Bishops, Elders, and Deacons

In the formative years of the church its ministry exhibited amazing variety and adaptability. Emerging at Pentecost as a Jewish sect, the church naturally modeled its ministry in part on patterns borrowed from the synagogue. But the Spirit of Christ also fashioned new functions and channels of ministry through which the grace of God might be communicated. The principal "orders" of ministry that arose were those of the elder (bishop) and the deacon. From the early chapters of Acts it is evident that at the first the apostles directed the life of the infant church. Presently they were joined in their ministry by evangelists and prophets who assisted them in spreading the gospel far and wide. As new communities of Christians sprang up in Judea, Samaria, and throughout the Gentile world, the need emerged for official structures of ministry to direct the affairs of local churches. The New Testament generally employs three terms to designate the two official orders of ministry that were es…