Church leadership

Perhaps you could start by tracing the ministry of both Stephen and Phillip as presented in Acts.

 

Yet the text never calls them "deacon." Be careful not to say more that the text is saying.

Then we find the same verbal being used of the Apostles in v. 4, that is, being, if you will, "deacons" of the Word.

 

Wise words from The Sword and Trowel:

"an examination of the titles given to Church officers in the New Testament; and especially from those titles being sometimes interchangeably used. Paul styles himself a deacon in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, and yet at the commencement of both those epistles he styles himself an apostle. He speaks of Titus and certain brethren as the apostles of the Churches, and the term elder is applied both to bishops and deacons. This might be supposed to prove too much, as though there had been no separate offices in the Church. It goes, in fact, just to the extent we require, that distinct officers were recognized by the Church, but they were lovingly blended together. There was no contention about a name as expressive of an authority, which it would have been sacrilege for others to invade."

 

How about Scripture to support these conclusions?

 

Paul says deacons are men that have been proven (1 Ti 3:10).
Their qualifications are similar to that of an elder.


We’ve only got one deacon at my church but have a couple in the cue.

They are business men.
Some of them are would qualify to be elders but are much too busy running their businesses.
They are highly qualified, opinionated and able to lead others.

The position is designed to assist the elders; to initiate, organize, lead and recruit volunteers as well as to develop and secure resources.

These men are leaders!

Rob

 

Where did you get the idea that servants can't be leaders?

Paul calls himself and other elders "deacons".
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants [diakonos] through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
1 Corinthians 3:5 (ESV)

Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians ... "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." (4:1).

Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master." Matthew 10:24 (ESV)

IMO, as long as a deacon understands his role, subservient to the elders, he is still a servant.

Rob

 

The text identifes them as "servants" as it does everywhere the term "diakonos" is used. That an early translator decided to transliterate instead of translate that term (and also "baotizo") has proven unfortunate for many a church.

 

Yet most commentaries say thye were deacons. The other thing that is important to see is this.
Notice Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

The perfecting of Saints the work of the ministry the edifying of the church was given to Apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors-teachers. Notice what is missing from the SPIRITUAL leadership of the church, it is the deacon the "Diakoneo" these are not listed as perfecting the saints, the work of ministry or the edifyting of the church. They are not a part of the gifted men who are given charge of the Spiritual growth of the church.
Of in the time we live in the responsibilty has fallen to the Evangelists and Pastor-teacher.

 

It is translated as ministry in verse 4 that is when "Diakoneo" is used in this way:
of those who by the command of God proclaim and promote religion among men
of the office of Moses
of the office of the apostles and its administration
of the office of prophets, evangelists, elders etc.

So the apostles were to be given to ministry.

 

I like a good praise chorus, but those others you mentioned sound very intriguing to me! :thumbs::wavey:

 

http://www.sojournmusic.com/

Click on "albums" and you can listen to the newest work for free.

I recommend listening to the words in the songs -- most are Issac Watts hymns in the latest releases -- and don't get hung up by music style. It can change from week to week, and what was released on these albums is but one variation of each song.

 

It is not scriptural to do so. That is just no the nature of the calling. But churches use them as leadership to act as a buffer, much like a union rep, between the pastor and the church. It creates and ungodly division in the church.

 

Where in Acts 6 are they identified by that Greek term?

 

What commentaries are you reading?

I do understand the flow of Eph 4:11. I do agree that as a function that they are not part of Eph 4:11-12.

But no one can successfully deny that serving as deacons is not a leadership position in the local church. Why then would Paul single out deacons along with overseers (Phil 1:1)? And when would he expect so much in their person lives by way of qualification?

Leadership is influence, through inspiration, which is based on character and conviction - which also fits deacons as spelled out in 1 Tim 3.

 

Thanks. (I didn't think you were being unfair at all, I just thought that either you, or more likely I, may have misunderstood the other's terms.)

As I see it, autonomism of the local church is no more conducive to antinomianism than a hierarchical structure is. In the latter, a church might be acting in a certain way because that is what the hierarchy says.

In this country, Spurgeon and his church came out of the Baptist Union, not to set themselves free from God's ways, but quite the opposite.

But I realise I am wandering from the subject of the OP, so I'll leave it there.

 

They take care of the physical needs of the church and that is not a Spiritual Leadership role. The business affairs of the church are their responsibility as servants to the church not as overseers or leadeers but as presenting the church with recomendations as to the disbursement and care of the tables as it is called. As those responsible for the physical business Paul put the emphasis on their qualifications in order to keep them from giving the church a bad repeutation through their actions.

 

So biblical leadership is only confined to the realm of the spiritual?

 

Hey, I just listened to The Water and the Blood from the music link from your church.

I'm Lovin' it! VERY cool. I love the gritty electric slide guitar.

Are you familiar with these 2 fairly recent CD'S?...

1) The Spirit, the Water and the Blood...Ryan Delmore.

2) Signal Hill Revival...Chris Lizotte.

(The Lizotte one has ex-Black Crows lead guitar player Marc Ford playing lead guitar. Chris has been discipling him out in California.)

 

Acts 14: 23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
24 And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

When Paul and Barnabus set up churches they ordained elders and commended the churches to the Lord. Doesn't say they ordained Elders and Deacons. So the leadership of the church was that of Elders (Presbuteros).

Acts 15:4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

Look who came to together to consider the matter and ultimiately make the decision, it was the Apostles and Elders. Again no deacons were involved in the decision as to church policy.

Deacons are to take care of the physical needs of the church under the Pastors or Elders leadership, not vise versa, the deacon has no authority to tell the Pastor or Elder what he is to preach or teach or how the Spiritual beliefs of the church should be. The deacon is to take care of the business of the church as lead by the Pastor and of course in the matters of the physical business the whole church is to decide which way things should be disperesed and they choose who will be their deacons. Notice that too the deacons were not chosen by God but by the membership of the church. They also were not to be immediately placed in the position but were to be proven.
1 Timothy 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless, for the purpose of being found blameless.
Again and again we see deacons in places of servants not in leadership roles.