Sermon – Church Offices – Christian Memes

2 … Over the course of the next two weeks, weather permitting, we will nominate and elect official leadership for the calendar year of 2019.
- According to Article IV – Section 1 (A) of the church by-laws, the nomination of Elders, Deacons, Trustees, Church Secretary, Church Treasurer, Director of Music, Sunday School Superintendent (and Assistant), Sunday School Secretary, Sunday School Teachers and Assistant Teachers shall be made from the floor on the second Sunday in January.
- According to Article IV – Section 1 (C) of the church by-laws, the election of these officers are to be held the following Sunday by secret ballot by simple majority vote.
3 … To be able to nominate and vote for these positions, you must be a member and 18+ years old (Article IV – Section 1 D). To become a member, you must have faith in Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Living God; have confessed and repented of your sins; and then have been baptized – this could have happened here or at another church (Article II).

4 … To be eligible to hold any board position, according to Article IV – Section 1 (E), a person must be an active member of the church and be at least 18 years old.

5 … Today’s message is going to be about the biblical requirements and responsibilities for church offices, what our by-laws say about these positions, how the more modern positions relate to Scripture, and a challenge to spend the next week in deep prayer over placing the correct individuals in these positions.

6 … According to Article 5 in the by-laws; the Director of Music is to organize and administrate the vocal and instrumental music of the church; but what does the Bible say, if anything?

7 … Ephesians 5:18b-19 (NLT) … Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
8 … Colossians 3:16 (NLT) … Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
9 … 1^st Corinthians 14:26 (NLT) … Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.
10 … If you read the Psalms, you will find over a third of them are addressed to the choir director or the director of music. These psalms were to be performed under the leadership of the director of the sacred music which was used in the sanctuary for public worship.
11 … According to the by-laws the Church Treasurer must maintain a permanent record of all moneys received and deposited and of all expenditures. The church treasurer must fulfill all financial obligations of the church by writing checks and to make regular reports as requested by the Board.
12 … Trustees shall execute all leases and contracts, and invest surplus funds as approved by the Board/Congregation. They shall be deemed custodians of the church property, and should periodically inspect it and make provisions for necessary repairs. They shall with the consent of the board/congregation, have the power to sell, mortgage, or otherwise dispose of the real property and equipment of the church, to repair or improve the church edifice or equipment.
13 … Were there treasurers and/or trustees in the Bible? … The answer is “yes.”
- 1^st Chronicles 26:20 tells us that Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the gifts dedicated to the LORD.
- In the book of Ezra, Artaxexes the king told all the treasurers to give Ezra whatever he requested.
- Judas Iscariot was in charge of the moneybag.
- The Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 was the treasurer.
- In Romans 16, Erastus the city treasurer sent greetings.
14 … Trustees are not mentioned because they didn’t exist. It wasn’t until the 400’s in which the Catholic church created them to manage property and sort out legal issues. The early church met in public, homes, synagogues, and lecture halls and the first church buildings didn’t exist until around 240 AD. The bible does speak of stewards and managers, and since both the treasurer and trustees deal with money, finances, and property, they need to be good stewards and trustworthy.
15 … Matthew 25:29 (NLT) … To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
16 … 1^st Corinthians 4:2 (NLT), says “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.
17 … Luke 16:11 (NLT) … And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?
18 … According to the church by-laws, the church secretary must keep an accurate record of the meetings, keep the membership book up to date, and conduct any correspondence that is required. The Sunday School secretary is to collect and turn over money to the church treasurer and maintain accurate records from the classes; and the assistant secretary simply assists when requested or fills in when the secretary is absent.
19 … A secretary’s biggest goal is to maintain an accurate record, which is what secretaries and scribes did in the Bible. The scribes in the Bible drew up legal documents, copied the Scriptures, and studied them to make sure they could interpret doctrine and history; and many scribes in the Old Testament recorded the events that we can read about and kept records of what happened in each country.
20 … Esther 6:1-2 (NLT) … That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes.
- Without scribes (or secretaries) this information would not have been recorded.

