The Believer's Overseers and Deacons

1 Timothy 3:1–16 ESV

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3 1-16

Sermon Title: The Believer’s Overseers and Deacons

           We are concluding our “Christ and the Believer” series this morning. We’re doing so by following up on last week’s message on 1 Corinthians 12. There we find instruction and encouragement about spiritual gifts and the church as a body in which every part is needed. We looked at how the gifts recognized in several places across the New Testament are gifts that God gives to believers—to every one of us, and each of us has a different gift or gifts. These gifts aren’t just abilities, but in certain cases they are specific callings. We heard the callings of apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, speakers, evangelists, and pastors.

           We believe there are other God-given callings as well. I’m talking about the offices in our form of church government—the offices of elders and deacons. Before we go to our passage, I want to share a couple parts of the introduction to the CRCNA’s Church Order. I know Church Order probably isn’t at the top of anyone’s reading list, and it’s not the most exciting thing to read, but this gives the purpose of a church order and what’s unique about our governance in particular. It says, “The Church Order is a document that shows how the congregations of the Christian Reformed Church in North America have decided to live together and to organize themselves…More than a contractual set of regulations or simply guidelines, the Church Order is really a record of our covenanting together within this denominational fellowship. As leaders and members and congregations…we promise to use these regulations to order our life together as a particular part of the body of Christ. And that covenant commitment is based on our belief that Christ is the head of the church and we, as Christ’s body, must reflect Christ in how we function, choose leaders, assemble, deliberate over issues, carry out the ministries and mission of the church, and hold one another accountable for all these things…”

Furthermore, “The CRCNA follows a Presbyterian form of church polity organized under governance by elders, as compared to Episcopal polities organized under governance by bishops (Roman Catholic, United Methodist, and Episcopal denominations) and Congregational polities organized under the governance of the local congregation (Congregational, Baptist, Disciples of Christ)...But…note that CRCNA polity is not exactly like that of Presbyterian denominations. Two particular differences include the fact that we have limited tenure for officebearers…and ministers’ credentials are held at the local council level, not at the regional (classical) level…Another key difference is that church polity in the CRCNA does not have confessional status and, therefore, the Church Order does not have the same authority as the creeds. The Church Order is subordinate to the creeds and confessions, which are subordinate to Scripture.” As we consider together how God’s word is applied in our setting, it’s good to have these understandings of our context in mind.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, there are different things that stand out in my mind about the offices of elder and deacon and those who served in them in the churches I grew up in. Elders were typically the ones who served communion, who would do house visitation, and, in certain churches, would all sit up in the front row for the whole service on a communion Sunday. I can remember at least one church where after the pre-service meeting and prayer in the Council room, one of the elders would walk with the pastor up to the front of the sanctuary or come in a door at the front and, before the pastor would ascend to the pulpit and the elder back to their seat, they turned to each other and exchanged a handshake. To me, that action was a blessing and encouragement. That elder, on behalf of the Council, was entrusting to the minister the leading of God’s people in worship and preaching. Deacons were typically the ones who collected the offerings every week, and I knew they were in charge of disbursing the collections. Even though there’s not much that stuck out about deacons, in both offices, there was quite an authority.

Throughout my younger years, a few of my uncles and one of my grandpas served on Councils fairly regularly. I saw them, and the other officebearers who I knew, as men who loved God, but never felt there was anything super-extraordinary about them or the others serving on these Councils. Yet when it came to church matters, there was an understood respect for their offices and what they said and did.

If you grew up in this church or another CRC or others with a similar form of leadership, I’m guessing some part of that resonates with you. We have a tradition and a practice that not just anyone is an elder or a deacon. Maybe how you see those serving in these offices has changed over time, but there is something special about elders and deacons and how churches with them are led.

           To begin, we want to go to the root. So our first point is what and who are elders and deacons? I won’t read article after article from the Church Order, but to summarize what we find there: those ordained to these offices are said to hold a certain “dignity and honor.” They must be “suitably gifted.” And their work with the pastor is “the common administration of the church.” Article 25 gets specific about their tasks, and we hear some of this when we have installation services. Here’s 25b., “The elders, with the minister(s), shall oversee the doctrine and life of the members of the congregation and fellow officebearers, shall provide counsel and discipline along with pastoral care in the congregation, shall participate in and promote evangelism, and shall defend the faith. As shepherds of the church, they shall encourage and support the members in their Christian life. The elders also shall nurture in the congregation grateful and obedient participation in the Lord’s Supper through encouragement, instruction, and accountability.”

