Tag: God

A couple weeks ago, some of my family was talking about deacons and deaconesses in the church today. Who gets to be ordained deacons, what do they do, why we don’t see as many today, and things like that. That got me thinking about different service/authority roles that the New Testament talks about. I wanted to study the Greek words used, since English translations often use different words to represent the same Greek word and that can confuse things for modern readers.

As ground work, I started looking at the topic of ordination, assuming it would be relatively simple (spoiler warning: it is not). Different Christian denominations handle this topic differently, and also recognize different roles that men (and occasionally women) can be ordained into. Figuring out the Bible’s stance on all of this is not entirely straight-forward, which is probably why there are so many different takes on it in different groups. It also seems that things were a little less formal in early New Testament times.

The Surprisingly Complicated Topic of Ordination

According to GotQuestions.org, which is a good source for non-denominational overviews of Christian topics, “The modern definition of ordination is ‘the investiture of clergy’ or ‘the act of granting pastoral authority or sacerdotal power,'” and in most cases “the ceremony involves the laying on of hands.” There is Biblical precedent for this practice, but there are also differences between the modern tradition of ordination and the Biblical examples we see for selecting New Covenant church leaders.

In the King James Version of the New Testament, the word “ordain” is found in 21 verses and it’s translated from 14 different Greek words. I don’t use the KJV much, but it’s the easiest translation to find versions linked with Strong’s numbers for studying the Greek text, and it’s a hugely influential translation. One of the big limitations of the KJV, though, is that the English language has changed dramatically since 1611. Some of the translation choices that were accurate 400+ years ago no longer work today. For example, “ordain” came into English by way of Late Latin, to Anglo-French, to Middle English with the meaning “to put in order, appoint” (Merriam Webster). Some of the times when it appears in the KJV, it’s in the sense of ordaining someone into a role. Other times, it’s about a fact that God appointed or decrees someone put in order.

My favorite modern translation for the New Testament, the New English Translation, only uses “ordain” once. For the 21 verses where that word is used in the King James version, they use the English word “appointed” most often, but also “become,” “decided,” “designated,” “intended,” “instituted,” “determined,” “give direction,” “commanded,” “administered,” and “prepared.” Those words give a better idea of the range of Greek words behind “ordain.” For today’s post, we’re looking at the Greek words that include the sense of appointing people for certain tasks.

• poieo (G4160). Primary meanings are “to make” or “to do” (Thayer). This word appears 586 times in the New Tesatament, with a broad range of meanings.
  • “He appointed twelve so that they would be with him and he could send them to preach” (Mark 3:14, NET).
• tithemi (G5087). Primary meanings “to set, put, place,” “to make,” and “to set, fix, establish” (Thayer). This word appears 94 times, with meanings ranging from putting a candle under a bushel (Matt. 5:15) to preparing a corpse for burial (Mark 6:29; Acts 9:37) to laying down your life as a sacrifice (John 10:17-18; 15:13) to making Abraham a father of nations (Rom. 4:17).
  • “For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle—I am telling the truth; I am not lying—and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Tim. 2:7, NET).
• kathistemi (G2525) means “to set, place, put,” including “to set one over a thing” or “to appoint one to administer an office” (Thayer). Used 21 times in the New Testament, often in the sense of putting someone in authority over something (see Matt. 24:45; 25:21; Acts 6:3; 7:10).
  • “The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you” (Tit. 1:5, NET). Also used of high priests in Heb. 5:1 and 8:3.
• tasso (G5021). “To put in order, to station” (Thayer). Used 8 times in the New Testament, always with the connotation of a person appointed for something, whether it’s an office of authority or a location they’re supposed to go (Matt. 28:16; Luke 7:8; Acts 15:2; 22:10; 28:23; Rom. 13:1; 1 Cor. 16:15).
  • “When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48, NET).
• cheirotoneo (G5500). “To vote by stretching out the hand,” such as appointing “one to have charge of an office or duty” (Thayer). Only used twice (2 Cor. 8:19).
  • “When they had appointed elders for them in the various churches, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the protection of the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23, NET).

These words all have to do with appointing someone to a task, sometimes with the idea of setting them in place, sometimes in the sense of making them hold an office, and sometimes by voting. There wasn’t just one word that meant “ordain” the same way we have in English. It does appear there was some type of ceremony involved (see Acts 6:6; 13:2-4 for laying on of hands as part of setting people apart for service) and that there was a selection process of some kind (e.g. choosing, voting, listening for God’s direction). Roles appointed in this way included preacher, apostle, elder, and high priest (under the Old Covenant). Some also include all believers in the sense of being appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:48) or appointed to bear good fruit (John 15:16).

Looking at Roles In The Church

When I wrote earlier this year about women serving in the church, I argued that focusing on who gets to be in charge (i.e. who holds authority roles in the church) misses the point. Positions we think of as having “authority” are described as responsibilities for service. That’s not to say having authority is necessarily bad; Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and gave certain kinds of authority to people in His church. But if we think about ordained positions like pastor or elder primarily as positions of authority, then we’re missing focus on humility and service (Matt. 20:24-28; Luke 22:24-27).

That’s important background understanding to keep in mind as we study roles in the church. We all have a vital part to play but we don’t all hold the same roles (1 Cor. 12). There are two main lists of what we might call authority or leading roles in the church, one in 1 Corinthians and one in Ephesians. Putting them together, we have “some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11), as well as those gifted with “miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:28, NET). Paul also talks about overseers (bishops) and deacons or deaconesses (servants) in other letters (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-4, 8-13; Titus 1:7-9). Elders also come up frequently (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-6, 22-23; 16:4; 1 Tim. 5:17; Tit. 1:5; Jams 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1), and it appears their roles overlap with overseers (Acts 20:17, 28).

