Introduction:How Much Is that Preacher?

Good morning, madam. May I help you? Yes, please, I'd like to buy a minister. For yourself or your church? Oh, for my church, of course. I'm already married. Uh, yes. Did you have a particular model in mind? I've got a description from the Candidate Committee right here. We want a man about 30, well educated, with some experience. Good preacher and teacher. Balanced personality. Serious, but with a sense of humor. Efficient, but not rigid. Good health. Able to identify with all age groups. And, if possible, sings tenor. Sings tenor? We're short of tenors in the choir. I see. Well, that's quite a list. How much money did you want to spend? The committee says $9,000. $9,500 tops. Hmmm. Well, perhaps we'd better start in the bargain basement. Tell me, how much is that model in the window? You mean the one in the Pendleton plaid suit and the gray suede dune boots? Yes, that one. He's a real dream. That's our Princeton #467. Has a Ph.D. and AKC papers. AKC? American Koinonia Council. He sells for $16,000 plus house. Wow! That's too rich for our blood. What about that model over there? Ah, yes. An exceptional buy. Faith #502. He's a little older than 30, but has excellent experience. Aggressive. Good heart. Has a backing of sermons, two of which have been printed in Christian Leaders. He's not too bad. Can you do something about his bald head? Mrs. Penner especially insists that our minister have some hair. Madam, all our ministers come in a variety of hair styles. I'll keep him in mind. Now let me show you Olympia #222. Four years of varsity sports at Brass Ring College. Plays football, basketball, volleyball, and Ping-Pong. Comes complete with sports equipment. What a physique! He must weigh 200 pounds! Yes, indeed. You get a lot for your money with this one. And think what he can do for your young people. Great. But how is he at preaching? I must admit he's not St. Peter. But you can't expect good sermons and a church-wide athletic program too! I suppose not. Let me show you our Fresno #801. Now here's a preacher. All his sermons are superb_well- researched, copious anecdotes, and they always have three points. And_he comes with a full set of the Religious Encyclopedia at no extra charge! You get the whole package for $8,300. He's wearing awfully thick glasses. For $220 more we put in contact lenses. I don't know. He might study too much. We don't want a man who's in his office all the time. Of course. Well, would you like someone of the social worker type? We have this Ghetto #130. The man with the beard? Good gracious, no. Mrs. Penner would never go for that. How about our Empathy #41C? His forte is counseling. Very sympathetic. Patient. Good with people who have problems. Everyone in our church has problems. But he might not get around to those other things that need to be done around the church. Yes, yes, I understand. You want a minister who can do everything well. That's it! Haven't you got somebody like that? I'm thinking. In our back room we have a minister who was traded in last week. Excellent man, but he broke down after three years. If you don't mind a used model, we can sell him at a reduced price. Well, we had hoped for someone brand-new. We just redecorated the sanctuary, and we wanted a new minister to go with it. Of course. But with a little exterior work, and a fresh suit, this man will look like he just came out of the box. No one will ever know. Let me bring him out and you can look him over. All right. Honestly, this minister shopping is exhausting. It's so hard to get your money's worth. Tell me, do you also give Green Stamps with the contract? Uh_no. But if there's any dissatisfaction after six months we send a new congregation for the balance of the years. That usually takes care of most problems.

Today we arrive at the next to last letter in the acrostic BAPTISTS that I have been using in this series of studies. It is the letter T and it stands for Two Offices. Just as there were two ordinances - Baptism and the Lord’s Table - there are also two offices that God gave to the local church - Pastors and Deacons. Today we will examine what the Word of God says about both of these offices.

I. Pastor
Churches may call their spiritual leaders pastors, bishops, elders, archbishops, cardinals, prelates, vicars, presbyters or a pope, but which of these offices are Scripturally based? The office of pastor is not a Biblical distinctive of Baptists - almost every church has a pastor. The distinctive is that Baptists have only pastors and deacons within the local church - we recognize no church offices outside of or over the local church. The Baptist position hinges mainly on the meaning of the words "elder" and "bishop" as found in the New Testament. The offices of cardinal, prelate, vicar, presbyter or pope are not found in the New Testament, so they are not Biblically required.