           The work and calling of a deacon is different; it’s distinct. This is from 25c., “The deacons shall represent and administer the mercy of Christ to all people, especially to those who belong to the community of believers. Deacons shall lead the members in ways that inspire faithful stewardship of their time, talents, and resources and so give life in this world the shape of God’s kingdom. Thus deacons shall create and encourage participation in structures and ministries of mercy, justice, and reconciliation, both locally and globally. All of this shall be done with words of biblical encouragement and testimony, which assure the unity of word and deed.”

           What’s involved in these offices and those who serve in them is not just for what these men do on Sundays or at Council meetings or only in this building. No, this is a calling on the whole life of the elder and the deacon. I did say we would go to the root, and to be clear, CRCNA Church Order is not the root. God’s Word is the root. The reason why we have this governance structure in our tradition, in our denomination, and in our congregation is because we believe God has given it to us. We may not practice these things perfectly or how exactly they practiced and implemented in the early church, but what the early church did is our model.

           So, going back to 1 Timothy 3, we heard first about the overseer. In verses 1 and 2, “If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be…” and Paul launched into this list of strong moral qualities. An overseer is not a weak-willed person. It’s someone who carries themselves well and godly in all areas of their life. The Greek words for overseer in these two verses are “episkope” and “episkopos.” Elsewhere, we find the verb, “episkopeo.” You can see some of the references on the screen. In Acts 20 and 1 Peter 2 and 5, as I was telling the boys and girls, the overseer shows up with the image of the shepherd. So, an overseer keeps watch, guards, and provides an example for the flock entrusted to them. In Titus 1, we find a similar list of qualities to 1 Timothy 3, and read that a person in this office “is entrusted with God’s work…He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

           There’s another pair of Greek terms that seem to refer to this same office or calling—“presbuteros” and “presbyterian.” This is what we often find translated in the New Testament as “elders.” Eldership did not begin with the Christian early church; it went back to the Jewish religion. We read in the Gospels and Acts of elders and chief priests, those who were delegated by the Jews and had authority among them—those elders were presbyteros. It’s also the word used for the elders who gather around the throne in the book of Revelation. Regarding Christians elders, though, the churches were instructed to appoint them in each town. In 1 Timothy 5:17, we read that they directed “the affairs of the church” and their work can involve “preaching and teaching.” In James 5, the elders are to be called when someone is sick “to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” That’s what we find in connection to overseers and elders.

           What Scripture tells us about deacons as an office is quite a bit less. When we worked through Acts a couple years ago, we read in chapter 6 about the Twelve apostles putting together a team who helped with the daily distribution of food to the widows. Actions of mercy like that, which used the word “diakonia,” set the tone for this office. The Greek word “diakonos” is used a number of times in the New Testament, and it can generally mean a servant or a minister, but occasionally is translated to deacon. While all of us are called to be servants, to serve others and to show mercy, there were people in the early church who led the rest of the church in doing this and who were to make sure that certain things were being taken care of.

           All of this to say, when we implement and carry on a structure of elders and deacons in our churches, or you hear about a presbyterian form of government or even episcopalian, some person didn’t randomly come up with these as good leadership models. No, this goes back to God’s word and what the apostles set up in the ministry they were involved in. God’s church needed these kinds of people back then and people with the God-given callings. God continues to provide the same callings and people with the necessary gifts today.

           So, moving to our second point, some of us have been called to these offices. All of us are called to godly living. I don’t think it’s a secret for our congregation that we’ve struggled a bit in recent years to find people willing to serve as elders and deacons. In the past, whether that ideal has been four elders and four deacons or even more—we don’t have that many on our Council right now. That’s not because the men currently serving are trying to consolidate power and be dictators of the church on their personal agenda. No. Like I said last time, there are positions and areas where we’re lacking people serving, but we don’t believe we’re lacking people with the gifts.

