Elders and Deacons: How Church Offices Shape a People Who Look Like Jesus
Why do church offices matter? Not because they save us, but because they shape us.
Many leaders treat church polity as a side topic—tertiary, practical, even negotiable. It is true: we are not debating an attribute of God or the doctrine of inerrancy. Yet if Scripture speaks about the church’s structure, then wisdom invites us to listen. God, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, reveals His purposes not only in doctrines to believe but also in patterns to embody. Polity is one of those patterns.
William Williams, one of Southern Seminary’s founding professors, warned that many of the earliest, most damaging errors in church life were not doctrinal but governmental. That’s a sober caution. The way a church orders itself will either amplify or muffle the gospel it proclaims. The question every leader must ask is simple: What is shaping my convictions about church government—Scripture, tradition, pragmatism, or corporate models of efficiency? If Christ intends His church to serve the highest ends—growth in grace and the evangelization of the nations—then our structures should serve those ends.
The Thesis in a Sentence
The biblical offices of elder and deacon exist to model ordinary Christian faithfulness so the whole church can embody and extend the work of Christ. Elders lead and teach the Word; deacons serve through tangible acts of mercy. Together, they set the pace of godliness in a congregation that bears witness to Jesus in both word and deed—those “greater works” He promised (John 14:12).
What Are the “Greater Works”?
“Greater” in John 14:12 doesn’t mean more spectacular than walking on water or raising the dead. As Gerald Borchert notes, it is hard to imagine outdoing those signs. Rather, as Colin Kruse explains, the church’s works are greater in scope and clarity: post-resurrection believers testify to Christ’s finished work and the fuller in-breaking of His kingdom. The book of Acts shows that the ascended Christ continues His mission through His people, by the Spirit, with authority delegated to His church (Matt. 16:19). Our love, unity, and holiness become public proof that Jesus lives (John 13:35; Phil. 2:14–15).
So when we say “church,” we are not simply naming a pastor or a brand. A church is a covenanted body of believers who preach the Word, observe the ordinances, and pursue holiness together under Christ’s authority. Healthy churches are measured by the maturity of the whole body, not the charisma of a few.
Priesthood and Polity: Why Congregations Matter
Scripture calls believers a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:4–9). That reality leans away from distant hierarchy and toward congregational responsibility. Christians have historically organized under three broad forms:
Episcopalian (regional bishops with final authority)
Presbyterian (graded courts of elders, from local sessions to a general assembly)
Congregational (final earthly authority rests with the gathered church)
While our brothers and sisters practice the first two in good faith, a strong case can be made that congregationalism best reflects New Testament patterns. Jesus assigns weighty matters to the assembly: discipline and restoration (Matt. 18), guarding the gospel (Gal. 1), membership and reconciliation (1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 2). Letters are addressed to churches, not merely their officers. At the same time, believers are commanded to follow their leaders (Heb. 13:17). The congregation governs ultimately; elders lead practically and pastorally. Not every decision requires a referendum; many matters are entrusted to qualified leaders or subgroups (cf. 1 Cor. 6).
This vision demands more than consumer membership. As J. L. Reynolds put it, congregationalism requires a “Bible constituency”—men and women who know the Word, are indwelt by the Spirit, and take responsibility to discern Christ’s will together. Membership is not HOA dues; it’s Romans 12:1—a living sacrifice.
Elders: Shepherds Who Lead by the Word
One Office, Many Terms
“Elder,” “overseer,” and “pastor” describe the same role (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1–4). Elders shepherd people, not processes. Jesus is the Good Shepherd; undershepherds imitate His pattern of feeding, protecting, and leading.
Qualifications: Ordinary Holiness Made Visible
The lists in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 emphasize character—traits God expects of every Christian. D. A. Carson observes that almost every qualification is commanded elsewhere for all believers. Elders are not a spiritual elite; they are mature men who can serve as examples (1 Pet. 5:3). While questions about marriage, divorce, and experience require prudence, the central issue remains: Can this man model faithfulness in doctrine, family, and life? Note what Scripture does not require: a particular credential. Training is valuable; character is essential.
