Scriptural texts like 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 14, and Ephesians 4 make it clear that the body of Christ comprises various parts. These parts are due to different gifts the Lord gave His people. There is the ministerial elder, also known as an overseer or pastor, and deacons. Other roles work alongside the two offices of elder and deacon, as Ephesians 4 shares, “[Jesus] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers.”¹ There are no longer any apostles, and the role of the prophet is only fulfilled in preaching the finished canon of Scripture. However, evangelists remain, and shepherding and teaching are functions of the elder. The body of Christ also includes the congregants, who are just as important and not of a lesser status of ministers. The minister's job is to equip the congregants to do ministry, but the shepherd is still a sheep like the rest of the congregation.² Therefore, there ought to be a plurality of elders who council each other in godly wisdom.³

1 Timothy 3:1-13 lists the qualifications for the offices of elder and deacon. According to Jeramie Rinne, the qualifications for elders are the desire to be an elder, an exemplification of godly character, the ability to teach Scripture, leading the family well, being of the male gender, and being established as a believer.⁴ Paul also lists the qualifications of deacons specifically in verses 8-13. They are very similar to the qualifications of the elder office and only differentiate in “gifts and calling, not character.”⁵

The chief role of elders is to shepherd.⁶ 1 Peter 5:1-2 states, “I exhort the elders among [the church]… shepherd the flock of God among [them], exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily.” Acts 20:28 exhorts something similar, “be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Because shepherding is one of the chief roles of elders, many associate the term with the pastoral office, which is merely the head of elders or a form of an elder. Another role of elders is to unify the people of God. Ephesians 4:12-13 shares that elders equip the saints for the work of service in order to build up the body until the unity of faith is attained. Elders do this through their role of preaching the Word. Elders are to be able to teach the Bible and “[show] the glory of Christ from whatever text they are preaching.”⁷ Elders should also be in charge of things such as the church budget. The church's leaders should take on the responsibility because the budget can be spiritually complex.⁸

Benjamin Merkle states, “Whereas the Bible charges elders with the tasks of teaching and leading the church, deacons’ role is more service-oriented.”⁹ The deacons function as “shock absorbers” that lift the heavy load from elders so that the elders can continue preaching and praying.¹⁰ Their service can appear as taking on “facilities, benevolence, finances, ushering, and logistics.”¹¹

The church offices are essential to the church's health, and Jesus instituted them for a reason. It can best be summarized that “[e]lders lead ministry, deacons facilitate ministry, [and] the congregation does ministry.”¹²

Dunlop, Jamie. Budgeting for a Healthy Church: Aligning Finances with Biblical Priorities for Ministry. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019.

Rinne, Jeramie. Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014.

Wilson, Jared C. The Gospel-Driven Church: Uniting Church Growth Dreams with the Metrics of Grace. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019.