Paper Presentation

Subject : Resources for Constructing Theologies: Baptist Theology and Polity.

Topic : Office of the Pastor, Deacon and Other Departments.
Presenters: Gracy, Limeka, Joseph (B.D. 3A) Duanchuingam, Moamenla (B.D.3B)
Lecturer : Mrs. Tonchingsangla Kinimi.

Introduction: Church is the body of Christ. It is a place where a believer gathers to worship
God. The church cannot function alone. It needs a guide so the office of the Pastors, Deacons and
other department work together for the smooth running of the Church. So in this paper we will be
discussing on how the early church developed, how this group of people work together hand in
hand for the better running of the church and guiding the believers.

Development of Church Offices in the Early Church

Church history relates how the office or the function of the minister of the church developed.
After the passing away of the Apostles at the end of the first century, at a time when heresies
were creeping into the church, it was recognised that there was a need for church officers to
maintain orthodoxy. The presiding elder among a given group of elders in a church came to be
recognised as the Bishop or the Pastor, and the rest of the elders as Deacons, who work under the
Pastor.1

1. Office of the Pastor

The church in all its noble work is led by the Pastor. In human terms he is the “Head man” and
he must exercise his leadership responsibly.2

In the scriptures, the office of pastor is called by many names—elders, overseers, and bishops.
“Pastor” is actually the title used least, found only in Ephesians 4:11. Here Paul lists “apostles,
some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.” However, though that noun is
used only once, its related verb which means “to act as a shepherd/pastor” is applied to the
Ephesians elders when they are told to “shepherd the church of God.” This is also done by Peter
in 1 Peter 5:2. Another term used for this same office is bishop or overseer (episkopos),
depending on the translation. In Acts 20:17, Paul calls the elders of the church at Ephesus to
himself. In verse 28 of that chapter, he tells this same group that they are overseers. The same
interchange of terminology occurs in Titus, when Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every
town (Titus 1:5). In the very next sentence, Paul continues talking about this task but refers to
the office as that of overseer (Titus 1:7).3

1
O.M. Rao, Baptist Distinctives (Guwahati: Christian Literature Centre, 2014), 75.
2
James L. Sullivan, Southern Baptist Polity at Work in a Church (Nashville: Convention Press, 1987), 58.
3
Jacob porter, “Church Governance and Authority,” accessed April 11, 2005.
file:///C:/Users/hp/Desktop/Baptist_Church_Governance_and_Authority.pdf

1
Since the New Testament describes no other office as having this kind of authority, it is
reasonable to conclude that the writer of this Hebrews passage is referring to local church elders.
Another responsibility of the elders seems to be modelling Christ-like behaviour to the church (1
Peter 5:3).4 Some of the duties of the pastors are:

1. To preach the gospel.

2. To administer the sacraments, perform marriage ceremonies, and bury the dead.
3. To visit from house to house, so as to give guidance and oversight to church members
and to others in need of a pastors help.
4. To instruct candidates for membership in the church and to receive members and dismiss
them when to move to other locations.
5. To form classes of children and adults in preparation for church membership and to train
them for living a Christian life.5

Some main words that summarize the work of pastor: seeking, watching and caring.

Seeking: The pastor is always reaching out seeking that which was lost (Luke 15:4). There are
many sheep’s that wonder and go astray. The shepherd is one who never gives up on the lost one.

Watching: The pastor is always watching for things that could cause damage to the flock (Luke
2:18). This watching evolves a looking to the sheep for any problems that might arise, cheeking
for those who are hurting or limping. This watching involves looking out for wolves who may
come to tear the flock, either from without or from within (John 10:12, Acts 20:29)

Caring: The pastors is always caring for those who are in need (John 10:13). This may involve
visiting the sick making sure physical needs are being taken care of, assisting in financial
planning, teaching principles by which to live, or giving comfort and consolation in times of
bereavement. It involves a life commitment to reach out and touch the sick the dying, the
crippled, the poor the widow, the fatherless, and all who are hurting.6

