Daily Bread 2011 - 1 Timothy 3

Overseers and Deacons
1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. 8 Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

What Does This Mean?
In chapter 3 we are given one of the earliest descriptions of the organization of the early church. We see the simple two-fold model of overseers (bishops) and deacons. Later the term for bishop also was synonymous with “presbyter”, “elder” and also “pastor” or “shepherd”. As the church expanded and grew, bishops in large cities became the heads over the presbyters who maintained and fed their local flocks. By the 4th century in the time, the bishops took on more power and the local episcopate, became the “see” of power, but originally their primary job was spiritual oversight of a given church in a given area.

We can see similar qualifications for the “deacons” of the church. In Acts 6, deacons were appointed to help the widows, so the apostles would not neglect prayer and ministry of the Word. The real only difference in qualification is that deacons didn’t teach, but responded to and cared for the needs in the community. What is clear is they were both positions of leadership that demanded spiritual maturity. The leaders needed to model a lifestyle worthy of the Gospel. So we see here that the organization of the church is stratified among two main components: function and spiritual maturity.

What Does This Mean For Us?
Sometimes today the church can get very confusing with its many org charts, but you have to love the simplicity of the early church. Some churches today are trying to rediscover the elder/deacon model and get back to a more 1st century church model of governance. But one thing remains the same, as Paul says to Timothy, the overseer of the church at Ephesus, “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” Sometimes we build our models of church organization more based on corporate America than the biblical model given to us today. Sometimes churches will appoint those who are successful in business to positions of spiritual leadership, assuming they will be equally good at leading the church. In other a couple of more chapters Paul will tell us elders who rule well are worthy of a double honor. We will talk more about that on Friday

The passage also advocates testing a person with other tasks before they are given spiritual oversight in the church. For instance, if a person can’t manage their own family, they probably should be appointed as a leader in the church. Secondly, there is a warning that new converts also should not be promoted to leadership too quickly, or they might be in danger of getting prideful. Suffice it to say though, the organizational chart seems simple, and the qualifications should not be taken lightly.

Heavenly Father, raise up leaders in the church who can manage the church well and provide spiritual leadership and oversight both in how they teach, but also how they lead their lives at home and at work. Protect the leaders in the church from the evil one and keep them close to Your power and strength. Amen.