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The Leadership of the Church

October 13, 2013 Series: The Church

Passage: 1 Timothy 3:1–13

The Leadership of the Church

Quick Recap:

  1. Mission of the Church - disciplemaking
  2. Power of the Church – ministry of the Holy Spirit
  3. Worship of the Church – exalting God in spirit & truth
  4. Fellowship of the Church – true fellowship
  5. Proclamation of the Church – the preaching & teaching of the church
  6. Witness of the Church – spreading the Gospel by praying, going & living
  7. Leadership of the Church

1. Leadership Principles

  • the heart and mind of a servant (Mt 20:25-28, Mk 10:45, John 13)
  • focused on meeting the spiritual needs of others (Eph 4:11-13, Col 1:28)
  • believers who are called by God to lead (Rom 1:1)
  • believers who possess the spiritual gift of leadership (Rom 12:8)
  • 1 Cor 12:28 describes the gift of adminstration, as in the "steering of a ship" or the "managing of a household"
  • what is it used for? to help the church as a whole thrive. Spiritual leadership may be similar but is verty very different from, secular leadership.

2. Leadership Offices

  • Christ is above all, head of the church (Col 1:18)
  • elders: in the OT, they were decision makers and major advisors to kings. In the NT, the elders are responsible for the governance of the church. Paul's pattern in the book of Acts was to establish and appoint local elders to lead the local church (Titus 1:5). Their main responsibility was to oversee, pray (Jas 5:13-14) and to teach/preach the Word of God to the church (1 Tim 5:17)
  • deacons: meaning literally, servants. Taking on other responsibilities and duties to free the elders to function (Acts 6). To aspire to the task of a deacon is an honorable one (1 Tim 3:13)
  • pastors: seeming to perform the same function as the elders, to shepherd or 'pastor' the flock (Eph 4:11)

3. Leadership Qualifications

  • for elders, godliness of character, lifestyle and family life is emphasized in addition to gifting and competence. Godliness must be evident in both public and private life. However, elders should be able to teach the Word and refute error (1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9)
  • likewise, godliness of character is emphasized for the selection of deacons (1 Tim 3:8-13)

4. Application

  • start working on the different areas of your life and godliness in all the areas of life
  • open your hearts and minds to the needs of the flock around you
  • pray, trust, encourage and cooperate with your leaders

More in The Church

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The Ordinances of the Church

November 3, 2013

The Discipline of the Church

October 27, 2013

The Service of the Church