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Group Discussion: What examples of leadership have

you seen and experienced over the years (in and out
of church life)?

A Biblical Leadership Model

Many of the examples of church leaders today have little to do with the example of Jesus. They
receive titles like Pastor or Father, and sometimes exist primarily for the comforting of people
and seek to never upset anyone. In contrast, Jesus cleared out the temple with a whip, went to
parties with sinners, rebuked his disciples at times and yet still called them friends. At Church in
the Boro, we want to honor the biblical model and language of leadership found in the
scripture.

Jesus is the of the Church

- The head of the body (Colossians 1:18)
- The cornerstone of the foundation (Ephesians 2:20-22, 1 Peter 2:4ff)
- The Great Apostle (Hebrews 3:1)
- The Great Prophet (Matthew 13:57)
- The Great Evangelist (Luke 19:10)
- The Great Pastor (John 10:11)
- The Great Teacher (Matthew 23:10)
- Gifted Leaders Equip the Church (Ephesians 4:10-11).

Read Ephesians 4:11-16 Together

Jesus has given gifted leaders to the church for the equipping of the saints for the work of
service. Leaders are not called to be the ministers, but rather the ones who prepare the
church for ministry.

As we saw last week, the Old Covenant reality was that the Spirit was only given to select
leaders for a specific calling, but now the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh (Acts 2:17)
resulting in a priesthood of all believers (1 Pt 2:9). The role of leadership is to help us maintain
our unity in the Spirit (v.3-6), challenge us to mature as a body (v.13-16) and equip us to serve
(v.12).

1. Apostles

Literally, the Greek word, apostoelloi, means sent ones. It comes from the verb, apostello,
which puts emphasis on the sender who is giving a message to a team for an objective, and to


L i f e Mi s s i o n Gr o u p
session 6
biblical leadership
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report back to the sender. The illustration on the next page will help explain the function/role
of an apostle.


- There were originally Apostles whom Jesus chose first to preach
the gospel during His earthly ministry.

In Matthew 10:1 ff., Mark 3:14 and 6:30, and in Luke 6:13 and 9:1 ff., Jesus
commissioned the Twelve to preach the gospel among the villages during the early years
of His public ministry.

Just before He ascended, Jesus again gave them another mission, this one life-long: to
make disciples of all nations ( ), to preach repentance and forgiveness of
sins to the nations ( ), to preach the gospel to every creature ( ), and
to be witnesses of Jesus to the nations ( ).

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- The concept of " " was widened, however, to include others who believed
the same gospel about the same Jesus, and therefore took up the same mission. Look
up the following references and find other persons who were called or named apostles.

- (1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1; etc.).

and in Romans 16:7.

in Acts 14:14 and Galatians 2:1, 9, 13

and in 2 Corinthians 8:23 and Philippians 2:25

, by inference, in 1 Corinthians 4:6, 9.

, possibly, in 1 Corinthians 15:7

and , by inference, in comparing 1 Thessalonians 1:1 with 2:6.

Other as apostles of the churches and the
glory of Christ in 2 Corinthians 8:23.

Further, the fact that Paul had to denounce certain persons as
, deceitful workers in 2 Corinthians 11:13 shows that the early church
didnt think of apostleship as limited to the original Twelve.

- Apostleship outside the original Twelve, therefore, was not and is not an ecclesiastical
office, but a functional gift.

- Apostles today do not hold , though they do have a position of
authority in the church. They are a larger group of men, intimately connected
personally to a local church, who discharge the authority of Jesus Christ in the gospel
to the lost in order to build them into a local assembly of their own. This would then
be followed by establishing it with leaders, and strengthening it as necessary.

The relationship of an apostle to a local church then is one of a . They
father people in the faith, father a local church, and then relate to that local church
much as a father would an adult child. Once local leadership is established, they do
not interfere with the ordinary day-to-day business and administration of the local
church.

They re-entered the scene of a local church, as we see in Paul's life, when there is
a request to do so, a special need that cannot be resolved within the local assembly,
a doctrinal error threatens to undermine the gospel, or when there is rampant sin.