21 … Acts 2:41 (NLT) … Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day – about 3,000 in all.
- Someone had to count and keep track – perhaps a secretary.
22 … Then there were those who wrote Paul’s letters as he transcribed them. Romans 16:22 says that an individual named “Tertius” penned the letter that Paul dictated. The end of 1^st Corinthians, Colossians, and 2^nd Thessalonians tell us that Paul wrote that particular greeting with his own hand – which would mean he did not write the rest of those letters.
According to the church by-laws, the following pertain to the remaining church offices:
23 … Elders … their responsibilities and duties shall be as provided in the New Testament Scriptures. They shall have a general supervision over the affairs of the church and the spiritual welfare of the members.
24 … Deacons … their responsibilities and duties shall be as provided in the New Testament Scriptures. They shall assist the elders when requested to do so.
25 … Sunday School Superintendent … to plan and administer the Sunday School program in cooperation with the minister and Church Board. Shall supervise the teaching staff and oversee the Sunday School services; and the assistant assists the superintendent, and performs their duties when the superintendent is absent.
26 … Sunday School Teachers … are to present clear and relevant lessons based on the Holy Scriptures.
27 … So, we need to dig into the New Testament to see what the requirements are for those who want to be elders, deacons, teachers, and superintendents are; and what their responsibilities were. That information will help us determine who can fill those positions and what those nominated and elected will need to do in the year ahead of us.
28 … The Church grew so as to have the need of structure and order because God is not a God of confusion as the Bible tells us in 1^st Corinthians 14:33 (NLT) … “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.”
In Scripture we find that the early church had the following to help govern and lead:
29 … 1^st Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 tell us that apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and teachers were given to the church.
30 … Ephesians 4 also tells us that the responsibility of the people in these positions are to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, which is the body of Christ.
31 … 1^st Timothy 3, Titus 1, and Peter give us the requirements of an elder, overseer, bishop, superintendent, supervisor, and deacons.
32 … Teachers or διδάσκαλος (didaskalos) in Greek occurs 59 times in the NT and means teacher, instructor, master, one who provides instruction, and implies authority over the students or followers. It is equivalent to ῥαββι, (rabbi) which occurs 15 times and means master or teacher or simply just a title for a teacher.
33 … James 3:1 (NLT) says, “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
- This warning isn’t to keep people from being teachers, but just as a reminder to make sure they are teaching correctly and are being a teacher for the right reasons.
34 … Deacon or diakonos (διάκονος) in Greek occurs 29 times and can mean servant; minister; a person who renders service and help to others; a trusted officer of helps and service in the local church; an attendant; one who executes a commission; a deputy; and both men and women in the New Testament held this position.
35 … Acts 6 is the first time we read about deacons. They came on the scene to help the 12 Apostles. The Apostles wanted to dedicate all their time to the word of God, so they appointed deacons to help with the daily distribution of food for the widows.
36 … Romans 16:1 tells us that Phoebe (a woman) was a deacon in the church at Cenchrea.
37 … Overseer / Superintendent / Bishop or episkope (ἐπισκοπή) in Greek only occurs 4 times and means coming, visitation, the coming of divine power for recompense; an office of responsibility and place of leadership referring to an office of apostle in the book of Acts; and the office of overseer or bishop in the local church.
38 … Elder or presbyteros (πρεσβύτερος) in Greek occurs 66 times and usually refers to an official leader in a church; but depending on context can refer to an older man or woman.
39 … The positions of elders, bishops, and overseers are sometimes lumped together; and that is reasonable – and they are also used as requirements and responsibilities of a pastor and in many churches the pastor is considered to be the highest ranking elder.
40 … People in these positions have a very important responsibility to take care of the Church and to protect her from heresy and false doctrine and immorality. They are the protectors of God’s family. Elders must know Scripture and be able to defend it and teach it to others.
41 … Again, Jesus himself – our Lord and Savior – gave these positions to order the Church and equip God’s people for all manner of good works. These positions, gifts, and talents should not be taken lightly or abused.
42 … 1^st Peter 3:2-3 (NLT) says, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly – not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.
43 … Elders in Scripture took care of the spiritual needs of a congregation; while deacons took care of physical needs of the congregation. These are arguably the two most important positions in the church, but does not undermine any other positions.
44 … To sum up their requirements for elders are as follows … Above reproach or blameless … Faithful to their marriage … Can properly manage a household … Sober-minded or temperate … Self-controlled … Disciplined … Respectable … Hospitable … Able to teach … Knows and holds firmly to sound doctrine and can refute and encourage … Not a drunk … Gentle – not violent … Not quarrelsome … Not a lover of money or greedy for gain … Not a recent convert … Have a good reputation with outsiders … Not arrogant … Not quick-tempered … A lover of good … Upright and holy … Can lead by example
45 … To sum up the requirements of deacons are as follows … Servant … Good reputation … Full of the Spirit … Full of Wisdom … Dignified … Not double-tongued … Not addicted to much wine … Not greedy for dishonest gain … Keeps hold of the truths of the faith … They are tested and blameless … Faithful in their marriage … Manages a household well … Wives who are godly
46 … To sum up the requirements of deaconesses are as follows … Dress modestly, respectably, and with self-control … Known for good works, appropriate for women who profess godliness … Reverent in behavior … Not to be slanderers or malicious talkers, but sober-minded … Not to be addicted to much wine … Teach what is good … Self-controlled … Pure … Kind … Submissive to husbands … Acting in a way that does not allow anyone to revile the Word of God … Dignified … Faithful in all things
47 … At the beginning of the sermon I mentioned that we needed to spend the next week in deep prayer over who to nominate and who to elect to lead this congregation for the next year. So, while you pray this week, please keep the following in mind:
48 … Is the person “committed” to Jesus?
- Is the individual a fully-devoted follower of Christ?
- Do they pursue Jesus passionately?
- Are they recent converts or have they had time to prove their faith is true?
49 … Does their “character” honor Christ?
- Does this person have a solid character?
- For example, do they have self-control, are they gentle, hospitable, upright, holy, and disciplined?
50 … Does their “conduct” reflect full devotion to Jesus?
- Are their actions reflective of someone who is fully-devoted to Christ?
- For example, is their marriage solid? Are they a good parent? Are they quarrelsome or overbearing? Do they have a quick temper?
51 … Do they have a good “comprehension” of God’s Word?
- Does the individual have a good knowledge of God’s Word to defend the Christian faith and encourage people to take steps in spiritual maturity?
- Could the person identify false doctrine?
- Could the person teach true doctrine?
52 … Does the person have the “capacity” for the position?
- Does the person reflect a concern for the spiritual well-being of the entire church or just a particular part of the church?
- Is there an appreciation for the responsibility and accountability God has given the individual to watch over the entire church?
53 … Does the person model “compassion” for others?
- Does the person reflect a concern for helping lost people find Jesus?
- Does their heart beat fast when discussing ministry opportunities to reach people who haven’t heard about Christ?
54 … Is the person really “called” to a position?
- Does the individual consider this to be an appointment from God or from men?
- Is there a clear sense that this is God’s calling?
- Is this really God’s will?
55 … So, please take the time this week to truly pray that God’s Will be done as we seek to honor God, take care of each other, and spread the Gospel to our community.