Bishops, Deacons, and the Church
by Carol Berubee
http://www.tonyabetz.org/MSM/Product/bishopsdeaconschurch2.htm
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General Eldership We also see in Scripture some other general
guidelines on eldership. 1 Timothy 5:17-19 says, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy
of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, ‘You
shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’ Do
not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.” We get the sense
from these verses that Paul is probably referring to bishops moreso than deacons because the bishops
would be the ones who “labor in the word and doctrine.” However, this is not to say that deacons do
not study and teach. Indeed, all Christians must study the word and doctrine, and impart knowledge to
others when the Lord directs us so. But we see here that Paul is setting apart a particular ministry
that is of particular concern to bishops. The study and teaching of the word and doctrine is the
bishop’s labor; it is his life’s work. It is also implied here that the flock should give monetarily
to the bishops who labor in doctrine. One note of caution, however: The true bishop would never teach
doctrine or guard the sheep just so he can get a paycheck. The bishops of the early Church received
donations, not salaries; thus, they had to trust the Lord, for they did not know whether anyone would
be moved to give at any particular time. The other very important thing to keep in mind is that the
eldership functioned as a group, not as a ‘head bishop’ over many elders over many baby Christians.
There was no such thing as a ‘senior pastor’ or ‘head bishop.’ There was no hierarchy. Only twice in
New Covenant teaching do we see ‘elder’ singular -- In 1 Peter 5:1 and 1 Timothy 5:19, both referenced
above. In all other references to elders, the plural is used and this shows that elders, including
bishops and deacons, were always seen as a group. But now let’s go back to Peter’s teaching.
1 Peter 5:1-5 says, “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness
of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the
flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for
dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the
flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade
away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to
one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the
humble.’" In verse 5, we see that it is the “younger people” who are to submit to the elders,
particularly the bishops. Who are these younger people? The Greek word for ‘younger’ is ‘neos’. This
word refers to those who are new to the faith. Thus, we see that bishops are especially concerned to
shepherd those who are new to the faith, and the new converts are exhorted to give heed to the
bishops’ teaching. Deacons help out in the more practical, or menial, ways of serving the flock, but
through their humility, the flock recognizes them as maturing in the Lord. The goal is for the
bishops to help the new converts to grow up in Christ and His doctrine. As that happens, those young,
immature Christians become mature deacons and then bishops. When they become bishops, they do the same
as the bishops did for them: They work with new Christians to help them grow in the Lord. (It is not
my intention to say that all mature men must be bishops in a specially designated sense, but the Lord
does continue to call on all of us to come to maturity and ‘teach’ in some way, to pass on the
knowledge of the Lord to the immature. While bishops have responsibility for many and must be good
teachers in the classic sense, all mature Christians can teach one on one in various ways.) Nowhere
do we see that bishops are to remain bishops over mature Christians. The mature who have been
shepherded by the bishops are to then move on to be overseers and shepherds of another flock of new
believers. This is how the Church grew in the first couple of centuries under the New Covenant. This
is not to say that mature believers are to never receive teaching. Rather, the mature are to be the
teachers, but understand that the Holy Spirit will continue to teach them in all things
(1 John 2:25-27; Hebrews 5:9-14). The mature do receive teaching, but do not depend on another man
for spiritual growth. We see throughout the Scriptures pertaining to eldership and teaching that it
is the new converts who need the milk and then the solid food. The mature are to be the teachers.
We also see in 1 Peter 5:5 that all Christians are to submit to one another. In other words, the
elders and all the saints were one unit, esteeming each other higher than themselves. Of course, we
only submit to others insofar as the others are walking in a Godly way. We do not submit to false
teachers or those with no fruit of the Spirit. Above all, we are to submit to Christ, and any person
who deviates from His truth is to be avoided (Romans 16:17, 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 2
John 1:9-11).