“This saying is trustworthy: ‘If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.’”
Chapters two and three of the first letter to Timothy are about the conduct of the church. Chapter 2 was about prayer, and instructions for men and women. Now, Paul moves on to the leadership roles within the church, starting with that of an overseer. I am going to focus on the first verse today: what an overseer does, along with the types of church governance that we see today.
Paul starts with the phrase “This saying is trustworthy…” This is the second of five times that Paul has used this or a similar expression in his pastoral letters. It is a phrase used to introduce an established teaching in the church.
The saying is, “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.” I want to first look at the word overseer. We see this word used in Acts 20:28. “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.” An overseer shepherds the flock. The word used here is episkopos, which can also be translated as “bishop.” Another common word used for leader is elder (presbytero). This is the most common one we see. Here are some examples. “Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17). “The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1Timothy 5:17). “The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). Dwayne Litfin writes, “Though each of these terms may describe a different facet of leadership, they all seem to be used interchangeably in the New Testament to designate the same office.”
Litfin also notes in this commentary that two things are apparent from this verse. The first is that it is valid to aspire to be a leader and the second is that this is a noble task. It is valid to aspire to church leadership. Andreas J. Köstenberger also makes this point in his commentary. He writes, “Such an aspiration is a noble pursuit (lit., a good work). Interestingly, Paul does not mention a divine call to the ministry as a requirement here but instead speaks of an aspiration or desire (cf. 1 Peter 5:2).”
Paul will go on to describe the qualifications for elders (and later deacons) in this letter, but we do not have directions on how the hierarchy of the church is to be set up. Warren W. Wiersbe describes the early church this way in Volume 2 of the Bible Exposition Commentary: “Church organization was quite simple in apostolic days: there were pastors (elders, bishops) and deacons (Phil. 1:1). It seems there was a plurality of elders overseeing the work of each church, some involved in ruling (organization and government), others in teaching (1 Tim. 5:17).” Some of the earliest writings that we have naming a bishop overseeing a city are from Ignatius of Antioch, whom tradition identifies as a disciple of John the Apostle. He wrote this about bishops in his letter to the Magnesians: “Take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God, and with the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me, entrusted with the business of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from the beginning and is at last made manifest.”
This type of church polity (a fancy word for church government) is called episcopal. Episcopal churches are governed by bishops who oversee the church hierarchy. They perform ordinations and supervise clergy. Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Eastern Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Foursquare, and Anglican denominations all use this form of church governance. The Roman Catholic Church is a little different in that they have one head Bishop, the Pope, whom they title the Bishop of Rome.
Another type of church governance is the presbyterian model. This model is governed by a body of elders (presbyters) who share authority. Local churches are governed by sessions, and higher councils oversee multiple churches. Decisions are made collectively. Denominations that follow this model include Presbyterian, Lutheran, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Assemblies of God, Wesleyan, and Nazarene. This model of church governance is a direct result of the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin developed this model that emphasizes the roles of elders in church leadership. It teaches that all Christians have equal standing before God, and the equality of all clergy. It emphasizes the priesthood of all believers.
The third major type of church governance we see today is congregational. In the congregational model, each church is autonomous and self-governing. The power rests with the congregation and members vote on key decisions. Baptist, Pentecostal, Calvary Chapels, and most non-denominational churches follow this model. The congregational model also emerged during the Reformation.
The Bible does not speak to how the church should be organized. All three methods of church polity can be defended from Scriptures. I would make an exception of Roman Catholic teaching on the Pope, however. While they use Scriptures claiming that the Pope is the successor of Peter, their teachings on his infallibility when defining church doctrine and his leadership position in the world are matters of tradition, not found in the Bible. And while all three methods can be defended, all have their flaws. Some of the problems with the episcopal method are due to the hierarchical structure. These include resistance to change, abuse of power, and a division between clergy and laity. The presbyterian method may have problems because of its multi-tiered structure. The local church may feel a disconnect from the governing bodies or feel they don’t have input. Local churches may feel frustrated or powerless because of the emphasis on denominational accountability. The emphasis on a plurality of elders can be both positive and negative. It can be negative when it leads to difficulties in decision making, but positive in that it prevents one person from having too much power. Lastly, congregational church governance problems stem from the fact that it is an individual congregation. The majority rule can lead to unbiblical decisions. Leaders may be chosen based on popularity, not on spiritual qualifications. And along those lines, it may be hard to hold the leader accountable or even remove them if there is a moral failing if there is no one to appeal to as there is in the other models.
So as you can see, there is no perfect way to govern the church. But as the church continued to grow and spread, it was inevitable that various denominations and methods of governance would appear. And the Church is God’s method for spreading the Gospel. And it would need overseers and elders. Next, we will see what the qualifications are for this noble work.
Grace be with you!
Abundant Joy 