Leadership
In the context of a local church leadership always involves directing people to Scripture. Paul’s letter to Timothy is an exhortation to lead even as he calls Timothy to be a good example, it is always intertwined with a call to point the people to the Word of God: “Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but se the believers an example in speech, in conduct in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” So hear Paul instructs Timothy to teach, model, and teach! Most fundamentally, this is leadership.
For our church, this type of biblical leadership will be seen most clearly in our elders. This is because in the office of elder we see the doctrine being both taught and modeled. However, we have included deacons under the category of church leadership as well because this is an official office recognized by the New Testament Church. While the deacons do not have
responsibility for teaching–this function is reserved for elders–they do lead in the sense that they model Christ-like service, and for this we are very thankful. Please keep reading for more information on elders, deacons, and the role of the congregation here at Third Avenue Baptist Church.