Elders & Deacons

The next big issue that has come out of 1 Timothy concerns leadership structures. I don't think the NT gives us a blueprint outlining the exact 'one size fits all' church leadership structure. A lot of the terms used in the NT were not yet formal roles. The classic one being 'Elder' which originally referred to the respect given to those who were older.

Nevertheless there are clear principles. The first one (which is expressed most clearly in Acts 6) concerns role delineation and delegation. Elders (or in Acts 6 the Apostles) have the role of prayer, teaching the word and pastoral oversight. Deacons are delegated authority to run ministries.

To my mind this has various implications:

• one of the key words is 'responsibility'. Defining roles is important. This is especially important in our culture where people tend to eschew responsibility unless it is rewarded highly (e.g. paid).
• ministry thrives when there is high accountability but low control. (That is when people are are held accountable but are given freedom to get on with their job without being micromanaged.)
• according to Acts 6 we will always be fighting against the Elders being 'sucked' into administration. Administration is important, so important in fact, that others need to do it well.
• However, in practice, the boundary between pastoral and administration is not always obvious and frequently overlaps. Therefore this issue is both important and difficult!