A. Three Titles For the Office of Pastor

1. Pastor
The Greek word pastor means "shepherd" and is used to denote one who takes care of animals called sheep (Luke 2:8). One time in the New Testament it is used of a church leader. Related words are the noun "flock" and the verb "to feed" or "to shepherd". Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd in John 10:11. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus gave His life for the sheep, and He lives now to keep them secure. Peter called Jesus the Chief Shepherd in 1 Peter 5:4. Since both John 10 and 1 Peter 5 concern Christ and His care for His people, we may think of Jesus as our Good Pastor and the Chief Pastor. Thus, a pastor is one who feeds or nourishes others.

2. Elder
The Greek word for elder is presbuteros. It refers to an older, wiser or more mature person. This does not rule out a young man from being a pastor, but he must show the necessary characteristics of spiritual maturity that he will need to be a pastor. Some older men are no more wise and mature than some young men.

3. Bishop/Overseer
The Greek word for bishop is episcopos, which means "overseer". A person in this role leads and gives direction to a work. I think of a man like Nehemiah in the Old Testament who served as an overseer over the work of rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. It took a man of his abilities to see that the work was accomplished.

Some one might say that since there are three different words presented in the New Testament concerning pastoring, maybe there should be three different offices, but as we shall see next, this is not how the New Testament presents the useage of these words in the context of those who are pastors.

B. One Office With Three Titles
The basic question is whether "pastor", "elder", and "bishop" represent three different offices or whether they are simply three aspects of the same office. In others words, is the office of elder different from that of pastor? Is the office of pastor a different office from that of bishop-overseer? As we examine the Scriptures today, we will see that all three terms denote three different aspects of the same office within the local Baptist church.

1. Ephesian Elders--Acts 20:17-38
When Paul was traveling to Jerusalem, where he would be arrested and sent to Rome, his ship docked at the port of Miletus, not far from Ephesus, a town where Paul had ministered for over three years. This text in Acts 20 records Paul’s brief meeting at Miletus with the elders of the Ephesian church. Take note of what Paul said to them in Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

What is important to note here is that the same men identified as "elders" in Acts 20:17, are now identified as "overseers". Thus, the elders were also the bishops. Also notice that in this same verse Paul also instructed these men to "feed the church." The Greek word in verse 28 for "feed" is the verb form of the word "shepherd" or "pastor." The elders were to "pastor" the church. This one verse uses the three words we studied just a few minutes ago, but they are referring to the same group of men. These words denote one group of men performing three aspects of the same office. The elders were also the bishops, and their job was to pastor the church.

2. Elder/Bishop--Titus 1:5-7
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

The Apostle Paul was reminding Titus that he had been placed on the island of Crete by Paul for the specific purpose of ordaining elders in every city for the churches. Then in verse 7 he uses the word "bishop" and he is obviously speaking of the same men that Titus was to be training and ordaining - the pastors of the churches. The same office but two different aspects of that office are declared here.

3. Elder/Shepherd--1 Peter 5:2
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

4. Elder/ruler--1 Timothy 5:17
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.

Based on this exhortation, we know that elders rule. The word "rule" here is a different word from episcopos, but it still conveys that ideas of leading and laboring in the word and doctrine.

Why did the Holy Spirit use three different words to describe the same office? He probably did so in order to give a fuller portrayal of what the office involves. The title "pastor" emphasizes the care, feeding, protection and comforting of God’s people; "elder" emphasizes that the man is spiritually mature among the people of God; and "bishop" emphasizes that he guides and directs God’s people. Based upon the scriptures which we have studied today, the Bible does not teach that the church is to be made up of various levels of higher and higher positions of leadership, such as is found in many denominations today. Baptists have simply taken what the Word of God says and stated that God ordained the office of Pastor and gave that office to the church.

I don’t always say this, but since we are on the subject, I encourage you to pray for your pastor, for me, that I would lead this church of believers in the way that the Lord wants me to. That I would stay close to the Lord and His Word; that I would be always led by the Holy Spirit of God in what I say and do.

