Sunday School 7/22/2012

1 Timothy 3:1

First, notice that God intends His Church to have pastors. “And He (Christ – my parenthesis for contextual clarification) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Second, notice Scripture uses differing terms for the same exact office. In New Testament times it is all but certain that episkopos (overseer or bishop) and presbyteros (presbyter or elder) were two titles for the same office (John Stott’s Commentary on 1 Timothy and Titus).

• Acts 20:17 (elders/presbyteros); Acts 20:28 (overseer/episkopos); Philippians 1:1 (bishops/episkopos); Ephesians 4:11 (pastors [KJV] or shepherds [ESV]; poimen)

Why then were the same people given multiple titles? For two reasons at least: The word presbyteros (elder) was Jewish in origin (every synagogue had its elders) and indicated the seniority of the pastor, whereas episkopos (bishop) was Greek in origin (it was used of municipal officials, supervisors or subject cities) and indicated the superintending nature of the pastor’s ministry (John Stott’s Commentary on 1 Timothy and Titus). These were common terms from society which carried the definition oversight.

Third, notice that although there is often a “first among equals,” Pastors are required to have the same desire, same appointment, same qualifications, same authority, and same (but not necessarily equally shared) responsibility.

First we will look at desire and appointment. Second, we will discuss the shared authority and responsibility. Next week we will examine the qualifications.

1. “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1b). In 1 Timothy 3:1 Paul says the office of overseer is predicated by aspiration or desire. However, in Acts 20:28, Paul says the Holy Spirit appoints overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood. Then, in Titus 1:5, Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every town. Which is it? The answer is “Yes.” Explanation… …
2. The overseer’s mutual authority and shared responsibility

The Basics: An elder is a man who (i) meets the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9, (ii) is recognized by his congregation as an elder, (iii) and leads the congregation by teaching the Word (1 Tim. 3:2), praying for the sheep (Jas. 5:14), and overseeing the affairs of the church (1 Pet. 5:2).

Oversight: An elder must watch over the flock. He must instruct all the sheep, strengthen the weak ones, guard the vulnerable ones, rebuke the obstinate ones, and bear with the difficult ones (2 Tim. 2:24-25; Acts 20:28; 1 Thess. 5:14). An elder watches over the members of his church as one who will give an account to God (Heb. 13:17).

Plurality: In the New Testament, local churches consistently have a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23, 20:17; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14). Christ, the Chief Shepherd, means to care for his flock through a number of godly men who together teach, guard, guide, protect, and love the sheep.

The following is a quote from John R. Sittema’s book “With A Shepherd’s Heart” Published by Reformed Fellowship, Inc. Grandville, MI.:

“Wait a minute,” you may say. “Pastoral care is the Pastor’s job, isn’t it? After all, he is the one called “Pastor.” He has the training and the experience, and he receives a salary for his work. Elders are busy laymen who have full-time jobs and many other responsibilities. Their term in office is only for a few years (in most churches). They simply can’t do the job like “the pastor” can. We shouldn’t expect them to try!” 

There is no doubt that a preacher ought to be busy pastoring the flock, tending to their feeding and their care as a representative of the Good Shepherd. But is it just he (or, in the case of multiple-staff ministries, “they”) – the paid “professional” – who is to do the work of pastoring the flock?

The Bible won’t allow it! Scripturally, the elders are the pastors of the church just as much as the paid, seminary-trained preacher. 

What we wrongly see in today’s churches are mere administrators. The senior pastor functions like a CEO who “markets the vision”; the deacons (usually by committee) fulfill the corporate role of the CFO (Chief Financial Officer); and in such a modern corporate or business model for the church, the elders become the Board of Directors. They commission or develop a “marketing plan” for church growth, and hold the CEO accountable for the implementation and success of that growth plan. They oversee programs and delegate any and all pastoral duties to the professionals trained to handle such contingencies.

The following information is from http://www.9marks.org/answers-for-pastors/leadership:

Biblically speaking, all elders are pastors. Peter tells the elders among his readers to “shepherd” [Greek: pastor] the flock of God that is among you” (1 Pet. 5:2). Paul told the Ephesian elders to “care for” [Greek: pastor] the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). And the only time the noun “pastor” is used in the New Testament there is no indication that it is a different office from elder (Eph. 4:11).

But what if a church has a “senior pastor” who does most of the teaching, marrying and burying,

and overseeing of the church staff (if there are any)? How do the elders relate to a senior pastor?

1. An equal. First, they should regard him as fundamentally one of the elders. Even though the church has given him responsibilities that are distinct from the other elders, he occupies the same biblical office they do. He has one vote on the elder board. He is one of the elders.
2. First among equals. Because the senior pastor does the majority of the public teaching, he will likely accrue more influence among the congregation and the elders. In other words, he possesses the same formal authority as the other elders, but his opinion will generally carry more weight.

In the New Testament, the normal pattern is for churches to have a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23; Phil. 1:1; Jas. 5:14). Does this mean that no single man among them should be called the “senior pastor” and possess a larger measure of relational and institutional authority?

1. The New Testament does hint toward a distinction between elders that seems to make room for what we know as a senior pastor.
2. In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” The Greek word for “honor” Paul uses clearly indicates that he has financial compensation in mind, and he singles out for that compensation certain elders who particularly labor in preaching and teaching.
3. So there were likely some elders who were supported full-time by the flock, and others who worked at another job.

So why have non-staff Pastors?

1. Non-staff elders help root the congregation’s leadership in the congregation itself, rather than in one man who may be called from the outside and might not be around forever.
2. Non-staff elders give people in the congregation a model of maturity to aspire toward even as they work in non-vocational-ministry jobs.
3. Non-staff elders teach the congregation that Christian ministry is something Christians should do regardless of whether they get paid.
4. Non-staff elders are necessary when the congregation does not demand the need and/or cannot afford a full-time paid elder.