2. Office of the Deacons

The second office of the church is deacons, which is a transliteration of the Greek word meaning
servant (diakonos). Indications in scripture of the function of this office are vague at best. One
clear point is that the New Testament writers considered deacons distinct from elders. In
Philippians 1:1, Paul writes, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the
overseers and deacons.” When giving lists of qualifications for church officers, Paul clearly
distinguishes elders from deacons (1Timothy 3:1-13). Though it is not conclusive, many believe
that Acts 6 describes the inception of the deacon office.7
4
Jacob Porter, “Church Governance and Authority,” accessed April 11, 2005.
file:///C:/Users/hp/Desktop/Baptist_Church_Governance_and_Authority.pdf
5
Nolan B. Harmon, Understanding The Methodist Church (Nashville: The Parthenon Press 2016), 123.
6
Bill Scheidler, The Local Church Today (Hyderabad: Authentic, 2002), 236-237.
7
W. T. Conner, Christian Doctrine (Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1937), 264

2
The concept of administering ministries that meet physical needs within the church seems to
connect with the qualifications for deacons. They cannot be “greedy for money” (1 Timothy 3:8),
and they must be good household managers (1 Timothy 3:12). Perhaps they were entrusted with
financial responsibilities as they carried out ministry to the church’s physical needs. Just as
elders provide for the spiritual care of the church, deacons provide for the practical needs
through administration, maintenance, and physical care of the church. 8 Another proposal is that
deacons are chosen by the congregation to fulfil whatever ministries are delegated to them by the
elders.9

One of the richest fellowships in a Baptist church is in the group of deacons actively serving the
church. The church has made them a group. They are bounded together by an unusual tie of
service and responsibility. Men and women whose business entrusts vary widely find a common
meeting ground in serving church as deacons.10 The deacons, likewise, are responsible to the
church. They report to the congregation on their assigned work and are given direction by the
congregation. The pastor or the staffs does not supervise the deacons. Neither do the deacons
supervise the pastor and the staff.11

3. Other departments

A Church has a staff of several persons with professional training, it’s of whom shares in the
pastoral responsibilities, here are some of the department though they are not officially conduct
an offices but who shape the church structure in various ways; which are as follow:

1. Youth department: Church Youth directors, also called youth pastors, impart the teachings of
their faith through prayers, events, activities and Mission trips that appeal to youth while
encouraging them to be faithful followers of the church. Youth ministers should be accepting of
youthful ideas and understanding of youthful doubts and hesitations concerning their faith
journey.12 The youth pastor collaborates with the head pastor and other members of the
leadership team in carrying out the mission of the church. Youth pastor should develop

relationships with the youth. This might involve in home to nurture young Christians or to help
teens struggling academic or behavioural challenges.13

2. The Church Clerk: A church clerk is someone who keeps the records and must have a sense of
responsibility, and the ability to keep accurate records in legible form. The chief duties of this
office are to keep minutes of all congregation and church council meetings, to maintain an
8
Jacob Porter, “Church Governance and Authority,” accessed April 11, 2005.
file:///C:/Users/hp/Desktop/Baptist_Church_Governance_and_Authority.pdf
9
Jacob porter, “Church Governance and Authority,”…, ibid
10
Robert E. Naylor, The Baptist Deacon ..., 68.
11
Howard B. Foshee, The Ministry of the Deacon (Nashville: Convention Press, 1968), 34.
12
Baptist church, “Department of Youth, adults and campus ministry,”
https://oca.org/about/departments/youth-young-adult. (04/08/2019).
13
Jason Hoet, “SA Baptist youth Department strategies” (Dec 22, 2012),
https://www.scribd.com/document/117655486/SA-Baptist-Youth-Ministries-Strategic-Plan.

3
accurate role of the membership. It is also the clerk’s responsibility to furnish statistic reports
and the other data required by the local Baptist associations as well as regional and national
organisation.

