Is There a Right Way to Organize a Church? (Acts 6:1-7)

Today we're beginning a new chapter in our Acts book series, as we uncover what chapter 6 has to say about organizing a church.

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Is there a right way to organize a church? 

• But seriously, lots of debate on this over the centuries
• Elders, deacons, pastors, bishops, etc.
• Are these different positions in the church?
• Today I’ll show you that there are only two “offices” in the church when it comes to positions of leadership
• But is there only one prescribed, God-ordained way to organize?

Acts 6:1 (NLT) 1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

• Church growth brings it challenges!
• Greek speaking vs. Hebrew speaking - Warning against cliques in the church, us vs. them mentality, contrary to the unity Jesus calls us to have and the unity that will show the world we are his disciples

Acts 6:2-4 (NLT) 2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

• Division of labor
• Apostles weren’t discounting the importance of meeting physical needs. The apostles were teaching “everything they had seen and heard” ( We have seen this phrase used earlier in the book of Acts).  They couldn’t just pass that responsibility on to people who hadn’t walked with Jesus.  They didn’t have Bibles available for the average believer.  They were teaching what Jesus had taught them, both prior to his crucifixion and between his resurrection and ascension.  
• The church should be looking for opportunities to meet physical needs of others, particularly other believers. (1 John 3:17, James 2:15-16)
• Philosophy of ministry to have elders/pastors whose only role is teaching the Word of God. Teaching the Word of God is extremely important, but we do have a different context today.  Believers do have access to the Bible. They do have access to other believers, commentaries, etc.  
• Notice the requirements don’t mention anything about the charisma, wealth, talents of the individuals being put forth for consideration.  It is about their character, wisdom, and being Spirit filled. 
• Note also the importance of prayer.  The apostles were intentional about making room in their schedule for prayer.  This is critical in ministry.  Something I certainly fall short in at times. 

Acts 6:5-6 (NLT) 5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

• Everyone liked this idea - maybe the biggest miracle in all of scripture!!
• Process: men selected from the people, presented to apostles who released them for ministry
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) In the history of exegesis and church government, Acts 6 with the appointment of Stephen and six others was always seen as relevant to diaconal definition and identity. But they are not actually called deacons using the Greek word diakonos. That word refers to a “servant” in various senses and capacities in Paul’s twenty-one uses of the word.

Let’s break down “diakonos” (servant, minister, deacon) in Paul’s writings:

• General uses: Not referring to official positions in a local church
• Rom 15:8 - Christ has become a servant
• 1 Cor 3:5 - Apollos and Paul are servants
• Col 1:7, 4:7 - Epaphras and Tychicus are ministers
• 2 Cor 11:15 - Satan has servants
• Office of deacon in local church: Only 3 times!
• Phil 1:1 (NLT) I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.
• Philippians written around 60-62 AD
• 1 Tim 3:8-12 In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity….
• 1 Timothy 62-66 AD
• Romans 16:1-2 (NLT) 1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.
• Some people debate whether this is referring to an official role in the church or just a general statement like the earlier list.
• May be the first reference to the office of deacon. Was the concept even yet formalized in the early church or in the mind of Paul? We don’t know. 
• Romans written around 57–58 AD
• (Stephen selected 30-36 AD)
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Even if Acts 6 and the appointment of seven men to assist in serving widows is brought into the discussion, it may be surprising how little is known from the NT sources about specifics regarding the office of deacon. Much of what we think we know today likely stems from projecting back into early NT history the roles of deacons with which we are familiar from traditions that can be attested in full only much later. This does not mean contemporary discussion of deacons cannot make appeal to these (and other) Scriptures. It is simply to underscore that the explicit sources are quite limited. Applications made from them deserve to be careful and as modest as the amount of definite information available.

In summary, here’s what we can say for sure from the Bible:

• The office of overseer (elder, pastor) is different from the office of deacon (minister, servant). 
• Paul appointed overseers in churches (around 50 AD): Acts 14:23 (NLT) 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
• The office of overseer was open to men only. The office of deacon appeared to be open to both men and women.
• Some churches debate this
• Alpine is committed to this. Overseers, pastoral team is made up of godly men who carry the burden of spiritual authority in the church, to include church discipline, etc.
• Some overseers are already functioning in “pastoral care” roles, including hospital/prayer visits, baby dedications, and even performing weddings.
• Appointment to either of these offices was a serious thing, and both overseers and deacons were expected to be whole-hearted followers of Jesus. 
• We’ll see this with Stephen next week…
• 1 Timothy 3:9 (NLT) 9 They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.
• Stephen was, even died for his faith. Guess who was there witnessing it: Paul, the guy who later wrote 1 Timothy!
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Historians can only speculate on how this incident might still inform Paul’s thinking on the character of deacons decades later.
• However it’s organized, the church should proclaim and protect the gospel. (So it’s for Christians and non-Christians.)
• We’ve seen proclaim over and over in the book of Acts
• Soon we’ll see protect… as false teaching creep in
• That’s a major role of the overseers

Close

The result of a well-organized church was growth!

Acts 6:7 (NLT) 7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

• Many of the Jewish priests were converted - Who would have guessed that during Jesus’ earthly ministry?  Who would have guessed it right after his resurrection?  It would have seemed hopeless.  They were the chief source of opposition.  They hung Jesus on the cross.  
• God is a God of miracles.  He brings dead things to life.  He makes beauty from ashes. 
• Who in your world have you given up on because you think it’s no use?  They’re a lost cause.  I hope this would encourage you to keep praying for them.  Keep witnessing to them.  Keep sharing the love of Christ with them. 
• The priests were mostly of Sadducean persuasion. They didn’t believe in a resurrection. What a turn around! 
• One of the things that helped God’s message to spread was winning as a team.  More people were getting involved in the work of the ministry (Ephesian 4:11-12, Core Value #3).