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- In Summary, these men were gifted and sent to:
o Establish Local Churches and father people in the faith (Acts 14)
o Lay doctrinal and methodological foundations (Eph 2:20, 1 Cor 3 & 12)
o Make corrections in church life (Titus 1:5, 2 Tim 4:1-5)
o Appoint Elders (Acts 14:23)
o Cast Vision for further kingdom advance (Rom 15:22-29, possibly the entire
purpose of Pauls letter to the Romans, not a theological treatise)

2. Prophets

While prophesying is open to all (1 Cor 14:31), a prophet is one who normally moves in a
prophetic gift, has proven character, proven fruit and is able to discern what the Spirit is doing.
They may sense a now word for the local church, national movement or sometimes even
internationally. They bring a sense of vision and direction and also impart gifts and facilitate
others growing in their spiritual gifts. (See Acts 11:28 & 21:10-11, Acts 15:22,32 & 1 Cor 12-14).


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Additional Description

- The NT prophet in the church is one person who would both receive and communicate a
divinely received word from God, contrary to the Greco-Roman world where the promantis
(the oracle) would get the word and the prophetis (prophet or prophetess) would
communicate it.

- They are somehow overcome with an ability to or things they would
not be able to otherwise, coupled with a to speak it to a person or
group of persons in particular. This comes through dreams, visions, or spontaneous
revelation and/or understanding of something God desires His people to know for their
exhortation, comfort, or edification.

- The receiving of the revelation, however, was not such that their own or
individuality or were suppressed, unlike pagan prophecy where a person
went into a trance when receiving a word.

- With regard to their own consciousness, is the key here. The Holy
Spirit will bring both the prophecy and the self-control to communicate it and use it
properly. The NT Christian prophet can give a full account of the revelation and how it was
received, because he is conscious of the entire occurrence.

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- With regard to individuality and personality, the revelation will be experienced in a
or (colors, numbers, people, etc.) in which each individual person will
understand. Subsequently, they will also communicate the prophetic word with their own
and in their own personal effort to simply communicate what
they heard, saw, or understood. "All the more, the form in which the prophet gives
expression to his word of God is determined by his personal talents and gifts as also by his
experiences" (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 2:2460).

3. Evangelists

These are leaders that are particularly gifted at reaching people with the gospel, either
individually or breaking into an entire community.

- This is the term which refers to someone who proclaims the gospel or announces the good
news of Christ.

- was an evangelist, because He preached the gospel, according to Luke 20:1.

- was an evangelist as well as an apostle, according to Romans 1:15.

- the deacon was an evangelist, in Acts 8:5 and 21:8.

- the pastor was an evangelist, in 2 Timothy 4:5.

- And all the after being forced to flee from Jerusalem because
of persecution, went everywhere preaching the Word, as we see in Acts 8:4.

- In addition, an Ephesians 4 evangelist will be able to others to move in the gift as well.

- However, as it is used here in Ephesians 4:11, the Greek word euangelistsis a very rare word
in both the Bible and in non-Christian literature. In the Bible it is used three times.

o Acts 21:8, where is referred to as an evangelist.

o Ephesians 4:11, where it is referenced with the other four of the church.

o 2 Timothy 4:5, where is charged with doing the work of an evangelist.

- Since we only have three references to the evangelist in the NT, and the reference in
Ephesians 4:11 is the one we are looking at, that leaves us with only two other passages to
help us understand the role of this leader in the local church. But these two references are
very helpful and make a solid case for one important feature about this leader.

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o He works in direct relationship with the apostle(s). In the case of Philip, his
missionary work had to be ratified by the Apostles Peter and John (Acts 8:14 ff.).
In the case of Timothy, he was directly commissioned and set in local church
leadership by the Apostle Paul
The Function of an Ephesians 4 Evangelist

The term euangelists is thus clearly intended to refer to people who carry on the work of the
apostlesThese evangelists may have been engaged in missionary work (Acts 21:8), or church
leadership (2 Tim. 4:5).

-New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Volume 2, Page 114, Gospel

He collaborates with the apostles and continues their mission, spreading their preaching
without having their authorityHis ministry is especially itinerant, but can also be fixed, and the
evangelist like Timothy...is stationedin the community where he carries out other
responsibilities

-Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, Volume 2, Pages 91-92, cuoci,ooi
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Evangelists are not primarily missionaries, but instead serve the Church through the
proclamation of the gospel. A clearly demarcated church office is not apparent.

-Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, Volume 2, Page 70, cuoci,e

The evangelist has no fixed place of residence, but moves about in different localities,
preaching the gospel to those ignorant of it before. As these are converted and united to Jesus
Christ by faith, the work of the pastor and teacher begins, to instruct them further in the things
of Christ

-International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume 2, Page 1040, Evangelist



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4. Pastors

Some believe that the phrase pastors and teachers go together. But the grammar suggests that
the gifts are separate together. (Daniel Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, p. 284).

The Meaning of the Word

- The Greek word for pastor is poimen, and it means shepherd.

o It doesnt refer to an ecclesiastical office or title. Rather it is a
and term which describes the obligation of the pastor in terms of
his relationship to the local church. He is to shepherd them, feed them, care for them,
and protect themjust as a literal shepherd would for a flock of literal sheep.

- This becomes a Paul gives to the Ephesians elders in Acts 20:28, where he
writes, Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

The Identity and Function of the Pastor

- Because the Greek word poimen is only a
description of ones function, it is helpful
to locate other roles which have the same
or similar descriptions in order to
understand who the pastor in a local
church is.

- In Acts 20:28, Paul uses the Greek word
for shepherd together with another
Greek word, episkopos, which is
translated overseer. Therefore, a pastor
is also an .

- In Titus 1:5 and 7, Paul is writing to Titus regarding the qualifications of church leaders. In
1:7, Paul uses the Greek word episkopos, but first introduces the section with another Greek
word, presbuteros, which means elder. Therefore, a pastor is also an
in a local church.

- In 1 Timothy 5:17, the pastor is called an elder, and his function is translated as laboring in
exhaustion in word and teaching. This means he and
the Word of God.

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- is a qualification given to the elder, in 1 Timothy 3:2. A better
translation is skilled to teach. Therefore, the pastor must be skilled in teaching the Scriptures.

- In Titus 1:9, Paul says that an elder must be, holding fast the faithful word which is in
accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to
refute those who contradict. Therefore, a pastor must also have a firm grasp on the
, as well as a skilled ability to exhort in , and refute those
who are in doctrinal error.

In Summary

- The word (presbuteros)emphasizes the attitude and character of this leader.

- The word (episkopos) speaks of his role in the local church..

- The word (poimen) deals with his function and responsibility.


The gift of a pastor/teacher produces the following four results in a local church(s):

1. They lead the sheep so they learn to for themselves the pastor is not the only
one responsible for feeding the sheep

2. They produce care throughout the church the pastor is not the only
one caring for members (Do a key word search for one anothers in the NT).

3. They ensure the church is well and able to teach others (See 2 Tim 2:2).

4. They discern and guard the church against doctrine (See Acts 20:28-31; Titus 1:9).


5. Teachers

These leaders in a local church have a separate gifting from pastors. However, this is not to say
that the other leaders cannot also have the spiritual gift of teaching itself (1 Cor. 12:1-11; Rom.
12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Teaching, as said before, is a necessary qualification for a pastor /
elder / overseer. But one can be a teacher and not necessarily be one of the five-fold leaders in
Ephesians 4.

- The Greek word for teacher is didaskalous, and it means one who instructs.

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- It doesnt refer to an ecclesiastical office or title. Rather it is a term which
describes the obligation of the teacher in terms of his relationship to the local church. He is
to instruct them.


The Function of a Teacher

- He teaches the . In the book of Acts, teaching is almost exclusively used to
refer to evangelistic labors by apostolic teams. So with the introduction of this role of
teachers, it becomes quickly evident that it is an extremely flexible and versatile role of
leadership in the church. Teachers, therefore, can be itinerant, traveling with and
supporting the apostolic, missionary labor of evangelism and church planting.

- He teaches the Scriptures. In Pauls letters, teaching is almost exclusively used to refer to
the pastoral labors of elders and church leaders. Teachers, therefore, can be stationary,
maintaining a presence in one location to continue to build and guide.

The office of teacher is fundamentally related to the creation of a missionary atmosphere (Acts
13:1)The teaching function of Christianity in the 2
nd
cent. became strictly official, therefore
losing much of its elasticity.

