The Service of Overseers and Deacons
What Leaders in the Church Do - Biblical Ecclesiology in Eight Sessions
Having explored the founding of the Church and the rich metaphors Scripture uses to describe it, we now turn to examine how the early church organized itself under the Holy Spirit's guidance. The New Testament provides valuable insights into leadership roles, organizational patterns, and the purposes these structures served in building up the body of Christ. While different Christian traditions have developed various approaches to church governance over the centuries, we can learn much from studying the biblical foundation that informed these developments. Scripture's emphasis on character over competence, service over status, and shepherding over management presents a distinctly countercultural model of leadership that is extremely challenging and potentially transformative for churches today. In this session, we'll explore the qualifications and duties of church leaders, as well as how the congregation should relate to them, always keeping in mind that these structures exist to serve Christ's mission for and through His church.
What are the qualifications for overseers?
1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9
Discuss specific qualifications, and especially how each might be important for church leadership. Consider how these qualities work together to shape effective spiritual leadership.
Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus provide remarkably detailed character profiles for church overseers. Rather than emphasizing skills or achievements, these passages focus intensely on character and reputation. The parallel nature of these texts suggests their fundamental importance to early church organization, while their slight variations demonstrate how these principles could be applied in different cultural contexts (Ephesus for Timothy, Crete for Titus).
These passages are best viewed as best practices for fulfilling the core church planting practice of establishing elders in every city, just as Paul instructed Titus to do in 1:5. These elder-overseers are necessary to fulfill the purpose of the church, as we briefly examined in the last session. The specific character traits—sometimes called “qualifications”—deserve close attention.
First, there's an emphasis on proven character in relationships. An overseer must be "the husband of one wife" (or "faithful in marriage"), highlighting the importance of sexual fidelity and family stability. The ability to manage one's own household well serves as a proving ground for church leadership—if one cannot lead their family with gentle wisdom, how can they lead God's family? This connects directly to the family metaphor for the church we explored earlier. While “younger men” may be overseers per typical interpretations of 1 Timothy 4:12, the typical practice of appointing elders to be overseers means that these overseers would typically be married men. Their character would be readily evidenced by the state of their household.
Second and similarly, these passages stress self-control and maturity. The repeated emphasis on being "not a drunkard," "not violent but gentle," and "not quarrelsome" paints a picture of someone who maintains composure under pressure, is reliable, and is not prone to moral failures that would give the Church a bad name.
Third, the warning against appointing a recent convert suggests that spiritual maturity takes time to develop. These qualities protect both the leader and the congregation from the pitfalls of impulsive leadership. In the life of a Christian, it takes time to demonstrate proven character and sanctification, as it unfolds over time within a community of Christians.
Fourth, there's a strong focus on reputation, both within and outside the church. An overseer must be "above reproach" and "well thought of by outsiders." This requirement recognizes that church leaders represent Christ to both the congregation and the broader community. Their integrity must be beyond question to avoid bringing disrepute to the gospel. Furthermore, as overseers are to lead by example (1 Peter 5:3), the element of reputation is all the more important. The way that the overseers represent Christianity is naturally emulated by everyone in their Christian community.
Finally, there's an explicit requirement regarding teaching. In Titus 1:9, “[leaders] must be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." This connects to the overseer's fundamental responsibility to shepherd the flock through teaching and protect them from error. Critically, this responsibility of an overseer is to prevent other Christians from being led astray by false teaching.
What are the qualifications for deacons?
1 Timothy 3:8-13
Guide participants in comparing the qualifications for deacons with those for overseers. Help them notice both the similarities and the distinct emphases. Consider how these qualifications relate to the deacons' role of practical service.
The qualifications for deacons, while similar in many ways to those for overseers, reflect the distinct nature of their service-oriented role. In Acts 6, the prototype for the diaconate emphasizes being "of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom." This foundational description is expanded in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. While deacons are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, 1 Timothy 3 contains the only explicit discussion of their qualifications.
Like overseers, deacons must demonstrate strong character and spiritual maturity. They must be "dignified" and "not double-tongued," qualities that build trust within the communities they serve and uphold the good name of the Church. The prohibitions against being "addicted to much wine" and "greedy for dishonest gain" parallel the overseer qualifications, suggesting that all who serve in churches must model self-control and integrity.
However, there are notable differences. The teaching requirement prominent in overseer qualifications is absent for deacons, in alignment with their focus on practical service rather than doctrinal instruction. Instead, emphasis is placed on proven character: they must "be tested first" before serving. This testing likely refers to observing their faithful service in the community before their formal recognition as deacons.
