The organization of the local church is somewhat unclear in the major Pauline epistles, although a clearer picture emerges in the pastorals. Acts says that Paul appointed elders in the churches he founded (Acts 14:23), thereby extending into the Hellenistic churches the same structure that had developed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:30). The language of Acts suggests that the elders (presbyteroi) could also be called overseers or bishops (episkopoi, Acts 20:17, 28). In Paul's major epistles, elders are never mentioned; bishops and deacons provide leadership for the Philippian church (Phil. 1:1). That the Pauline churches had a formal leadership is clear from Paul's appeal to the Thessalonians to respect those who "are over you (proistamenoi) in the Lord and admonish you" (I Thess. 5:12). The same participle is used of church leaders in Romans 12:8. In view of the fact that tge sane participle is used in the pastorals of bishops (I Tim. 3:4), deacons (I Tim. 3:12), and elders (I Tim. 5:17), there is good reason to conclude that proistamenoi designates the office of elder-bishop and deacon.
In Ephesians, Paul refers to evangelists and pastor-teachers (Eph. 4:11). Evangelists are peachers who carry on the missionary task of preaching the gospel but without the authority of the apostles. The term denotes a function rather than an office. Teaching is also mentioned as being next to apostles and prophets among the gifts of the Spirit (I Cor. 14:28f). Since prophets were pneumatics, it is likely that teachers were nonpneumatics. Teachers are also coupled with prophets in Acts 13:1. The language of Ephesians 4:11 suggests that pastor-teachers is a single office embodying a twofold function: that of shepherding or overseeing the flock, and of teaching. It is probable that this term designates leaders in the local church and is basically the same as episkippoi and the episkopoi.
Paul also list one of the gifts of the Spirit as "administration" (I Cor. 12:28). The word literally means "steersman," "helmsman," and must refer to the gift of leadership in the churches, "a true director of its order and therefore of its life." It is highly probable that this is the gift exercised by the episkopoi and the proistamenoi.
The organization of the church appears in clearer outline in the pastoral epistles. The function of deacons are not specifically described (I Tim. 3:8-12) because they are well known, but their qualifications are emphasized. Like elders, they must have the ability to rule and be devoted to the gospel, but no reference is made to teaching. They must not be double-tongued or avaricious since they have access to many homes and are entrusted with the administration of funds. Paul refers to women in the same context; these women obviously assisted the deacons and were probably deaconesses (see Rom. 16:1).
Both the qualifications and duties of elders are set forth in I Timothy 5:17-22. They exercise a threefold function: ruling, preaching, and teaching. The wording of the passage suggests that all elders rule but not all engage in preaching and teaching. This coincides with the injunction of Paul to the Ephesian elders to shepherd the flock, oversee it, and feed it (Acts 20:28). The duties of bishops are outlined in I Timothy 3:1-5. Aside from qualities of personal excellence, they must gifts of teaching and ruling. The same qualities are listed in I Timothy 1:5-9, with the addition of hospitality and ability to defend the gospel against false teachers.
In the apostolic fathers, especially in Ignatius, the bishop emerges as distinct and superior to the elders, giving rise to the office of monarchical bishop. Many have contended that the pastorals reflect the beginning of this development. But both elders and bishops engage in ruling and teaching, and the two words are used to describe the one office in Titus 1:5, 7. However, the variety of scholarly opinion sugests that one can hardly be dogmatic in his understanding of the organization of the Pauline churches. Even if prebyter and bishop are two words for the same office, the picture is less than clear. That the prebyters acted as a college is clear from I Timothy 4:14, where Timothy was ordained by "the laying on of hands of the presbytery." However, it is not clear whether there was single elder-bishop over each local congregation or a college of elders as in the Jewish synagogue; and in a large city with several congregations constituted a single presbytery for the Christian community of the entire city. It appears likely that there was no normative pattern of church government in the apostolic age, and that the organizational struture of the church is no essential element in the theology of the church. In view of the central theological emphasis on the unity of the church, it is important to understand that unity does not mean organizational uniformity. [1]
To continue press here
[1] In writing this part of the paper, I have relied very heavily upon
George Eldon Ladd's book,
A Theology of the New Testament, pp. 532-534
[Grand Rapids, Michigan: Willian B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974]
so that maybe I should put quotation marks around this part of the paper.
Thank you, Dr. Ladd.