-International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Page 2923 Teach, Teacher, Teaching

The Overlap of Leadership Functions

By way of summary, all pastors are required to be , but not all
are pastors. Some teachers are apostolic, or evangelistic, or even prophetic. Therefore, the
lines cannot be concretely drawn among these five roles.

- In Acts the missionary proclamation of the apostles or of Paul is frequently described in
terms of teaching (4:2; 5:21, 25: in the temple; 11:26).

- In Acts the apostolic teaching is even described in terms of evangelism, as the content of
the teaching was the proclamation about Christ (5:42; 15:35; 18:11, 25; 28:31; cf. 4:18;
5:28: teaching in Jesus name).
- In Pauls letters, teaching is generally for the church (Eph. 4:21; Col. 2:7; 3:15; 2 Thess. 2:15;
1 Tim. 2:12), which puts it squarely in the lap of the pastors, or elders.

- Again, to summarize, these five ministries of the church are ,
, and , which is what we would expect from a Holy Spirit who
gives gifts and abilities and skills to people as He so determines (1 Cor. 12:11).

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- For this reason, there can be no clearly defined offices and therefore no titles for these men
who work in the church today.

- Consequently, this is why there is the absolute necessity of these five leaders working in a
team with each other. The Holy Spirit moves in and out of each leader enabling him to do
what the Spirit best sees fit for Jesus church at that particular time. The more men you
have on a team, therefore, the greater impact and benefit will be had on the church.


The Office of Elder in the Local Church

As previously mentioned, elders are synonymous with the function of pastors. Pastors oversee
local churches. But so do apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teachers. A church is to be led by
a of elders. But on that team one elder may be apostolic, another prophetic,
another evangelistic, another pastoral, and another a teacher, and so on. Ultimately, the
emphasis is not necessarily on titles and offices, but on the of the mission
through the function each leader is gifted with, whatever that gifting seems to be at the
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moment. And this leadership on the mission is to take place in each local church, though every
local church wont necessarily have all five types of Ephesians 4:11 leaders on a leadership
team.

What the Bible teaches about local church elders

- They are , who must meet certain character and gifting requirements (See 1 Tim 3:1-7)
- Elders were always appointed in and therefore work in team with a team leader.
- Elders are the of the church, gifted to teach and make decisions
regarding the direction, doctrine, care and finances of the church.
- It is biblical for elders who preach and teach regularly to receive a to
free them to give themselves to these purposes (See 1 Tim. 5:18).
- Elders who rule well are considered worthy of , especially
those who labor in preaching and teaching (See 1 Tim. 5:17).
- They are for what they teach and how they lead (See 1 Tim. 5:19;
Heb 13:17).
- They must not or attempt to those under their
care (1 Pet. 5:2-4).

Elders are real people who have no more to God than others who are not gifted in this way.

Our value comes from God while our gifting determines how we function best within the
church body. An elder has no more value to God than someone who serves on the cleanup
crew.


Becoming a member of Church in the Boro means you are committing
yourself to follow the leadership of the elders:

Hebrews 13:17 tells us to Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep
watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a
joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (See also 1 Peter 5:5).

Learning to follow leaders is important for your spiritual health and protection.

1. While elders/leaders are imperfect, we believe they are called and gifted.

2. The elders have to answer to Jesus for the well being of the whole church.

3. The response of people in the church to our elders makes their jobs hard or easymiserable
or a joy.

4. Being unwilling to follow our leaders is a good indication that this is not your church home.
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Session Five Assignment:

Pray and think through the following questions. Use the back of this page to
write your answers if you need more space.

1. What does 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 teach you with regard to leaders in your church?
Would you say that what it says is true of you? If so, what evidence is there in your
life to support that? If not, why not?






2. Church in the Boro is always in need of leaders. We believe the Holy Spirit is always
raising up overseers and elders for local churches, including ours. What does 1
Timothy 3:1 teach about becoming an elder in a local church? Is this true of you? If
so, what evidence is there in your life to support this?






3. Whats your immediate response/reaction to a passage like Hebrews 13:17? How
does it make you feel inside? Why does it make you feel this way?






4. Do you feel like right now in your life Church in the Boro is a place you would want to
make your local church?






5. Do a one another word study in your Bible. Discover the obligations of ministry God
places upon all believers, and not just local church leaders.