Introduction
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul of Tarsus wrote, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (4:11-12). This is the fivefold ministry of the first-century church. Paul's letters also refer to a threefold leadership model of bishop (Greek: episkopos; G1985, "overseer"), presbyter (presbuteros; G4245, "elder"), and deacon (diakonos; G1249, "server") that many scholars believe reflected a gradual shift in Christianity from decentralized local governance toward hierarchy (see 1 Tim. 3:1-3). However, early church leadership was a function rather than an office. We tend to use transliterations of biblical Greek terms for these various responsibilities, which causes us to view them as positions imbued with rank and divine privileges. Moreover, we must reconsider words such as "ordination" to see if they match the original intent of the New Testament authors.
Jesus warns us, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:25-28). This is the definition of servant leadership from Jesus, the servant leader par excellence. This rules out all forms of intercession and mediation, including popes, monarchical bishops, and even local pastors who try to be go-betweens from God to the churches they lead.
Apostles & Prophets
Today, "apostle" and "prophet" are the most commonly misused and abused words regarding church leadership. Many self-appointed leaders and even the most casual Bible readers claim to be apostles and prophets "led only by the Spirit" when they teach false doctrine, a dubious appeal to God's authority. If we interpret the meaning of the biblical Greek words apostolos (G652) and prophētēs (G4396) instead of romanizing the letters, they translate as "delegate" and "spokesperson." Simply put, only God appoints individuals to send or publicly communicate on his behalf. If the false teachers who claim to be apostles and prophets knew the responsibilities and consequences of being an apostle or a prophet, they would never call themselves such. In ancient politics, the penalty for misrepresenting the king to a foreign ruler was death; this was also God's punishment for false prophets according to the Law of Moses (see Deut. 18:20). Yes, both the words "apostle" and "prophet" have powerful political implications. To be an apostle means to be sent by God and formally represent heaven's kingdom as an emissary to the unbelieving world. The prophet lives in the same embassy, advising those who do not know the King about his intent. Remember, the primary Hebrew prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah were advisors to Israel's monarchs (see Ezra 1:1; 2 Chron. 32:32; 36:22). Philip's daughters and other prophets foretold God's kingdom coming to earth as Jesus' disciples shared the good news of his resurrection (see Acts 21:9; 1 Cor. 13:2).
The primary meaning of apostle in scripture referred to the twelve men Jesus appointed as his leadership team during his ministry years, mainly because they were immersed by John the Baptist and witnessed the resurrected Christ (see Acts 1:22). Paul was a later apostle. However, he was not one of the twelve and persecuted the church; he was an eyewitness to the resurrected Jesus (see 1 Cor. 9:1-2). The third and final meaning of apostle described those men or women who founded new churches in places where one did not yet exist (see Rom. 11:13; 16:7). For example, Epaphras started churches in the Lycus Valley cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and his native Colossae (see Col. 4:12-14). Therefore, an apostle today would be someone who found a mission or Christian community in a place that desperately needs one. While none of us have seen the resurrected Jesus for ourselves, it is still possible for us to be emissaries of God's kingdom in places where the gospel has yet to reach.
Overseers & Elders
Paul warned the Ephesian church elders: "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). He also gave these instructions to Timothy of Lystra:
Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 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. 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?) 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 (1 Tim. 3:1-7).
Paul wrote to Titus:
Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Instead, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (1:7-9).
In the first century, the apostles carefully "appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust" (Acts 14:23). Notice that Luke of Antioch used the word "appointed" instead of "ordained," as we say in modern Christendom. Yes, there is a difference. The Greek verb cheirotoneō (G5500) refers to the laying on of hands, akin to how a leader handpicks their next-in-command. However, this has to do with one human being appointing another human being. This is not an ordination in the sense that God himself delegates or anoints church leaders. To be sure, Paul used this word when he wrote, "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19). Another Greek verb sometimes mistranslated as "to ordain" is kathistēmi (G2525), which means "to stand down" and refers to the delegation of authority. Strictly speaking, "ordination" has to do with God "thoroughly commanding" (diatassō; G1299, "ordain") leaders to do his will (see 1 Cor. 9:14), but in scripture, we know that he delegates the task of appointing leaders to our local churches (see 2 Cor. 8:19). When some Bible translators deliberately misinterpret words, they endorse contemporary errors such as ordination and clericalism instead of the original context.
