Pastors and Deacons

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Although deacons certainly are a specified officer of the church and in their truest sense perform a vital role in its operation. I look on it also as an honorary role and with the shorter periods of service this give more people the opportunity to serve. However I have often wondered just where and when did the custom of Deacons functioning as Elders in Baptist Churches begin. The office of Elder and Deacon are entirely different however the Deacons function as Elders in all Baptist Churches that I have known. I am sure there is a reason other then its always been that way.

In reality, Paul wrote of elders as being another term for pastors. They were directed to "shepherd the church," which is the charge of the pastor.

1 Timothy 4, NASB
17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
18 For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."​

Obviously, the elder is a paid position. It is not an appointed administrative position, but is the role of pastor. Not that it makes any difference whatsoever what we call our volunteer administrators, but the concept that "elder" and "deacon" are completely separate offices is correct, but not in the sense that they are both laypersons. Clearly, the "elder" is actually the pastor. That is why Paul goes to such lengths to define the character of an elder. The only place he uses the Greek poimen, or pastor/shepherd, is Ephesians 4:11. "Elder" is the Greek presbuteros, which, in the Christian context, means those who preside over the churches. This could mean a layperson, but more likely is indicative of what we call the pastor.

 

[Tom Butler]

At one time, the church saturneptune and I serve considered adopting a deacon rotation, but concluded that such rotation requires a larger pool of qualified men than we had at the time. So, for us, a deacon is elected permanently.

And although our deacons consider themselves servants, our congregation does look to them for some degree of leadership. I think that's because as a general rule, deacons tend to be chosen because they are the wisest and most spiritual men in the church. (Or should be, anyway.)

We do have the office of elder. And bishop. They are personified by the pastor. In our church, the pastor/bishop/elder has authority to do certain things unilaterally by virtue of his office, and commensurate with the responsibilities he is expected to carry out.

Ideally, the pastor and deacons should be on the same page regarding the life of the church. Realistically, that may not always be the case. But our deacons (and our church) believe that we can have only one pastor at a time, and he should get the benefit of the doubt. We have concluded that when the deacons start acting like a "board," there is a potential for conflict.

As a result, our church has had a strong unity for a long time. We haven't had a church fight in years. I think we also remember when we did have conflict, and it was so distasteful that we vowed never to let it happen again.

Of course, we have to work at it, lest the old Devil sneak up on us cut us off at the knees.

 

[Herald]

I am curious, in the Baptist churches with elders and deacons, is elder considered a higher office because of its governing authority? If one group has term limits, do both have term limits? Do most deacons eventually become elders?

Higher office? No. Different office? Yes. Elders have responsibility for spiritual oversight and teaching. Deacons are predominately responsible for member care. Neither office is higher than the other, although both offices have defined roles.

 

[saturneptune]

Higher office? No. Different office? Yes. Elders have responsibility for spiritual oversight and teaching. Deacons are predominately responsible for member care. Neither office is higher than the other, although both offices have defined roles.

Also, when there is elder government, what do they have authority to vote on and what votes does the congregation retain?

 

[Herald]

Also, when there is elder government, what do they have authority to vote on and what votes does the congregation retain?

I will use my church as an example. We have elder rule but still retain a form of congregationalism. The membership votes on the budget, new members, and changes to the doctrinal statement. There is a process in our by-laws whereby an elder or deacon can be dismissed by a super majority vote (not a simple majority). That was included in our by-laws in order to make it more difficult for a schismatic movement to take over the church.

 

[Oldtimer]

So what is reason for a 3 year term ( constitution says so) and then what is the reasoning - why not 4, 5 or 6 years or even life.

How are familes chosen for the deacons - same age, older, family make up (DINK, lots of kids, single, teens w/o family, ect.)
Are non-member families assigned to a deacon

I wasn't a member of the church when by-laws were established, so can't answer specifically with regards to why 3 year active service was chosen. Believe, but don't know for sure, this was done some 25 years ago, after a church split.

As to families, an incoming deacon takes responsibility for families of an outgoing deacon. A deacon is assigned when a person becomes a member of the church. Since I'm not a deacon, I'm not privy to the details of that process. Never thought to ask either. From the assignment list, appears to be a general mixture of family types for each deacon.

Finally, while non-member families are not assigned to a deacon, the deacon fellowship doesn't ignore them either. More than once I've seen "active" and "reserve" deacons come to the aid of non-members when the need arose. With the church body, as a whole, when a need arises, "membership" takes a back seat. "Active" members of the body of Christ minister to those in need.

 

[Salty]

any new thoughts?

 

[Sapper Woody]

any new thoughts?

Lol. Salty, you went on a streak of necroposting, didn't you?

 

[Salty]

Lol. Salty, you went on a streak of necroposting, didn't you?

the internet says that a symptom of Insomnia is necroposting.

and if its on the net, its got to be true, right

 

[PreachTony]

Seeing older threads like this make me wish I'd found this place sooner. Since you've given the opportunity, I'll take a moment and describe how my church does things:

Pastor: Voted on yearly. The man elected Pastor is spoken to before the election of officers to determine that he feels a burden for the church and is willing to take the office. Elections are held on a Wednesday night in Conference, and the term runs through the Sunday evening before the next round of elections.

Some churches have two year terms. I know of one church that has a rule stating the Pastor is elected and is 'in office' until the Lord tells him to move on. You gotta love the autonomy of the Baptist church. Unlike a comment from back in 2013, we don't consider it "unhealthy" for a Pastor to move on after a few years. In fact, it's fairly common for a man to stay at a church only about three years or so. Some only stay one. A good friend of mine (one of the first pastors to give me an opportunity to preach) was at his first church for over 15 years.

Deacon: Not voted on. In my church, and in most every (small Baptist) church around my area, Deacon is a lifetime appointment. When you are ordained a Deacon in one church, if God leads you to another church and you join with them, by technicality you become a Deacon in the new church.

We take ordination of Deacons and Pastors extremely seriously.

 

[glazer1972]

Ours serve for life unless there is ever a need to discipline.