Assessment 3: Essay: 45% 3000 words Due: 18 October, 2023.

Outline the roles and significance of Christian leaders (apostles, elders, evangelists, deacons,
others?) in God’s mission in the book of Acts and the Pastoral Epistles. Your response should
articulate the goals, nature, and scope of God’s mission, and the relationship between God’s work
and human work in God’s mission, as these are presented in Acts and the Pastorals. You should also
give some consideration to the question of how prescriptive the accounts in Acts and the teaching of
the pastorals are for the contemporary church.

Questions to Answer:

Q. What are the goals, nature, and scope of God’s mission?

Acts 1:6-8 -> God’s mission for all people to know Jesus. The disciples will be his witnesses to all
people.

Acts 1:15-26 ->

Q. What are the leadership roles seen in Acts and the Pastoral Epistles?

Apostle

Acts 1:15-26 -> Needing a replacement for Judas to be a witness to the resurrection, the
church nominated 2 men who was with Jesus since his baptism. God ultimately chose Matthias to be
God’s Apostle. Apostles appear to be chosen by God to be a witness of his resurrection.

Acts 2-3-> Miracles and signs seem to be pivotal in their ministry and led many to believe.
However, in Acts 6:8 Stephen who is not an Apostle also performed signs and wonders. So not
exclusive to the Apostles.

Acts 4:1-2-> Priests were disturbed because Apostles were teaching that Jesus rose from the
dead. Central to their message and teaching. However, Stephen, on of the 7, also had a teaching
ministry that was significant. So there’s overlap.

Acts 4:32-5:10-> Apostles hold significant leadership role in the Early Church. Seen as the
leaders of the early Church. In managing the money and in discipline. However, this seems to be
shared later in Acts 15 when it was the Apostles and the Elders that precided over the Jerusalem
Council.

Acts 6:1-4-> Church appointed deacons so that they could focus on prayer and theministry of
the word. Focus and clarity on prayer and ministry of the word.

Martin and Davids – See Apostles as the link between Jesus and the Early Church. Laying the
foundations for God’s mission to be continued by the Church. They fulfilled Jesus’ command to make
disciples among the Jews (Acts 2), Samaritans (Ats 8), and the Gentiles (Acts 11). At the Jerusalem
Council in Ch 15, clarified the place Gentiles have in the Church. Cementing that it’s not a subset of
Judaism but something else.
 Martin and Davids – Acts 13:1-3 Prophets and teaachers of the Church in Antioch guided by
the Holy Spirit set apart and sent Paul and Barnabus. From then on referred to as Apostles.

In Acts 9 and 22, Paul commissioned by God through Annaias as an Apostle. (Ref other
Epistles).

Elders

Acts 15:6-> Elders and Apostles leading and making decisions over doctrine and leading of
the Church. The letter to judea from both the Elders and Apostles. Working together.

Acts 20:17-38-> Paul uses the terms overseer and elder interchangeably in the same
passage. Implying that they are not separate roles.

Deacon

Acts 6:1-7-> Church appointed 7 men to manage the daily distribution of food to the widows
in the Church. Not called deacons in this passage. Required to be full of wisdom and of the Holy
Spirit. Requested 7 men? Is Gender significant in this?

Q. For each role, what was its significance in God’s mission?

Q. What’s the relationship between God’s word and human work in God’s mission?

Q. How prescriptive are the accounts in Acts, and the Pastoral Epistles for the contemporary
Church?

Q. How prescriptive are the leadership roles for the contemporary Church?

Bibliography

Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments – By Ralph Martin and Peter Davids

Main Argument: In Acts and the Pastoral Epistles, there are three main roles that were significant
for God’s mission to establish his Church among all people: Apostle, Elder and Deacon.
Supporting Argument #1: Apostle is unique in that they are appointed and commissioned by God for
establishing the Church among the Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.

Supporting Argument #2: Elder, Overseer and Pastor are synonymous and refer to the same title.

Supporting Argument #3: Elder and Deacon had distinct roles within the Church and God’s mission.

Supporting Argument #4: The Book of Acts is largely descriptive and should not be prescriptive for
structuring the Church.

Supporting Argument #5: The requirements for Elders and Deacons in 1 Timothy is prescriptive
although the actual title names may differ.

