“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons”
~ Philippians 1:1 ~
Physical appearance matters. Although not everything, how someone looks provides important, initial information people use to make decisions. Gauging spiritual anatomy is another matter. It takes time, prayer, discernment, and patience. It requires some knowledge of the Word of God and the Spirit-led ability to apply it in real life situations. As a congregation considers men for nomination to holy office in the church, it must pay close attention to several features of “spiritual anatomy.” Here are three traits for elders and deacons, respectively, that ought to help guide a congregation in its search for men to lead. The reflection will close with a brief consideration of two requirements common to both offices.
The Anatomy of an Elder
Many have said that a congregation will never rise above the spirituality and maturity of its elders. As rulers in the church of Jesus Christ, elders have the unceasing pressure and privilege of overseeing the flock of God. In His wisdom and kindness, Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, has given the sheep the responsibility of identifying and electing their own shepherds (Acts 1:21-23, 14:23). While sizing up a potential elder, consider the following:
1) Starting at the head, look for a prospective elder who has a spiritual mind. Paul’s heavenly aim produced his unmatchable zeal for the church. He unceasingly emphasized the realities of the Kingdom of God, the Day of Judgment, and the well-being of the church. His fixation upon the priority of the unseen drove him to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), enabled him to see the warfare to which Christ called the church (Eph. 6:12-20), and motivated his tireless labor (Col. 1:28-29). Taking Paul as a model in this case, look for a potential elder who orients his mind toward spiritual truth. The church desperately needs men whose minds are on things that are above, not on the things that are on earth (Col. 3:2). Only those men whose minds are captivated with the glory of heaven will rule in a manner worthy of the heavenly King.
2) Next, a potential ruler in a congregation must possess a wise tongue. The elder’s work, without exception, requires him to speak the Word of God. Whether teaching truth or correcting error, encouraging the weak or rebuking the proud—wisdom is the great need (Isa. 50:4). As surely as a soft answer turns away wrath, a harsh word stirs up anger (Prov. 15:1). Like a sword, words can wound, and, as a salve, they heal (Prov. 12:18). They can build up and they can tear down (Eph. 4:29, Jas. 3:5). When considering elder nominees, reflect on these questions: Does this man have a tongue eager to speak of the Lord (Ps. 45:1-5)? Has he gone out of his way to encourage me or my brethren? Am I willing to receive his rebukes as oil for my head (Ps. 141:5)? Will his wounds be faithful (Prov. 27:5-6)? Does he know when to speak and when to be silent (Prov. 26:4-5)? No man in this life attains perfection, and no pre-heaven elder in the church will. Nevertheless, a man fit for the eldership must be able and willing to speak with the tongue of the wise (Titus 1:9).
3) Finally, and most importantly, look for a man who possesses a shepherd’s heart. How desperately the people of God need this! The heart of a shepherd pulses with care for flock, puts their needs above his own, and—with urgent sobriety—seeks their spiritual good. The Lord Jesus saw the masses as scattered sheep without a shepherd and was moved with compassion for them (Mark 6:34). He left the glories of heaven to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), even to lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). The shepherd must be firm in his stand against attackers of the flock (John 10:12-13) while being gentle with the weak and struggling within it (Isa. 40:11). On the other hand, the failures of shepherds most often come not by way of commission, but omission. Ezekiel directed most of his stinging rebukes at what Israel’s shepherds failed to do (Ezek. 34:1-6). Be mindful of this. Negligent, lazy, cowardly shepherds are a scourge upon the church. Look for men who take initiative, who do not wait until sounds of desperate bleating reach their ears. Above all, however, be sure that love for the Lord Jesus fills the would-be shepherd’s heart. If so, he will feed you (John 21:15), and rich blessings come from such men: “I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:15; cf. vv. 16-18).
The Anatomy of a Deacon
In light of the primarily spiritual role elders have within the church, their focus was the mind, the tongue, and the heart. Turning to the office of deacon, it is important to understand that they have a related but distinct role. While elders shepherd primarily through the ministry of word, deacons lead the church in the crucial ministry of deed, embodying the Lord Jesus’ emphasis upon the ministry of mercy. For that reason they frequently find themselves on the front lines of costly and sacrificial ministry. What should these servants of the church possess?