           Serving as an elder or deacon, overseeing God’s people through discipline and discipleship and encouragement, leading them in acts of mercy and service and benevolence, taking care of the administration of the church—these aren’t positions that we just want bodies to fill. Again, God has put these in place. These are roles and offices, callings that he has put before his church. These aren’t like a school board or town board or some organization’s board of trustees or directors. There may be gifts and talents that individuals bring that benefit those institutions, but the council of the local church, leading and directing it, is a special calling. These are heavy callings—they’re not to be taken lightly or flippantly; if you’re serving in these, you’re caring for Christ’s flock! Yet that heaviness should not turn us away if God is calling and equipping us to serve him in them.

As we look at our lives, our character, our gifts, and we compare them to what we’ve been hearing and reading in these various passages this morning, do you see yourself matching up with these qualifications or requirements? Have other people, especially people who have served as elders and deacons, told you or encouraged you to consider serving in these capacities? When multiple people recognize a giftedness in you, it should cause you to think deeply or consider if that’s an affirmation of what God may be calling you to—whether you find yourself wanting to jump in or are extremely hesitant.

That being said, an internal call—you feel like you’re supposed to be doing this—doesn’t guarantee you’ve discerned rightly. So too, just because a great number of people praise an individual for being perfect for or great at some calling, doesn’t mean that person is faithfully or rightly fulfilling what that calling should entail. Ideally there is both an internal and an external call, and even in spite of weakness or failings, we trust God can accomplish his purposes, that his will will be done.

           Perhaps, though, you look at passages like 1 Timothy 3, and you wonder, “Shouldn’t all Christians be living like this?” The answer is, “Yes.” Not being a deacon or an elder shouldn’t put in your mind, “Well, I don’t need to be hospitable or above reproach. I don’t need to control myself. I can be greedy and get drunk regularly. I can cheat on my spouse and have multiple wives. I can fight people and act maliciously, I don’t have to take care of my children.” No, no, no.

Elders and deacons are not perfect. Pastors are not perfect. Those who fit the other callings in Scripture are not perfect or without sin. But those of us who are called to and serving in these offices are to watch ourselves at a high standard. We’re to take seriously that Christ has shed his blood for us, he has freed us from the devil’s tyranny, and he is sanctifying us—making us holy. Yes, these are things that all Christians should pursue. Who fulfills them perfectly? Jesus does. He had the perfect character and actions. As best we know, he wasn’t married and he didn’t have kids, and so that’s acceptable. He set an example of a disciplined life that all of us as Christians should pursue. But elders and deacons should be especially committed to these things because they provide a godly example for others to follow.

           That brings us to our final point which is at the heart of these offices is the gospel of Jesus Christ and service to him and others. Elders and deacons who have been called by God and are faithfully fulfilling the tasks set before them are showing love and devotion to God. With the help of our confessions, we can go even further into what that means.

In the Belgic Confession Article 30, which addresses the government of the church, we find that by the work of ministers, elders, and deacons together, “…True religion is preserved; true doctrine is able to take its course; and evil people are corrected spiritually and held in check, so that also the poor and all the afflicted may be helped and comforted according to their need. By this means everything will be done well and in good order in the church, when such persons are elected who are faithful and are chosen according to the rule that Paul gave to Timothy.” True religion and doctrine are not only telling people the truth of Jesus, but also, according to Article 32, “We…believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us…So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and unity and to keep all in obedience to God.”

           We want people to know the way of Jesus—that is the goal of the church. We want to see that our lives and church are fixed on him, oriented by him. We want others to experience our love which flows from his love, because he has provided everything for us. We want them to join in that. We recognize, however, that there are many lies and falsehoods that turn people away from Christ. So sometimes rebuke and discipline is a necessary action by those who are guarding the flock. Those actions aren’t taken to lord things over other people, but rather to serve and to protect those who have been entrusted to our care. These offices are to be lived out in humility and boldly seeking the truth. Harmony and unity aren’t disconnected from obedience. Through all of this, the posture and practice of elders and deacons is leading and serving.

           So, brothers and sisters, current officebearers and those considering serving in the future as well as those respecting them, trusting them, praying for them, remember that our leadership is always to be about the gospel. Jesus Christ who was sent and who died to save us from our sins, to crush sin and death, and to bring redemption that all things will be renewed or recreated by God’s holy and perfect standard and for his glory. Let us continue to love and show love—not a feeling, not an assumption—but rooted, built up, and guided to the one who provides new life. Amen.