Part 1: Introduction | Part 2: Accessing the Enablement
Paul now turns to a discussion of ministry as it is evidenced in church offices. Because we’re pursuing the way “ministry” works for all believers, this is not our primary point, but before delving into that more deeply, we can benefit by seeing how it works for those in ministry offices in the church.
We’ve noted earlier that in Acts 6 both the apostles and the presumed first deacons were described as “ministering,” or serving. It’s certainly no stretch, then, to expect that pastors, who initially served under apostolic authority, should be ministers, or servants, as well.
The New Testament uses three different terms for the pastoral office, reflecting their key spheres of service. They are called “pastors,” or shepherds, because they feed and protect the sheep, the members of the body, primarily through their preaching from the Scripture. They’re also called “elders” because they offer wisdom to their flock through their counsel. And finally they’re called “overseers” (KJV sometimes “bishops”) because they administer the church’s affairs and see that everything gets done, primarily through the Spirit’s gifting of the members of the body.
Here Paul uses the third term, “overseer,” to list the requirements for one serving in the office (1Ti 3.1-7). We note immediately the emphasis we’ve already seen on selflessness; the overseer is focused not on his own benefit, but on others. He must control his own behavior and be able to host and teach others (1Ti 3.2); he must not be focused on his own profit (1Ti 3.3); he must care appropriately for his family (1Ti 3.4-5); he must exhibit the wisdom of experience (1Ti 3.5); he must have a good reputation (1Ti 3.7). All of this focuses not on his own worth, but on his ability to interact effectively with others–those he is serving.
Next Paul turns to the other church office, the one labeled by our word, diakonos (servant). Not surprisingly, the deacons are held to the same standards as the pastors, all of which focus on his ability to serve others (1Ti 3.7-13). The key difference in these two lists of qualifications is that the pastor must be “apt to teach” (1Ti 3.2); the deacon’s responsibilities do not necessarily call for that.
A quick consideration of an oddity here. One verse lists requirements for deacons’ “wives” (1Ti 3.11). I say it’s odd because there are no such requirements listed for elders’ wives: wouldn’t their character be important too?
I note that Greek has no distinct word for “wife” or “husband”; they just say “woman” or “man,” and the reader is expected to understand from context which of the two possible translations to use. So is Paul talking here about the deacons’ “wives” or about the “women [deacons]”? Given the fact the he doesn’t speak of elders’ “wives,” I think the latter is more likely. I’m a complementarian, but I see no reason why Paul would restrict deacons to men as he does elders.
As I noted earlier in the series, a great many Baptist churches in the US have a deacon board that is actually an elder board; they have governing authority over the church. If the Scripture teaches that women are not to hold the pastoral office, then no, women shouldn’t be “deacons” in such churches, in my opinion. But I think a better approach is to call offices by their appropriate names and open them to as broad a range as is biblically appropriate.
Paul closes this chapter by reasserting the importance of proper behavior in the church because of the importance of the church itself. The church is “the house of God,” “the church of the living God,” “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1Ti 3.15). It is the body of God himself, incarnate and now forever glorified (1Ti 3.16).
This is serious, serious business. And ministry in and to this body is so centrally important that both of church’s offices are focused on it, and it is the primary task of every single one of its members.
So let’s dig as deeply as we can into what ministry looks like.
Photo by Mélyna Côté on Unsplash
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