1) As the preeminent servants in the church, deacons must have eyes that seek. As the leaders of the church’s ministry of mercy, these men must be watchful for occasions of need both inside and outside of the church (Ps. 41:1). They need awareness to look and wise insight to act. In other words, they must identify the need itself and then determine how to help most helpfully. No wonder the first congregation had to identify men full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3)! Our natural reaction to difficulty is to look elsewhere; deacons intentionally direct our gaze of compassion toward those in need, even if it is ugly.
2) In addition to eyes that look for those in need, a qualified deacon has ears that hear their cries. Wisdom tells us, “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.” (Prov. 21:13). In the Gospels we read scene after scene in which Jesus listens to the voices of the desperate (Mark 1:40), the hopeless (Luke 8:47-48), and the blind (Mark 10:47-49). Deacons, therefore, need to be men of mercy, compassion, and wisdom, infused with a willingness to associate with the lowly (Rom. 12:16—a command given to all Christians!). Why? Because when that cry comes to their ears they must be willing to devote the necessary amount of energy, time, and resources to respond to it. Though there is such a thing as active listening, a deacon’s task of hearing will often require him to react appropriately and wisely to calls for aid. Have you observed men in the congregation who model compassion to these cries? Are you listening?
3) We have examined how a deacon’s eyes serve proactively and his ears mostly reactively. We come now to the servant’s most crucial feature—hands that serve. Seeing and hearing must lead to doing (Jas. 2:15-17). In the Bible, the hands often stand for the whole of a person’s actions. A carpenter’s hands show the tough calluses of his trade, the surgeon’s the steadiness of medical precision, but what of the deacon’s? His able hands bear the unique blend of strength for willing service, gentleness for tender care, and endurance for patient labor. Think about a church led in her service by men of such willingness, grace, and ability. Their invaluable work in the trenches of mercy ministry doubtless lies behind Paul’s encouragement, “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 3:13).
Two Important Graces
Since the offices of elder and deacon are distinct, it is only natural to emphasize the unique gifts required for their tasks. Nevertheless, there are common traits as well. As this concludes, consider these two graces essential to both these offices relating to money and family. Paul prohibits men from either office who are seeking ungodly personal or financial gain from ecclesiastical position. But this is not just about cash. In other words, Paul’s concern is not so much with money as it is motive. While work in the church in some cases does result in some financial gain (see 1 Tim. 5:17-18), that must never be the goal. When considering men for office, always ask why? Why does this brother desire to seek the office? Those who lead the church in the ministry of word and deed must do so out of love to Christ and church, not self.
Second, Paul requires that the men qualified for office must rule their households well. What the older writers referred to as domestic piety stands as one of the most crucial—and sadly one of the most overlooked—criteria for church office. If married and a parent, it is immeasurably important to know the state of the home. Does this man love his wife well (Eph. 5:25)? Does his wife respect him (Eph. 5:33)? Does he lead and discipline his children effectively, and maintain an atmosphere in the home that demonstrates maturity in the Christian life (Eph. 6:1-4)? Do you look to an elder candidate as an example for a happy marriage (1 Cor. 11:1)? Can you see order, responsibility, and wisdom demonstrated in the household of that prospective deacon? Simply put, if an officer candidate is not able or willing to say, “Come to my house and I will show you what a Christian home looks like,” then it simply is not time for him to receive nominations for office.
Conclusion
Godly and capable church officers are a precious gift to the church from Jesus Christ the King. As He provides them to His people, it is actually proof of the continued growth of the Kingdom of God, and answer to the prayers of the church (see Westminster Larger Catechism 191). In his commentary on Revelation 1-11, James Ramsey wrote this about the church: “Her whole government, therefore, is designed to train and discipline her to be a witness bearer. And just in proportion as her ministers, office-bearers, and people keep constantly in view this work of witness-bearing for God as the very design of the church’s existence does she answer to this symbol of the golden candlestick, and is truly God’s light-bearer in a dark world.”[1] The officers of the church will take the lead in the great task given for holy service and witness bearing, for better or for worse. May the Lord grant His bride qualified men to guide her well, and may He give the members grace to identify them.
[1] James B. Ramsey, The Book of Revelation (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1977), 85-86.