In Acts and the Pastoral Epistles, there are three main roles that were significant for God’s mission to
establish his Church among all people: Apostle, Elder and Deacon. Elder and Deacon had distinct
roles within the Church and God’s mission. Although Elder, Overseer and Pastor were also roles
listed in Acts and the Epistles, they’re synonymous and used interchangeably. While Apostle is
distinct from that of an Elder, in that they are appointed and commissioned by God to establish the
Church among the Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.

Q. How much has God gifted offices to the Church.

Tension between office and function.

The essay is really about hermeneutics.

How do I interpret scripture?

Intro

The Book of Acts in the Bible holds an important account of the Church’s formation and rapid growth
in the decades following Jesus’ ascension. Acts details God’s mission, through his Spirit, to see the
Gospel proclaimed to the Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles and to the ends of the world working through
individuals, most notably Peter and Paul. In the process of establishing the church, several official
roles were created to help lead, serve and grow the Church: Apostles, Elders, and Deacons. Overseer
and Pastor were also roles listed in Acts and the Epistles and are synonymous and used
interchangeably by Paul. This essay will explore how these roles are defined, and in what ways the
modern reader can interpret and apply these descriptions to the Church today. Is this book’s
description of these positions merely a historical account with no relevance, or in fact a kind of
manual, outlining how we should structure the Church?It is neither helpful nor the author’s
intention for the book of Acts to be a prescriptive manual; likewise, though this book is a historical
account, there are principles that shaped decision making in the early church that we should take
heed of in the shaping of the Church of today. Through close reading of the scriptures - though Acts
are a historical account, and the pastoral epistles are written to specific individuals - we can take
principles that are consistent patterns in the New Testament and allow these to shape our thinking
and decision-making around Apostles, Elders and Deacons in the contemporary Church.
This essay seeks to:

1) Outline God’s mission as seen in the book of Acts and the Pastoral Epistles.

2) Describe what Acts and the Pastoral Epistles say about the role and significance of Apostle, Elder,
and Deacon for God accomplishing his mission.

3) List principles of interpretation to determine how to apply this to the Church today.

4) To use the principles to determine how prescriptive this is for the contemporary Church.

God’s mission in Acts, as understood by Paul in his pastoral epistles, is to establish His Church by
working through individuals, in order to see people from all nations come to follow Jesus Christ. In
Acts 1:8, Jesus gives a command to his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth.” Luke structures Acts with this command in mind, detailing the growth of God’s
church first to the Jews, then to the Samarians, and to the Gentiles. Luke also shows the gospel
moving out from Jerusalem, to Ethiopia, Asia, Greece and finally Rome. Paul’s writing to Titus
highlights the same conviction in the first opening verses as does throughout his epistles.
Interwoven through Acts is the theme of the Holy Spirit coming down to the believers and working
through them to see the nations saved. It is through the Spirit that the Apostle’s teachings, miracles
and leadership leads to people repenting and following Christ. Craig Blomberg notes that this idea is
intertwined throughout the book, that God’s primary way of accomplishing his mission is through
the Holy Spirit working through people. One key way God is accomplishing his mission to grow his
Kingdom, as written by Paul in ephesians 4:11-12, is by raising up and ‘gifting’ the Church leaders to
equip the Church.

The Apostles had an important role as the intermediary leadership following Jesus and the
establishment of the Church. The role of the Apostle is connected to Jesus’ command for them to
make disciples from all nations and be a witness of the resurrection in Acts 1:8. Martin and Davids
write that the Apostles are the link between Jesus and the Early Church by laying the foundations for
God’s mission to be continued by the Church. In Acts 6:1-4, the Apostles reconfirmed their purpose
by appointing seven men so they could focus on ‘prayer and the ministry of the word’. Though not
documented in Acts, but the Apostles continued to raise and equip Elders to replace them. This
transition can be seen at the Jerusalem Council when both Apostles and Elders preside over the
council. The Apostles fulfilled Jesus’ command to make disciples among the Jews (Acts 2),
Samaritans (Ats 8), and the Gentiles (Acts 11). At the Jerusalem Council in Ch 15, clarified the place
Gentiles have in the Church.