Church & Stewardship · Elders & Deacons
presbyteros (elder/overseer) · diakonos (deacon) · the two enduring offices of the local church
Christ governs His church through qualified elders who shepherd and teach, and deacons who serve — character before gifting, plurality not one-man rule
Two offices · one Shepherd
The New Testament uses three terms for the same leading office: πρεσβύτερος (elder — maturity), ἐπίσκοπος (overseer/bishop — function), and ποιμήν (shepherd/pastor — care). In Acts 20:17, 28 Paul calls the Ephesian elders and tells them the Spirit made them overseers to shepherd the flock — all three words, one group of men.
Alongside the elders stand the διάκονοι (deacons — servants), set apart to handle the church’s practical and material needs so the elders can devote themselves to prayer and the word (the pattern of Acts 6:1–4). Two offices, distinct in calling, both essential, both governed first by character.
The apostolic pattern of appointing elders; the office and its three names; the qualifications that gate it; the work of shepherding and teaching; and the deacons who serve alongside.
No church was left without shepherds.
χειροτονήσαντες δὲ αὐτοῖς πρεσβυτέρους κατʼ ἐκκλησίαν
cheirotonēsantes … presbyterous kat’ ekklēsian
So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas did not plant and abandon; they appointed elders in every church. Titus was left in Crete for exactly this: “appoint elders in every city as I commanded you” (Titus 1:5). Note the plural — a team of elders, not a lone ruler.
Elder, overseer, shepherd.
ἐν ᾧ ὑμᾶς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἔθετο ἐπισκόπους, ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν
… etheto episkopous, poimainein …
Take heed … to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
To the same men (“elders,” v.17) Paul says the Spirit made them overseers to shepherd the flock. Peter does the same: elders, “shepherd the flock … serving as overseers” (1 Pet 5:1–2). The office is one; the three words describe its dignity, its duty, and its heart.
Qualification is who you are.
δεῖ οὖν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνεπίληπτον εἶναι … διδακτικόν
dei … ton episkopon anepilēpton einai … didaktikon
An overseer then must be blameless … temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach.
The lists in 1 Tim 3:1–7 and Titus 1:6–9 are almost entirely about character, with one ability added: he must be able to teach and to “convict those who contradict” sound doctrine. He must also be “the husband of one wife” and manage his own household well — a faithful man, tested first at home.
Lead by example, not by lording.
ποιμάνατε τὸ … ποίμνιον … μηδʼ ὡς κατακυριεύοντες … ἀλλὰ τύποι γινόμενοι
poimanate … mēd’ hōs katakyrieuontes … alla typoi
Shepherd the flock of God … not as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
Elders shepherd (feed, lead, protect), teach sound doctrine (Titus 1:9), guard against wolves (Acts 20:29–31), and watch over souls as those who must give account (Heb 13:17). Authority is real — but exercised by example, never domination.
Freeing the elders for word and prayer.
διακόνους ὡσαύτως σεμνούς, μὴ διλόγους
diakonous hōsautōs semnous, mē dilogous
Deacons likewise must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money.
The word means servant. The seven of Acts 6:1–6 are the pattern: godly men set over practical needs so the apostles could give themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Deacons are gated by character too (1 Tim 3:8–13) — proven, then serving (v.10).
Christ’s design is corrupted two ways. On one side, a single man rules unchecked — no plurality, no accountability, the very “lording it over” Peter forbids. On the other, the office is emptied: a leaderless congregation where everyone leads and no one shepherds, or where elders are chosen by popularity and gifting rather than tested character. The biblical path is a plurality of qualified, accountable shepherds who lead by example under the Chief Shepherd.
ἀλλʼ ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν Διοτρέφης οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς
… ho philoprōteuōn … Diotrephēs …
Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.
John names a man who loved first place and ruled by control. Plurality of elders is God’s safeguard against the domineering single ruler — “not lording it over the flock” (1 Pet 5:3).
τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ καὶ καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρους
… katastēsēs kata polin presbyterous
…set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city.
A church without appointed elders is described as “lacking” and out of order. Leadership is not optional structure but apostolic command — Christ rules His people through shepherds He appoints, gated by His qualifications.
Every elder is an under-shepherd; the flock is not his, but Christ’s, “purchased with His own blood.” He leads by example, feeds with the word, guards from error, and serves the people’s souls. The deacons serve the body’s needs in the same spirit. Neither office is about status or power; both are about laying down your life for the sheep, as the Lord did — and one day giving Him a joyful account.
1 PETER 5:4 · THE CROWN THAT DOES NOT FADE
καὶ φανερωθέντος τοῦ ἀρχιποίμενος κομιεῖσθε τὸν ἀμαράντινον τῆς δόξης στέφανον
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Shepherd the flock of God among you (1 Pet 5:2) — not for gain, but willingly, as serving the Lord.
Sincere churches order these offices somewhat differently. Some hold a strict plurality of equal elders; some distinguish a “teaching elder” or lead pastor among the elders; some (episcopal traditions) keep a separate office of bishop over local presbyters, reading the New Testament terms as later distinguished. Congregational, presbyterian, and episcopal polities all claim biblical footing for how authority flows. This study takes the most widely shared New Testament pattern: a plurality of elders (= overseers = pastors) leading each local church, with deacons serving — both offices gated by the character lists of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
What all can hold: the offices are real and Christ-given; character is the primary qualification, not charisma or success; elders must be able to teach and guard sound doctrine; leadership is plural and accountable, never domineering; and every under-shepherd answers to the Chief Shepherd. The companion studies on the church (ἐκκλησία) and on apostolic church-planting set these offices in the wider life and founding of the church.
The three terms are used interchangeably of one office. In Acts 20:17, 28 the “elders” are made “overseers” who “shepherd”; in Titus 1:5, 7 Paul shifts from “elder” to “overseer” for the same person mid-sentence; 1 Pet 5:1–2 joins all three. “Pastor” (shepherd) is simply the care-word for the same role (Eph 4:11). One office, viewed from three angles: maturity, oversight, and care.
Strikingly, the qualification lists are almost all about character — self-control, faithfulness in marriage and home, hospitality, gentleness, freedom from greed and drunkenness, a good reputation even with outsiders — with “able to teach” the one skill named. The church is not to crown the most talented or charismatic, but the most proven. Gifts can be counterfeited; tested godliness over time is harder to fake. “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily” (1 Tim 5:22); “let them first be tested” (1 Tim 3:10).
| Theme | Key texts |
|---|---|
| Appointed in every church | Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5 |
| One office, three names | Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Pet 5:1–2; Eph 4:11 |
| Qualifications | 1 Tim 3:1–7; Titus 1:6–9 |
| The work | 1 Pet 5:1–4; Heb 13:17; Acts 20:28–31 |
| Deacons | Acts 6:1–6; 1 Tim 3:8–13 |