In 1 Peter 5:3 Peter says to the elders, “Nor as lording it over the allotments, but becoming patterns of the flock.” To lord it over others is to exercise lordship over those who are ruled (Matt. 20:25). Among the believers, besides Christ there should be no lord. All should be servants, even slaves (Matt. 20:26-27; 23:10-11). The elders in the church can only take the leadership (not the lordship), which all the believers should honor and follow (1 Thes. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7). Literally, the word “allotments” means lots, portions; hence, allotments, portions entrusted. Here this word refers to the flock. The churches are God’s possession, allotted to the elders as their allotments, their portions, entrusted to them by God for their care.
The church is God’s flock and His possession. The elders have been appointed by God to be shepherds of the flock. Hence, God has allotted the church in their locality to them for their care. The church in a particular locality is God’s possession; it is not the possession of the elders. But God has allotted that church to the elders so that they may care for it and shepherd it. Furthermore, the church is allotted to the elders for their care only temporarily. For eternity the church is God’s possession. Even the elders themselves are a part of the church as the possession of God.
Instead of lording it over the allotments, the elders should become patterns of the flock. This means that they take the lead to serve and care for the church so that the believers may follow. We may say that the elders are the head sheep, those sheep that are in the front of the flock taking the lead so that all the sheep may follow. Instead of lording it over the church, the elders, as the leading sheep, should be patterns of the flock.
According to the Lord’s word in the Gospels and Peter’s word in his Epistle, the elders are not to have any control at all. The elders should not be rulers but slaves who serve and do not control. God is the Owner of the flock and the Master, and the elders are His slaves to serve Him by taking care of the flock, setting themselves up as living examples.
According to the New Testament teaching, there is no rank for the elders. There is also no controlling power for the elders, because they do not have any rank. The elders do not have any right to control. The clear word of the New Testament does not allow any ground for the elders to take rank or controlling power.
The elders take care of the finances in a local church. Acts 11:29 and 30 say, “The disciples, according as any one of them was prospered, determined each one of them to send things for dispensing to the brothers dwelling in Judea; which also they did, sending it to the elders through the hand of Barnabas and Saul.” This indicates that the finances of a local church are under the management of the elders. For this reason, 1 Timothy 3:3 says that an elder should not be fond of money. Money is a test to all men. An elder must be pure in money matters, especially since the church fund is under the elders’ management.
The second office in a local church is that of the deacons and deaconesses. In the church some brothers serve as deacons (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8) and some sisters serve as deaconesses (Rom. 16:1). The word “service” in Romans 12:7 denotes the service of the deacons and deaconesses in the local churches.
Deacon is an anglicized form of the Greek diakonos, which means a serving one. Deacons and deaconesses, therefore, serve the local church (1 Tim. 3:13), serving under the direction of the overseers, the elders. The overseers take care of the church, and the deacons and deaconesses serve the church by taking care of many practical matters. Those who serve as deacons and deaconesses should have a serving spirit and a serving attitude.
The deacons and deaconesses do the business affairs in the local church. We have an illustration of this in Acts 6, where seven well-attested men, full of the Spirit and wisdom, were appointed to care for the need of serving tables so that no one would be overlooked in the daily dispensing (vv. 1, 3). Those who were chosen to serve tables may be considered deacons, just as those were whom Paul and his co-workers appointed later in the churches.
Apart from the offices of elder and deacon, there is no other office in the local church.
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