Responsibilities: Teach, Feed, Guard, Lead
Teach: Elders must be able to handle the Word (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9), exhort in sound doctrine, and refute error.
Feed: The flock needs more than content; they need nourishment from Scripture that sustains faith (Matt. 4:4).
Protect: Oversight includes warning against wolves and stabilizing the church against shifting winds of doctrine (Eph. 4:12–14).
Lead: The biblical idea of leadership (proistēmi) is careful stewardship (1 Tim. 3:5), not authoritarian control. Elders lead as servants, not as lords (1 Pet. 5:2–3).
Plurality: A Team, Not a Solo
The New Testament pattern is plural—elders in every church (Acts 14:23; James 5:14; Titus 1:5). A plurality rounds out gifts, corrects blind spots, shares burdens, and anchors a congregation beyond one person’s strengths and seasons. As Mark Dever notes, it increases continuity, maturity, and congregational buy-in.
Deacons: Servants Who Protect the Word by Meeting Needs
The Pattern of Christ the Servant
Isaiah calls the Messiah “My Servant,” and Jesus defines greatness by service (Mark 10:43–45). He dignifies towel-and-basin work and calls His church to do likewise (Phil. 2:5–11).
Qualifications: Character Without the Teaching Requirement
In 1 Timothy 3, deacons meet nearly identical character standards to elders, with one major difference: they are not required to teach. Their godliness is the point. Officers represent the church publicly; both must be exemplary.
Responsibilities: Clearing the Runway for the Word
Acts 6 provides the template. When tangible needs threatened to eclipse the apostles’ Word-and-prayer ministry, the church appointed qualified servants to ensure mercy needs were met without derailing gospel proclamation. John Piper summarizes well: deacons relieve pressures that would distract elders from their primary calling. John Hammett adds that Scripture’s lack of a rigid job description gives deacons flexibility to meet changing needs—from benevolence and logistics to member care and mobilization.
A Public Model of Humble Love
Deacons don’t just do tasks; they demonstrate a posture. Their visible humility disciples the whole church into the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:4–5). “Imitate your deacons as they imitate Christ.”
Offices That Form a People
When elders teach and shepherd, and deacons serve wisely and well, the result is not clericalism but healthy congregationalism. The keys of the kingdom (Matt. 16; 18) belong to the church, and these offices are God’s appointed means to help the whole priesthood mature (Col. 1:28–29; Eph. 4:12). Leaders are not finishers of the church’s work; they are foretastes—living previews of ordinary Christian faithfulness.
Practicing a “Moral Ecology”
The late Tim Keller often spoke about revival arising where personal piety, biblical orthodoxy, and cultural engagement converge in communities of prayer, confession, Scripture, and mutual care. That “moral ecology” isn’t produced by programs alone; it grows where leaders and members embody who they are in Christ—baptized into His death and raised to newness of life (Rom. 6:3–4). Structures don’t save, but the right structures can serve salvation as they train a people to love, repent, forgive, and witness together.
Three Postures for Leaders (and Everyone Who Follows Jesus)
Humility
Christ took the form of a servant and was obedient unto death (Phil. 2). As Phil Newton notes, such humility grows as we keep our eyes on the cross; the more we see His sacrifice, the less room there is for pride.Service
Greatness smells like sheep. Shepherds and servants do not hide behind pulpits or policies; they move toward needs with a towel in hand. If you love Christ, you will feed and tend His sheep.Love
Jesus loved His own to the end (John 13:1). The Lord’s servants must be kind, patient, and gentle—able to teach and eager to see God grant repentance (2 Tim. 2:24–26). Love puts others’ holiness above our convenience.
Conclusion: Structures That Sing
When elders and deacons embrace their callings, congregations learn to sing the gospel with their lives. The church’s authority is exercised with clarity and compassion; discipline restores the wandering; mercy reaches the hurting; missions advance as Spirit-filled people are sent (Acts 13:2–3). In such a church, Psalm 95’s invitation becomes our weekly reality: Come, let us sing to the Lord… let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! And Philippians 2:5–11 becomes our daily mindset until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