The passage also addresses qualifications for women serving as deacons. They must be "dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things." This inclusion provides biblical precedent for women's leadership roles in the church, particularly in service-oriented positions.
A notable inclusion in Paul's teaching on deacons is found in verse 13, which states that "those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus." This reveals that faithful service as a deacon not only benefits the church but also contributes to the spiritual growth and development of the deacons themselves. Their service becomes a means of sanctification and strengthening their own faith, while simultaneously building up the church community.
What specific duties are given to overseers?
Acts 20:28-31, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Titus 1:9
Have participants examine these passages carefully, noting both the explicit instructions and the metaphorical language used to describe overseer duties. Invite discussion about how these responsibilities reflect Christ's own ministry.
The New Testament describes overseer duties through both direct instruction and rich metaphorical language. Acts 20:28-31 uses shepherd imagery, calling overseers to "care for" (literally "shepherd") the church of God. This pastoral metaphor implies comprehensive care—feeding the flock with sound teaching, protecting from dangers (particularly false teaching), and guiding with gentle authority. The shepherd is naturally looked to for guidance and is naturally obeyed and followed by the flock, with no need for coercion or manipulation.
1 Peter 5:1-4 expands upon this shepherd metaphor while adding crucial qualifications about how this authority should be exercised. Overseers are to serve:
Willingly, not under compulsion
Eagerly, not for shameful gain
As examples, not domineering over those in their charge This pattern of servant leadership directly reflects Jesus' own teaching about authority in His kingdom.
Additionally, Titus 1:9 emphasizes the teaching aspect of oversight: holding firm to trustworthy doctrine, giving sound instruction, and refuting false teaching. This responsibility requires both positive teaching and protective correction. The overseer must be capable of both building up believers through sound doctrine and defending against teachings that could harm the flock.
How should the church relate to its overseers?
1 Timothy 5:17-19, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Guide discussion on the mutual responsibilities in the leader-congregation relationship.
These passages present a balanced view of how congregations should relate to their leaders. 1 Timothy 5:17-19 establishes both honor and protection for leaders who serve well, particularly in preaching and teaching. The instruction about not accepting accusations against an elder without multiple witnesses protects leaders from unfair criticism while maintaining accountability. Elders may be held accountable by following this process, likely a derivative of that taught by Jesus in Matthew 18.
Hebrews 13:17 calls believers to "obey your leaders and submit to them," but immediately explains why: they keep watch over souls "as those who will give an account." This accountability to God frames the authority relationship properly—leaders serve under Christ's authority for the benefit of those they lead. The passage also notes that proper submission makes leadership a joy rather than a burden, benefiting the whole church. Leadership in the church is not some job for which one is compensated with worldly goods; it is a seriously joyous responsibility that is undertaken for the sole purpose of ministering to the body of Christ. Respecting that church leaders have committed themselves to this lifestyle willingly for the benefit of all should naturally result in a beneficent, loving, joyous relationship between leaders and church members.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 adds important relational qualities to this dynamic: "respect," "esteem very highly in love," and being "at peace." This creates a picture of willing, loving submission rather than mere institutional compliance. The emphasis on peace suggests that even disagreements should be handled with mutual respect and love.
Church leadership simply isn’t the same as worldly leadership. Especially in light of Jesus’ own countercultural teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven, which are closely tied with moral instruction in many places such as the Sermon on the Mount, we should expect that church leadership upholds a value set that is very different from that of worldly leadership. Indeed, that’s what we find throughout the New Testament: leaders in the church are to lead by example, exemplifying the core tenants of Christianity, such as unity, love, grace, and peace.
Conversation Starters:
The New Testament emphasizes character over skills in church leadership qualifications. How does this emphasis challenge contemporary approaches to selecting and developing church leaders? What qualities do we tend to prioritize today?
Consider the shepherd metaphor for church leadership. How does this image shape your understanding of both leaders' responsibilities and the congregation's response? What aspects of shepherding might we be overlooking in our modern church context?
Paul instructs that overseers must be 'well thought of by outsiders' (1 Timothy 3:7). How might this qualification influence how we think about church leadership's relationship with the broader community? What does this suggest about the church's public witness?
Looking at the relationship between overseers and deacons, how do these distinct roles complement each other in serving the church?
The passages we've studied present church leadership as fundamentally different from worldly authority structures. In what specific ways have you seen church leaders model this countercultural approach to leadership? In what ways are Christian and secular leadership roles too similar?
Resources
