What Are Overseers and Deacons? Exploring Their Call and Duties

Do you attend church regularly? Do you know what the Bible says about the leaders in church and how they are qualified? Let's take a look at 1 Timothy, Chapter three today and see what Paul tells Timothy about the leadership in the church. This is important for all believers to understand because if you are being led by someone in the church, you want to be sure they are meeting the qualifications God set forth in His Word.

At the beginning of the chapter, Paul gives us a list of qualifications for overseers or elders, "Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." (vs. 2-3). The list starts off with fairly obvious character traits you would want to see in your church leadership. I find it interesting though that the first qualification is "above reproach". The definition of above reproach is such that no criticism can be made; perfect. That is a very high standard for someone to meet. It kind of seems like the list could stop there because if you are perfect, there is nothing else you need to be! However, the Bible states that none are perfect (Romans 3:10, Psalm 14:3, Psalm 53:3), so what Paul is stating is that the leaders of a church should have such good character that no accusations would be believed about them. Their character and reputation are such that any claims against them would be dismissed because they are not plausible.

Following above reproach is "faithful to his wife". I believe this is listed next because after God, this is the most important relationship a man should have in his life. It is also proof that a pastor or overseer cannot be homosexual. After that the list describes a man with self-control who is not concerned with the things of this world: temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, not quarrelsome, nor a lover of money. If your pastor is focused on Godly things, He will meet this list of qualifications because His mind will be focused on the will of God and how he should lead God's people rather than on his personal gain.

Paul then moves on to how church leaders should be leading in their home BEFORE they lead the church, "He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)." (vs. 4-6). Leading your family well is a prerequisite to leading the church. When you see your pastor with his family, are his children well behaved? Does his wife respect him? God's first assignment to all believers is to manage those God put in your care well: your family. Like Paul says, if you can't manage your family, how will you manage a larger group of more diverse people? I think sometimes we see pastors leading the church and neglecting their family because of the amount of time it takes to lead a flock. However, God makes it clear through Paul's teaching that your family comes first.

The last qualifications for overseers are, "He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap." (vs. 7). A pastor should not be a new believer. He should be mature in his faith and have been trained by other leaders. This is a very important qualification because if you are not grounded in your faith, it is easy to lead people astray. Don't read this incorrectly, Paul is not referring to age here. In fact, Timothy is a very young leader in the church. What Paul is referring to is the foundation of your faith. Have they studied the scriptures in depth and know how to teach God's Word to others? This final statement also includes having a good reputation with outsiders. I believe this means that an overseer must be well liked in the community. When nonbelievers have interactions with a church leader, it should encourage them to want to become a believer. Therefore, a pastor, must be well liked and respected by the community or he will have no influence over them.

Take some time and evaluate the leadership in your church. Do your leaders meet these qualifications? It is important to think about because if they don't, you could be lead astray by false teaching. If you have questions or concerns about this, contact us. We would love to pray with you and help you discover God's truth in your life, so you can live out the purpose God has for you! Check out our YouTube video for more teaching.

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