• Apostles. Greek apostolos (G652), “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders” (Thayers). This category definitely included the 12 apostles hand-picked by Jesus, Matthias (who replaced Judas), and Paul. However, it is uncertain if it applied to any others (like Barnabus, Timothy, Silvanus, and Junia). Scripture is also unclear on if any humans should be designated as apostles today, but Zodhiates notes in his dictionary that it is probable “there is no continuity of the office of an apostle since in no place were the churches instructed to ordain apostles.”
• Prophets. Greek prophetes (G4396). Broadly speaking, it means one who speaks as they are inspired by God, often “concerning future events” (Thayers). This word “corresponds to the person who in the OT spoke under divine influence and inspiration” to foretell “future events,” deliver messages from God to people, and act as “the interpreter of His will” (Zodhiates). This is one of the roles that we definitely know can apply to both men and women.
• Evangelists. Greek euaggelistes (G2099), “a bringer of good tidings” (Thayers). Could be a formal title, but may also simply apply to those who share the gospel of salvation. “Evangelist” is only used three times in the New Testament (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5), but the verb “to bring good news” (euaggelizo, G2097) is used 60 times. Though we don’t have a lot of information on this role, some scholars infer that evangelists (along with apostles and prophets) were “itinerant ministers … preaching wherever they found an opportunity, while pastors and teachers were attached to some congregation or location” (Zodhiates).
• Teachers. Greek didaskalos (G1320), “one who teaches” (Thayer). The word is often used of Jesus as The Teacher, as well as His followers who teach whether they “hold the office of teacher” or are “endowed with the teaching gift” and minister “in an unofficial capacity” (Zodhiates).
  • Pastors. Greek poimen (G4166), literally “a herdsman, especially a shepherd” and metaphorically, “the presiding office, manager, director of any assembly” (Thayer). I have “pastors” nested under “teachers” because of how Ephesians 4:11 is phrased in Greek. Some interpret “pastors and teachers” as one group (i.e. all pastors are teachers and all teachers are pastors) because there’s only one definite article in Greek. The NET translation, however, points out this is “extremely unlikely” given that both “nouns are plural …. It is better to regard the pastors as a subset of teachers. In other words, all pastors are teachers, but not all teachers are pastors” (study note on Eph. 4:11). Zodhiates concurs, noting that “there is a growing consensus that pastors are a sub-group within the larger body of teachers.”
• Elders. Greek presbuteros (G4245) can refer to someone who is “the elder of two people” or someone “advanced in life … a senior” (Thayer). It is also used as “a term of rank or office” in both Christian and Jewish communities of the New Testament. You’ll often see “elders” used in the gospels to talk about judges and Sanhedrin members in the Jewish community. In Christian communities, Thayer’s dictionary notes that “the NT uses the term term bishop, elders, and presbyters interchangeably” and Zodhiates agrees elder is equivalent to overseer/bishop. It also is worth noting that this word typically seems to refer to men, but is used once for women (1 Tim. 5:2 is typically translated “elder women” or “older women,” and it’s the feminine version of presbuteros).
  • Overseers. Greek episkopos (G1985), someone “charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly” (Thayer). Also translated “bishops.” I have this role nested under “elder” because in Actus 20, Paul tell the elders he gathered (v. 17) that the holy spirit made them overseers of God’s flock (v. 28). This supports our assumption that the words are used interchangeably. We find qualifications for overseers in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.
• Deacons. Greek diakonos (G1249), “one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master” (Thayer). Typically translated “servant,” “minister,” or “deacon.” The word is applied to some specific people: Jesus (Rom. 15:8), Phoebe (Rom. 16:1), Apollos (1 Cor. 3:5), Paul (Col. 1:23), Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7), Epaphras (Col. 1:7), and Timothy (1 Thes. 3:2). We find qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. I’ve seen arguments that all the people named as diakonos are just “servants” rather than ordained “deacons” because they argue the role of deacon should be attached to a single church congregation, not overlap with pastor or apostle, and only apply to men, but it seems strange to me to insist on that distinction given that it’s all the same Greek word.

Why Does This Matter?

I found this a very interesting study, but as I continued working on it I started to wonder what the point is. There’s scholarly and doctrinal interest in this topic, but what does it have to do with the lives of Christians as a whole?

I think there is value, even for the majority of Christians who are not formally ordained, in understanding what the Bible has to say about authority or leadership roles in the church. It helps us understand that God did put structure in place and we should accord respect and honor to the men He charged with serving the church (1 Tim. 5:17). We are not meant to see elders, pastors, and others like them as adversaries, but as helpers and fellow workers (2 Cor. 1:24). It may be hard to trust people in leadership positions if you have experience with those who have abused those positions, but we must keep in mind that the roles themselves are not the issue.

That said, we’re also not called to blindly follow human beings no matter what they do. Understanding what the Bible says about people God entrusted with leadership roles in His church also helps us recognize when not to follow someone who claims authority. For example, if someone today claims that God appointed him an apostle and we should follow whatever he says, we should not believe that person. If a minister, elder, deacon, etc. starts teaching things contrary to God’s law or living a completely dissolute life, we should recognize that we have an obligation not to follow them.

Jesus Christ is the Head of all things to the church. As the Head of the Body, He sets people in different positions to fill different roles so the body is complete, diverse, unified, and accomplishing the variety of tasks the church needs to be doing (1 Cor. 12). The whole church–consisting of every person He has called to follow Him and who responded to His call by committing to Him–is under His authority. We can follow and imitate other respectable Christians, but only in so far as they are imitating and following Jesus (1 Cor. 4:16-17; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thes. 1:6; Heb. 6:12).

Featured image by Matt Vasquez from Lightstock