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The Biblical Background for Church Leadership
Significant Texts
 1
Tim 3:1,8,14-15 - If any man aspires to the office of overseer,
it is a fine work he desires to do…. Deacons likewise must be men of dignity…
I am writing these things to you…so that you will know how one ought to conduct
himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the
pillar and support of the truth.
- "Overseer" is a translation of the Greek word for bishop (episkopos),
which is used interchangeably with "elder" (presbuteros)
in Acts 20:17, 28. The office of overseer, then, is the same thing as the
office of elder. Bishop and elder are therefore not separate rungs on the
hierarchy of church government. They are rather one in the same office.
- The phrase "deacons likewise" indicates that deacon is a different
office of the church to which a man may be appointed.
- The fact that both elders and deacons have specific qualifications
laid down for them indicates the official nature of both leadership positions
in the church. The fact that only elders and deacons have specific
qualifications laid down for them indicates that these are the only official
leadership positions in the church.
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