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Dear Bellefield Family,
1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus are called by many scholars “The Pastoral Epistles”. This is because the letters are primarily about what pastoral leadership of a church ought to look like. They are short letters and to the point. Titus is a good example of this: after a brief introduction, Paul gets right into instructions to Titus in 1:5: “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”
The first thing Paul tells Titus to do is to “appoint elders in every town”. This instruction is not unique to Titus either; in 1st Timothy, Paul gives similar instructions to Timothy about appointing elders and deacons (1st Timothy 3:1-13). Why is the appointment of elders and deacons repeated in these short, practical letters?
Because, according to theologian John MacPherson, these are the two offices whose functions are indispensable to the church.
In Acts 6:1-6, the apostles were struggling with the management of the daily distribution of food to the widows in the church. Their response is instructive: they don’t give up on the ministry of the Word to make sure that the daily distribution happens equitably, but they also don’t give up on the daily distribution. Both are necessary functions of the church: the church should be teaching the Word, and the church should be serving those in need. So, the apostles appoint some to oversee the food distribution, and they themselves continue teaching the Word.
I bring all of this up because the nominating committee (the team that prayerfully discerns new classes of elders and deacons) is beginning to reach out to members about serving as an elder or deacon. We have been praying for wisdom to know who we should invite into these important positions, and we covet your prayers in that as well.
We know that some people might be hesitant to serve because of perceived responsibilities or time commitments. First, remember what Paul said: "there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and they are varieties of service but the same Lord" (1 Corinthians 12:4-5). The church is richly blessed when there are elders and deacons with varied gifts and experiences. Second, know that the goal is never to ask someone to serve and then exhaust them. Rather, we want to put people in places where they can grow and thrive by serving in the ways and in the amounts that they are able.
If you have been praying and would like to invite the nominating committee to consider someone for one of these offices, please email me (greg@bellefield.org).
Finally, some of you will be receiving invitations from the nominating committee to serve in one of these offices. If you do, we hope that you will seriously and prayerfully consider that because we will have asked you after much prayer and discussion and believe you will be a blessing to Bellefield in that role.
Elders and deacons are indispensable to the life and ministry of the church. They are ‘noble tasks’ that build up the church so that “we all can grow up into maturity in Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). So let’s pray for our elders and deacons, and the work of the nominating committee so that we can be a church that is fulfilling the calling we have been given by Jesus.
In Christ,
Greg Burdette
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