to View Church Leadership (and Value Elders and Deacons)

But from our texts, there’s one more thing Paul tells us about that I’d like to give some attention to. He tells how to view church leadership. And he actually does this in two ways – he speaks to two different types of people. First, he speaks to those who are considering church leadership – who are perhaps sensing a call to serve as an overseer or a deacon. Back in verse 1 – Paul says, “The saying is trustworthy: if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” – or literally, “a good work.”

And so Paul’s point here is that it isn’t wrong for someone to desire to serve the church as an officer. It’s a good desire. Of course, it’s important to point out – you don’t need to be an elder or deacon in order to have an important role in the church. Every part of Christ’s body is important. We all have different functions that are valuable for building up the Church in truth and love – and you don’t have to be a church officer in order to do that.

But Paul explains, that when men desire to carry responsibility, in order to safeguard and serve the faith of other people – that’s a good desire. Now certainly, some people can have a wrong idea of church leadership, and they might desire it for wrong reasons – because they’re selfishly trying to draw attention to themselves, or to have influence over people. But being an elder really doesn’t bring much power or personal privileges. It often brings heartache. It means extra meetings, bigger responsibilities to pray and care for people beyond your immediate family – it brings work. But Paul wants to encourage young men and old men alike – it’s a good work. It’s an important work.

Paul further describes how beneficial it is in verse 13. He says that those who serve well as church officers – they gain good standing – a position that’s truly honorable. And it deepens their reassurance of the Christian faith, as they see how the resurrected Christ continues to care for his church.

But this role isn’t just good for the person who ends up serving as an elder or a deacon – it’s good for the whole church! When Jesus gives us overseers to keep watch on our souls, he isn’t setting up a government for the church that’s inherently burdensome and oppressive. Just the opposite is true.

Because “the saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task – a good work.” And we can know that it’s good for us because we know that the King and Head of the Church is unchangeably good to us. When King Jesus came to earth, he didn’t come to slavedrive us and to harass us. But instead he came to save us. Jesus was watching out for your soul, when he descended from heaven to carry your sin to the cross. He was serving his needy people, when he came to take away our filthy rags of wickedness, and to dress us with the royal robes of his righteousness. Jesus has cared for his people in the past – and this same Jesus, who is alive in heaven, seated at the right hand of God – this same Jesus is continuing to care for his people through the work of his overseers and deacons. Faithful church government and church leaders are gifts to us, from Christ himself. And so as we close, let’s thank God for his good gifts. Please pray with me: