Expert: Dr Don Howe - 3/15/2008

Question
Is there any referance in the Baptist doctrine or the bible on or about two leaders of the same position in the baptist church? Or any church?

Answer
Cecil, thank you so much for your questions. You asked "Is there any referance in the Baptist doctrine or the bible on or about two leaders of the same position in the baptist church? Or any church?"
 Your question is twofold in that you ask what is the role of leaders in the Baptist church based on Baptist doctrine. And you ask what  are the roles of leaders based on the Bible. You will find the two similar but also different.  
 The Bible describes in the New Testament church two positions of authority in the church which are elder and deacon. The word pastor was not mentioned until Eph. 4:11. Let us look at Titus 1:5-9 which tells what the qualifications are for these men. Tit. 1:5-9 states “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” Paul is telling Titus that he has his work cut out in Crete to “set in order” the church. Paul wants Titus to find, to ordain or kathistçmib which means to set apart elders in every city. Here elder is presbyteros which we get the word presbytery and Presbyterian. These elders were expected to be blameless or anegklçtos, which means unreproveable, and  husband of one wife (Paul is speaking of polygamy here and does not say anything about divorced men or widowed men, but this area has caused enormous amount of harm in Christendom because some denominations states he is talking about the elder is to be married to one woman and can not be divorced or widowed. Paul is very specific in his writings and if he wanted to talk about divorced or widowed men he would say so, but is addressing polygamy. The elder is to have his mind focused on one woman). The elder is to have faithful children who are not accused of riot (asôtia meaning wastefulness or extravagant) and unruly (anypotaktos or can not subjected to control i.e. kids that can not be controlled). The bishop (episkopos or overseer, or elder) is to be blameless, steward of God, not selfwilled (subject to stubbornness), easily angered, not given to wine (meaning a drunkard), no striker (plçktçs meaning violent or quarrelsome), and given not to filthy lucre (aischrokerdçs or filthy gain or greed). The elder (presbyteros), overseer or bishop (episkopos) is, speaking of the same office but used interchangeably here, to be a lover of hospitality (philoxenos or generous to guests), lover of good men (philagathos means lover of that which is good), sober, just, holy (hosios or undefiled by sin), and temperate (egkratçs or controlling one's self). The elder/overseer must hold fast to the faithful word that he has been taught, and be of sound doctrine to exhort (parakaleô or to teach and instruct), to convince (elegchô means by conviction to bring to the light) the gainsayers (antilegô or the one who contradicts) meaning one who are try to contradict the gospel. Keep in mind the office of elder (presbyteros), overseer or bishop (episkopos where Episcopalian comes from) is  referring to the same office.
 Cecil, the next position of in the N.T. church that Paul address is the office of deacon. Paul in Philippians 1:1 writes “all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops (episkopos), and deacons” (which is diakonos means servant and by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use). Notice Paul address  the bishops, overseers, and elders as one who is in a leadership role in the first century church and the office of deacon is one of service to others in the church. No where does it say that deacon is one who is in authority or church leadership position).
 All believers in Jesus Christ are to be called “servants” or “minsters.” Romans 12:7 Paul tells us “Or ministry (diakonia), [let us wait] on [our] ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching.” Peter said in 1 Pet. 1:12 “It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you. “(NASB). Paul tells us in Acts 6:1-7 that the apostles had been informed that the widows were not being ministered to and they could not leave the preaching of the Word of God to do this ministry. So they said to “look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business” (Acts 6:3). This is the first reference to a group or “board” of servants (deacons) to do the ministry (diakonia). As you can tell in deacons were to minister by serving others (taking care of the widows) and not leadership in church which was left to the elders, who did the preaching and teaching.
   In 1 Tim. 3:7, Paul again gives the qualifications for the elder, but he uses an interesting word in 3:8 which states “Likewise [must] the deacons [be] grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre.” Likewise is hôsautôs in the Greek which means after the same manner, the deacons will have same qualifications as the elders. And they can not  be double tongued (dilogos which means saying one thing with one person another with another (with the intent to deceive), given into to much wine (drunkard), and given to filthy lucre (greed). In 1 Tim. 3:9 states “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” Holding the mystery (mystçrion which means a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding except revealed by the Holy Spirit) and hold this mystery in good conscience which is syneidçsis meaning that process of thought which distinguishes what it considers morally good or bad, commending the good, condemning the bad. In 3:10 it states “And let these also first be proved (tested or examined); then let them use the office of a deacon, being [found] blameless (unaccused).” In 3:12, it states the deacon is to husband of one wife and ruling their children and house well.