II. DEACON

The office of Deacon is the second office in the church that God gave, and based on that fact, Baptist churches must have these two offices, and as God provides qualified men to fill this office. There are other offices that are filled in a church to help things function properly, but the offices of Pastor and Deacon are the only two prescribed by God.

A. When the office of deacon began
1 Timothy 3:13 says, For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

This verse points out clearly that the church is to have an office of a deacon(s). This office of a deacon was first started in Jerusalem and is presented in Acts 6:1-7.

B. What deacons do
It is clear from the passage in Acts 6:1-7 that being a deacon has something to do with helping others. That would be a very good conclusion for the Greek word from which we get our English word "deacon" is diakonos, and it means "servant" or "minister." Sometimes in the KJV the translators simply transliterated the word or translated the word. If they transliterated the word, as they did two times, they wrote deacon; if they translated the word, as they did many times, the wrote such words as "to minister", "to serve", "service", "minister." In 1 Timothy 3:8-13 we are given the qualifications of a deacon, but it does not specify a deacon’s responsibilities. We can determine a deacons duties by examining the examples provided in the New Testament of when the Greek word diakonos is used. Let’s take a look at a few examples to determine some of the ways a deacon serves in the local church.

1. Food -- Acts 6:1-7
I won’t read this passage again, but the issue at that time was the need of making sure that those who were truly widows in need would have food to eat. Since the job was becoming so large for just the twelve apostles, and it was taking them away from other very important areas of leading the church, there was a need for others to help in this area. Seven men were chosen by the church and dedicated to the Lord for this service. Does this mean that every church should have men who serve people food? If there is a need for this, yes; but the main thought here comes back to what the word diaconos means - service to others. There was need among the people of the church and the deacons handled it.

2. Funds--Romans 15:24-28
In this passage there is no mention of deacons, but the word "minister" is used in verse 25. It is the same word from which the word "deacon" comes from, and here we see Paul using the word to speak of collecting funds for the impoverished Christians in Jerusalem. He was collecting these funds from among the Gentile churches that he had founded. Thus, this is an example of another way that deacons can be used in the local church - the collecting of funds to help in the relief of hurting brothers and sisters in Christ.

3. Faith Helpers--Ephesians 6:21
But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

This man Tychicus was coming back to Ephesus with this message from Paul for the church at Ephesus. He had apparently been of great assistance to Paul in many ways, and was not willing to take the letter to the Ephesians back to Ephesus for Paul. He was a man willing to serve the Lord by serving others.

We are given another example of one who served others in the church. It is found in Romans 16:1, 2: I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succorer of many, and of myself also. The word used here for servant is diaonos. We are told that she has helped many Christians, including Paul himself. Exactly what she did, we are not told, but she was a servant to others. She has come down to us through the centuries of time as a faithful servant in her local church.

These serve as examples of ways those who are deacons in the local church can serve others. Each pastor and local church needs to prayerfully consider the specific ways that deacons can serve others in that local church. With that said, there are many, many ways that men can minister to others in the local church. They can assist the pastor in the serving of the Lord’s Table; providing godly counsel to the pastor on issues that need to be discussed and decided; involved in the interviewing of candidates for church membership; being a servant to other believers in whatever way may be necessary.

Conclusion: Baptists have held dearly to these two God-given offices, for we see that they are the only offices that God set up for the New Testament local church. Baptists do not recognize any church offices outside of the local church. These two office for each local church. We do not find pastors or deacons being given the oversight of many local churches in the New Testament. Each local church is to have each of these offices for the proper function of that local church. Pray for your pastor, and pray for those men who can serve as deacons. North Eulalia Baptist Church needs some men who can serve as deacons - pray about this need.

Also, the word diaconos is used many more times of people serving others than it is used for the office of deacon. This should teach us that every Christian should be involved in serving others in some way. Many of you are currently doing just that, and the Word of God commends you for doing so. Others may not be doing much for other believers. Let me encourage you to move beyond your comfort zone and consider ways you can minister and serve others. You will be tremendously blessed every time.