In the New Testament, there is no ceremony for anointing leaders. The authors only called Jesus "anointed" because they recognized his unique messianic identity as both king and priest of Israel (see John 1:41; Acts 10:38). In the Old Testament, only kings and priests were "anointed," meaning they had olive oil poured over their heads (see Lev. 8:12; 21:10; 1 Sam. 10:1; 2 Kgs. 9:6). However, way too many church leaders call themselves "anointed," not realizing they are claiming to be Messiah and Christ, titles belonging to Jesus alone. The only time a New Testament author mentioned an anointing ceremony was by church leaders rather than for them: "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). Paul informed us, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Cor. 1:21-22) in the order of salvation. In the same way, John son of Zebedee wrote: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth" (1 John 2:20), implying that Jesus anoints all believers. Likewise, Simon Peter wrote, "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:4-5).
Servers in Leadership
The server is an administrator of the church. They are responsible for the budget and other administrative responsibilities. Servers must be "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3). Their function is an actual service rather than an honorary title given to long-term members. They are the ecclesiastical counterpart of a server in a restaurant today: "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on [diakoneō; G1247] tables" (Acts 6:2). This coincided with the appointment of the servers Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus (see Acts 6:5).
These scriptural qualifications for servers:
In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, the women [who are deacons] are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 3:8-13).
Both men and women served in the first-century diaconate. Historically, the early church appointed female deacons, as attested by Canon 15 of the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) that lowered their minimum age from sixty to forty years (see 1 Tim. 5:9). Furthermore, Paul recognized Phoebe of Cenchreae as a deacon in his letter to the Romans (16:1; see "Mutuality & Praiseworthy Women").
Evangelists & Teachers
When Paul wrote: "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers" (Eph. 4:11), koinē Greek did not have commas and other punctuation marks. This fact leads some readers to conclude that pastors and teachers are the same, while others view them separately. The word pastor is a Latin translation of the Greek poimēn (G4166), meaning "shepherd." Ephesians 4:11 is the only verse in which poimēn alludes to the pastoral ministry of anyone besides Jesus, who alone is the Good Shepherd (Poimēn ho Kalos; John 10:1-18). Every elder is a pastor, and many churches today recognize this when delineating teaching pastors from senior pastors, youth pastors, etc. However, too many churches identify one elder as their "pastor," allowing him to dominate the entire church; this violates scripture. Peter admonished us:
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" (1 Pet. 5:1-5; cf. Prov. 3:34).
What appears to be a fivefold ministry in Ephesians and a threefold ministry in Paul's general letters (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus) were all the same roles and responsibilities of one overall ministry. Many words are interchangeable and probably represent a difference between local jargon. Consider the differences between an American president and a Canadian prime minister, offices that share many of the same functions but symbolize unique ideals. A teacher (G1320; didaskalos) was simply one who taught lessons from scripture and may or may not have been charged with other tasks (see Acts 18:26). An evangelist (G2099; euaggelistēs) was someone like Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John who wrote accounts of Jesus' life or who proclaimed the good news (G2098; euaggelion) of his resurrection (see 2 Tim. 4:5). Their role emphasized the public delivery of a message rather than personal interaction. Evangelists were much like town criers who declared the arrival of the Roman emperor before his official visits or tours. However, they proclaimed God's royal incarnation of Jesus as the "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:16).
Conclusion
In examining the early Christian models of leadership outlined by Paul and the teachings of Jesus, it becomes evident that the essence of leadership within the church fundamentally differs from worldly systems of authority. The concept of servant leadership, emphasized by Jesus himself, challenges hierarchical structures and calls for a paradigm shift where leadership is synonymous with humble service rather than domination or intermediation. While historical interpretations may have led to the institutionalization of roles within the church, it is crucial to reevaluate these constructs in light of the original intent of the New Testament authors. By embracing the ethos of servant leadership, we honor the teachings of Jesus and foster a community where every member is empowered for works of service, contributing to the spiritual growth and unity of the body of Christ.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; in your wise providence, you appoint leaders for your church's mission. Give grace to your servants, to whom the keys of your kingdom are now given: so empower them with the truth of sound doctrine, and endue them with the holiness of life, that they may faithfully serve before you to the glory of your great name, and the benefit of your holy church; through Jesus the Messiah our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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