 And Paul ends the qualifications in 1 Tim. 3:13 stating “For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” And the deacon will purchase which does not mean they will buy something but it is peripoieô to preserve for one's self a good degree. They will preserve for themselves a bathmos (degree) a grade of dignity and wholesome influence in the church. And they will do this with great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
 Cecil as you can tell these are strict qualifications for both offices of elder and deacon. Paul mentions the word pastor one time which is in Eph. 4:11 which states “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” Pastor comes from the Greek word poimçn means herdsman or shepherd and the root word means to protect. Paul is using pastor just like elder as the shepherd of the church and to carry out the same duty of feeding the church by teaching. But there was still no separate office called pastor, but elder/overseer and deacon.
 In the Baptist tradition, the Baptist see only two Scriptural office of Pastor and deacon. The office of pastor, elder, or overseer is basically the same office as they are all one who has church leadership and authority to do the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Many evangelical churches still use the office of elder. Many churches will have a senior elder, and there is a board of elders and separate board of deacons. The board of elders has the responsibility of the administration of the church and the board of deacons are suppose do nothing but to be servants in the church and not the administration of the church. In some Baptist churches the board of deacons have also assumed the responsibility of administration of the church and this was not the biblical model set up by Paul for the N.T. church. Deacons are to be servants and not administrators. Leadership of the church is left up to the board of elders and senior elder. Cecil, some theologians will get fighting mad over these type of issues, which is only “beating their chest in the air” as Paul would say. So the office of Pastor   functions the same as elder/overseer. But to be correctly based on the Word of God there is a  difference in the role of elders (remember in the N.T. there always several elders and today we would call it a board of elders) and group of deacons (same as board of deacons).
 Some Baptist churches have a separate board of elders and board of deacons. I have served on both boards in different churches and there is a different in their function. Cecil, if a Baptist church does not have a Board of Elders and only a Board of Deacons that church has the same purpose as the all the churches that Paul started and that was to preach and teach the Word of God and bring people to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus. Again, the board of deacons only purpose is to be servants to the congregation, and the senior pastor is accountable to the board of deacons and congregation.
 I have seen in small churches, who were “pastor-eating churches,” in which the board of deacons ran the church and usually one deacon (the one with the biggest bank account and influence) decides what pastor is chosen and when they leave, i.e. pastor-eating church. These type of churches can not keep a pastor for very long and they get a reputation of being a spiritually abusive church and no one wants to serve as pastor that church. In other  small churches, the Pastor maybe the one who is spiritually abusive and is a false preacher/apostate,  and the board of deacons are in his back pocket and nothing but “yes men” to what ever the pastor says or wants to do. No true accountability to anyone.
 One such church that comes to mind is the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS in which  Sam Phelps is the pastor. This church is the one who is always parading around trying to disrupt military  funerals for our sons and daughters who have been  killed in action with signs that say “GOD HATES THE MILITARY,” and the they are famous for parading around homosexual activities with signs that say “GOD HATES FAGS.” This church has no association with any Baptist denomination or convention, please note this. But they are an apostate church. And Cecil I want you to see that a church such as this is so evil and corrupt that there is no accountability in the church. Sam Phelps is not accountable to no one because the board of deacons and the congregation are all his kinfolks. The leadership of a church has to be strictly based on the Word of God, ran according to the Word of God, and for the purpose stated in the Word of God.
 Being a Pastor of a Baptist Church is truly a call from God. In small churches, the pastor has to be bivocational in that he has to have a job outside of the church to supplement his income or he can not make a living, because the church is too small to afford a fulltime pastor. In large Baptist churches, you have the Senior Pastor and  associate pastors who are responsible for different ministries in the church, such as administration, music, youth, children ministry, or other ministries. These associate ministers have to meet the same qualifications to the office of a pastor, but their roles and functions in the church can be very different. Everyone is on the same playing field when you are called into the ministry because we are serving one God, one Savior, and One Lord, but this also true for all people who are born again. Cecil to answer you question, in the Baptist there is not usually two leaders serving in the same position. But this in not true in other churches.
  In Charismatic churches, there are many churches that are started by a husband and wife team, and they will be co-pastors together. And this definitely is not in accord with the way Paul and Peter stated in the study above.
 Cecil, I hope this helps you understand the biblical way church leadership should be set up and their different roles. I gave some examples of churches that are apostate, because they are not based on the biblical model.
May God Richly Bless You This Day.

Dr. Don Howe, PhD, ThD.