Elders and Deacons
Message delivered by the Rev Jeffrey Khoo at True Life BPC, 10 April 2011
God has given many spiritual gifts to the church so that the church might be built up in the faith, but in terms of church offices, there are only two—the elder and the deacon. They are official appointments of service. They are those who will govern and manage the church, and take care of the spiritual and physical needs of the church.
What are the biblical qualifications of an elder and a deacon? Not anyone or everyone in the church can be appointed elders and deacons. What are the qualities we should look for in appointing members of the church to such positions of leadership and service?
1 Timothy 3:1-16 gives us a list of things to look for.
Elder
The word used in verse 1 is “bishop” (episkopos, literally “to watch over”). He is an overseer. This is the duty of the church elder (the presbyter). The terms “bishop” and “elder” are used interchangeably and speak of the same office and function (eg, presbteros in Acts 20:17, and episkopos in Acts 20:28).
In the Presbyterian system, the elders are of two types: (1) the teaching elder and (2) the ruling elder. The teaching elder is the pastor or the minister, set apart especially for the ministry of the Word and prayer. The ruling elder co-labours with the pastor in the governing and discipline of the church. A church should have more than one elder—the plurality of elders is the form of church government in the Presbyterian system, for in a “multitude of counsellers there is safety.” (Prov 24:6).
The office of eldership involves a call, and this call comes from above. It is a holy desire and a strong conviction to serve in this capacity, not for selfish ambition and gain, but to the glory of God and for the edification of the church. Note that the word “desire” here is used twice in verse 1, both are different Greek words, orego and epithumeo. Orego literally means to stretch out your hand to get something, and epithumeo speaks of intense passion or feelings. It goes without saying that such a desire must come from the Lord. The office of an elder is not a profession but a vocation—it involves a call from God, and this call is irresistible. And if the Lord wants you to serve Him in that capacity, you will know for sure without doubt for He will indicate it very clearly to you.
The office of eldership involves work. It is described as good work. It is good work because it is based on the good book. The elder must thus be skilled in the good book. And that is why those who want to be pastors in the church must go through theological training. The pastoral work requires serious preparation in Bible school where the Bible student is tried and tested, drilled and grilled (like in SAFTI).
General Qualifications
(1) Blameless. The elder must be blameless (v2). The word “blameless” in the original literally means “cannot be taken hold upon.” In other words, he is irreproachable. No one can take a hold of him and charge him for heresy or dishonesty. He is a man of sound faith and integrity. Of course, being blameless here does not mean sinless perfection for none is perfect at this point in time. Here it simply means that he is guarded in all his ways so as to have a good reputation among people, and is above board in his general way of life.
Moral Qualifications
(2) The husband of one wife. He is male and married. Literally in the Greek, he is a “one-woman man.” The emphasis here is on the numeral one. In other words, he is monogamous, and not an adulterer or a divorcee.
Mental Qualifications
(3) Vigilant (literally, he is a nondrinker). Wine makes a person sleepy and confused, but a non-drinker is alert and awake, and thinks clearly and sharply.
(4) Sober (literally, he is sound minded or serious minded). He is not a clown, not a jester.
(5) Of good behaviour. The Greek word here is kosmion (English: cosmetics). He is orderly in conduct. He leads a disciplined life.
(6) Apt to teach. He has the spiritual gift of teaching. He is able to expound and communicate the truth of God’s Word clearly.
Personality
(7) Given to hospitality (literally, he is loving to strangers). He delights in receiving people into his house, to provide shelter and food to those in need.
(8) Not given to wine. (literally, “without wine beside”). You will not see him holding the Bible in one hand, and a wine bottle in the other.
(9) No striker. He is not a man who talks with his fists.
(10) Not greedy of filthy lucre. Not a gambler, not a cheat, a conman, or a swindler.
(11) Patient. He is gentle and fair. He allows due process. He gives people time to repent, to change their ways, to grow in their spiritual life.
(12) Not a brawler. Not contentious. Not someone who likes to pick a fight. He contends for the faith but is not contentious. He is not brutishly aggressive or foolishly offensive. Not like a gangster or a mafia boss.
(13) Not covetous (literally, not a money-lover). This is because “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim 6:10). Not materialistic.
Domestic Qualifications
(14) Ruleth his house well. He takes care of his family and provide for their needs. He is not dominated by his wife but leads and instructs her. His children are disciplined and not unruly.
Christian Experience
(15) Not a novice (literally, a neophyte). Not a new shoot, but a grown tree, ie, spiritually mature. A novice is easily tempted to be proud and conceited.
(16) A good report of them which are without. In the estimation of unbelievers, he is a decent man who does no harm to others; not a criminal, not of shady character. He is innocent and honourable, and invites no sinister thoughts from the public.
Deacon
The word “deacon” comes from the Greek diakonos which means “servant” or “attendant.” In Acts 6:3, 4, we find deacons being appointed to assist the apostles in the administration of the church. This was done so that the apostles could concentrate on the ministry of the Word and prayer.
What are the qualifications for this office? They are as follows:
(1) Grave. He should be a man of dignity and worthy of respect. He is not a light-hearted but a serious man.
(2) Not doubletongued. He is a man of his word. He speaks honestly and truthfully. He is not a gossiper, a rumour-monger, slanderer, flatterer etc. He is not talkative but is able to control his tongue.
(3) Not given to much wine. He is not a drunkard or an alcoholic. Note that the elder is to abstain from drinking (v3), and this applies to the deacon also. The statement here is prohibition not permission, and thus should not be taken to mean that a deacon can indulge in occasional or moderate drinking. High standards apply to both offices. There is no discrimination.
(4) Not greedy of filthy lucre. Since deacons will be handling funds—the tithes and offerings of the church—they should have a clean heart that hates corruption and abhors stealing. Like the elders, he must not be a gambler, not a cheat, a conman, or a swindler. He is not a Judas Iscariot who as treasurer of the apostolic band stole from the money bag, and not only that sold the Lord for 30 pieces of silver.
(5) Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. A deacon is not required to have the gift of teaching, but he must be one who is well grounded and settled in the fundamentals of the Christian Faith. With a pure conscience, he believes without doubt the perfection of Christ and the perfection of His Word. As far as True Life BPC is concerned, a deacon must subscribe to the doctrinal constitution of the church and take the Dean Burgon Oath without reservations. If he cannot, he should refrain from taking office.
(6) Be proved … found blameless. Candidates must be tried and tested and found trustworthy. As such, a deacon must not be a novice/neophyte, but a spiritually mature Christian. He is observed to be an active and a responsible member in the church. (Warning: God forbid that we appoint people to positions of responsibility in order to keep them in church or get them to be active in church.)
(7) Husband of one wife (ie not a bigamist or polygamist, an adulterer, or divorcee). Their wives are also women of dignity (v8), not slanderers (me diabolous literally “not devils or demons”, because the devil is the father of lies, and the accuser of the brethren). Many a church is destroyed by deacons who have wives who are slanderers, gossipers and talebearers. The wives must be sober or level-headed (v2). They are faithful in their duties as helpers to their husbands, mothers to their children, and servants in the church. Deacons must also show themselves to have orderly homes and children.
It is a privilege to serve the Lord as an elder or a deacon. With all the qualifications in mind, may the members of the church exercise their duty to elect such men into office. Let us do so with much prayer and wisdom from on high.
