Seite 30 [30]
MÁRK BIRINYI
THE OFFICE OF THE ELDER AS A MODEL OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP
Elders are tasked with a dual responsibility: to serve as exemplars of personal
holiness and as stewards of the church’s spiritual life. The directive in Acts
20:28—to “pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock” encapsulates
this dual mandate. Beyond administrative oversight, the elder’s role is intrin¬
sically pastoral, involving the guidance, teaching, and correction of the com¬
munity with humility and love. Fee and Stott’® contend that pastoral care is the
primary function of the elder, a task that requires both spiritual depth and
humility. Bavinck" emphasizes that this pastoral function is inseparable from
the communal nature of the church, where every member is called to mutual
service. From a Catholic perspective, documents such as Pastores Dabo Vobis
(1968) stress that authentic leadership involves serving the people by modeling
the life of Christ.
A recurrent theme in both biblical and historical texts is the warning against
idolizing church leaders. Elders must guard against transforming their office
into an object of veneration; instead, their leadership should be characterized
by transparency, accountability, and service. Scholars such as Wright and Wells”
have noted that excessive veneration of leaders disrupts the essential dynamics
of mutual accountability within the church. This concern was echoed by reform¬
ers such as Luther and Calvin,” who insisted that ecclesiastical authority must
always be exercised within the framework of communal accountability.
THE OFFICE OF THE DEACON: PRACTICAL SERVICE AND HUMILITY
The origin of the diaconate, as recounted in Acts 6:1—6, represents a pivotal
moment in early church organization. Delegating practical tasks to deacons
not only relieved the apostles of administrative burdens but also established
a model of distributed ministry that addressed both spiritual and material
needs. Marshall and Moo” argue that the establishment of deaconship was a
deliberate strategy designed to embody the values of the gospel by attending
to the needs of the vulnerable. Greenleaf reinforces the view that effective
leadership is best demonstrated through service instead of through the exercise
10 G. Fee: 1 Timothy / Titus; Stott: The Message of Acts.
1H. Bavinck: Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 1: The Christian Faith. Baker Academic, 2004.
2 NT. Wright: Scripture and the Authority of God. SPCK, 2004; D. Wells: No Place for Truth:
The Challenge of Orthodoxy. Eerdmans, 1999.
8 Luther: Small Catechism; Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion.
4 Marshall: Acts: An Introduction and Commentary; D.J. Moo: The Book of Acts. Eerdmans,
1996.
R.K. Greenleaf: Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and
Greatness (25th Anniversary edn.). Paulist Press, 2002.
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