3. The Financial Secretary: It is usual for a financial secretary to receive and count all moneys
and to deposit the receipts in the proper bank accounts. He/she then turns over to the treasurer a
statement of such deposits. He/she keeps a record of the contributions of individual members
given through envelops provided by the church. Periodically each contributor should receive an
accurate of his/her giving.14

4. Children department/ Sunday School Department: The general superintendent serves as the
administrative head of the Sunday School Department (SSD), in cooperation with the Board of
Christian Education. Children are notably tender; their sincerity is never in doubt and their hearts
are capable of genuine conversion. The duty of every parent or guardian is to introduce the word
of God to their children at home. After the parents teach the child at home, the church is able to
reinforce these teachings at pulpit and in Sunday school.15 When Superintendent and teachers of
the Sunday school are ready to assume for their duties, a public installation service is appropriate
to recognize that they are sharing in the teaching work of the church.16

5. Music department: Music committee play a very important role in most of the Baptist
churches today. This committee should be elected by the church at its annual meeting.
Experience indicates that the tenure of office be set for one year, or depend on the church
organisation. The greatest value of a competent member of this group gained through reasonably
long continuity of service. The pastor should always be an active member of and adviser to this
committee.17 This music leader or choir leader should have a quality of maturity, knowledge of
music, faithful in church attendance and also who need have a responsibility for musical
instrument and music in the church.

Conclusion
Through the above discussion, Pastors serve the congregation through leadership, preaching and
teaching, while deacons assist the pastor by taking care of matters like money and property.
Baptist churches recognize the offices of pastor and deacon. We also understand that large
churches especially have several or many more departments apart from the office of pastor and
however, the Bible authorizes only two offices, pastor and deacon. The role of some department
may not be as significant as the other departments, nevertheless each role or office that makes up

14
Norman H. Maring and Winthrop S. Hudson, A Baptist manual of Polity and Practice (Valley Forge:
Judson Press, 1997), 125.
15
Parklands Baptist church, “Children‘s Ministry:,” accessed 16th, 2015,
https://parklandsbaptist.org/childrens-ministry/. (04/08/2019).
16
Norman H. Maring and Winthrop S. Hudson, A Baptist manual of Polity and Practice…, 125.
17
Eugene Dinsmore Dolloff, S.T.D, The efficient of church officer (Glasgow: Bothwell Street, 2000), 107-
108.

4
the body of the church has an important role in their own ways and thus helps the church to grow
and function property.

Bibliography
Conner, W. T. Christian Doctrine. Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1937.
Dinsmore Dolloff, S.T.D, Eugene. The efficient of church officer. Glasgow: Bothwell Street,
2000.
Foshee, Howard B. The Ministry of the Deacon. Nashville: Convention Press, 1968.

Harmon, Nolan B. Understanding The Methodist Church. Nashville: The Parthenon Press 2016.

Maring, Norman H. and Winthrop S. Hudson, A Baptist manual of Polity and Practice. Valley
Forge: Judson Press, 1997.

Naylor, Robert E. The Baptist Deacon. Nashville: Broman Press, 1955.

Rao, O.M. Baptist Distinctives. Guwahati: Christian Literature Centre, 2014.

Scheidler, Bill The Local Church Today: A Biblical Study of its Purpose and Ministry. Portland:
City Bible Publishing, 2002.

Sullivan, James L. Southern Baptist Polity at Work in a Church. Nashville: Convention Press,
1987.

E-Sources
Baptist church, “Department of Youth, adults and campus ministry,”
https://oca.org/about/departments/youth-young-adult. (04/08/2019).

Hoet, Jason .“SA Baptist youth Department strategies”(Dec 22, 2012),

https://www.scribd.com/document/117655486/SA-Baptist-Youth-Ministries-Strategic-Plan.

Parklands Baptist church, “Children‘s Ministry:,” accessed 16th, 2015,

https://parklandsbaptist.org/childrens-ministry/. (04/08/2019).

Porter, Jacob. “Church Governance and Authority,” accessed April 11, 2005.
file:///C:/Users/hp/Desktop/Baptist_Church_Governance_and_Authority.pdf