Elders, Deacons, Preachers, Saints
The Biblical Model for Church Leadership
Teaching Strategy
The focus of this lesson examines the biblical model for church leadership. Of special note in this lesson is how these leaders are to relate to the congregation and in what way this provides support for the church.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Know: Understand the various biblical leadership roles and their relationship to one another.
- Feel: Recognize the necessity for effective leadership in the Church.
- Do: Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be an effective leader in the Church.
Body of the Lesson
Discussion Questions
Below are suggested questions to use during the guided discussion portion of the lesson. There are also suggested responses to questions to help students grasp the various concepts. These are provided to assist the discussion and are not considered as “right or wrong” responses.
- Define leadership
- Why congregational leadership is important
- Who is our example of leadership and why?
I Corinthians 12:12–29 – Paul is giving an object lesson on the importance of all members of the body thus teaching that each member of the body of Christ is important with differing roles and that each role is important. Just as our physical body works well when all the parts work together, so too does the body of Christ. Each member of the body of Christ supports one another. Note that Paul is speaking with reference to spiritual gifts. He transitions his thoughts to the most important concept of all within a congregation and that is love. The love here is where we seek the best for one another as we serve the Master.
Ephesians 4:10-12 – In this passage Paul is continuing with his thoughts on the unity of the body of Christ. He speaks to the different roles we each have which are all important and emphasizes their purpose which is to build up the body of Christ and maintain unity. When we are unified and support one another in our given roles, we strengthen, protect and encourage the entire church to faithfulness.
Jesus is the head of the Church. He purchased it with His blood. All authority is His. We become followers of Jesus and apply His teachings to ourselves and our interactions with others. God's plan is for local congregations to be led by honorable men (elders) able to live and teach God's word.
Recall that leadership is about influencing someone to accomplish a task, develop or change knowledge and attitudes. As such, our elders exercise a positive influence over the members of a congregation to help them enter into and maintain a relationship with God by applying the teachings of Jesus. They do so by their personal examples, formal teaching and guidance in spiritual matters.
A good discussion would be to look at which responsibilities of an elder are the most important. This author feels that the role of teacher is the most important since this imitates Jesus in both title, role and approach to ministry (I Timothy 3:2).
There are two seemingly unrelated verses of scripture that help us gain insight into the importance of elders following God's plan in all things. First, there is the statement made in Acts 5:39 where the apostles were facing the Jewish leaders, and thus, their teaching because they were teaching Jesus. In this passage, the statement made is that if they are from God then they cannot be stopped.
The other passage is Paul's statement in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us." This statement teaches us that nothing can stop us when we follow God's plan. God is for us when we obey His word.
Both verses underscore the importance of each of us, but especially our spiritual leaders to ensure that how we live and what we teach must be according to God's will. When this is done, the congregation as a whole and the individual members in particular will be successful in their efforts to obey and serve God. This will lead them to be rewarded as faithful servants.
Even though some may never be able to serve as an elders, each of us should know their role and responsibilities so we can better encourage and support them. Furthermore, each of us should strive to possess the spiritual characteristics required by God of these men.