That should get some attention!
Church plants often start with very little structure in place - usually just the planter and the volunteers. Such is the case with NCCd. In the mind of the planter (that's me), the structures already exist; the unknown is WHO will fill them and when.
I am teaching on Wednesday nights at Mabel White a verse by verse of First Timothy. It has provided a great opportunity to think, re-think, and begin to flesh out some of the future structures of NCCd. So here's where I am:
Plurality of Elders:
The New Testament model is clear - a plurality of elders.
Elders are male.
Elders meet the qualifications given in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
Elders are warriors - they are the defenders of the flock.
Elders are the "authority" in the church (authority in the NT seems to be tied to gospel leadership and doctrinal purity, not iron fisted "do this" leadership)
Pastors are Elders (equals / with a first among equals in the lead pastor/elder)
*An interesting note is that almost every detailed mention of elders and elder duties is tied tightly into the Gospel and defending the true gospel from false teachers.
Deacons
The primary role of the deacon is to serve the body of believers.
The word "deacon" comes from a Greek word meaning "waiter of tables." It is used in the NT to describe 1) waiting on tables/service 2)Ministery or minisering to people 3)As an office in the church. Acts 6 gives us info and insight into the first deacons. The first deacons were selected because there was a problem of some in the church not being served fairly. In order to free up the Apostles for prayer and the procamation of the Word, deacons were selected from the body of believers to serve. As a result, the word spread, people (including many Jewish priests) believed.
Deacons serve the body of the local church.
Deacons can be male or female.
and here's why I support women deacons:
1) Deacons are servants, not the church's authority. Elders hold the positions of authority. This is important because the male / female issue in Scripture primarily centers on the quaestion of authority (women not having authority over men, wives not having authority over husbands). If there is no question of authority then gender is not really important.
2) I Timothy 3:11 - In the midst of the character qualifications of a deacon, Paul adds, "Women must likewise be..." Some translators say, "Wives must likewise be..."
If Paul meant wives, then he is giving a further qualification to the deacon via his wife. That is, deacons wives must also be...
If Paul meant women, then is seems that he is allowing for and giving qualifications for women deacons.
The difficulty in translation is that the same Greek word is used for "woman" as for "wife." Context must help us determine meaning. Because there are no qualifications placed on the elder's wife (and the elder position has greater requirements), it seems silly that Paul would place this qualification on the deacon's wife. The naural flow of the text seems to be Elder > Deacon > Deaconess > Deacon & Deaconess conclusion.
3) Acts 16:1 calls Phoebe a deaconess. It seems to me that the context leans toward the office as opposed to a description of Phoebe as someone who just serves or ministers in the church.
4) It is documented historically that an order of deaconesses quickly arose in the 1st century church. The office or order of deaconesses existed in the East until the middle ages. (See Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament)
I realize this is a short post for both Elder and Deacon - more will come later as we continue to move toward structure and church leadership.
