"Now you may not be called Rabbi, for One is your teacher, yet you are all brethren. And 'father' you should not be calling one of you on the earth, for One is your Father, the heavenly. Nor yet may you be called preceptors, for One is your preceptor, the Christ."
Matthew 23: 8-10, Concordant New Testament
Have you ever noticed that there is a certain hierarchy to that which we know as Christianity? Step in to any church and you will see evidence of this structure. We have pastors and assistant pastors, worship leaders and Sunday school teachers. It seems that we have quite a crowd to administer and oversee the gospel to the church of Jesus. I would see them every Sunday morning, sitting in the reserved seats in front of the congregation. It was understood that these church leaders were to be respected and revered. Yet what are we to learn from the words of Jesus, who proclaims that we are not to call people 'Rabbi, teacher or father'{Matthew 23:8-10}? Jesus made no exception for certain people in the church, for certain leadership in the church. We are not to refer to anyone as teacher, for our true teacher in Christ Jesus. Nor are we to refer to anyone as father, for our one true Father is in heaven. Yet there they are every Sunday, the church hierarchy front and center before the congregation. Is this a flagrant violation of the words of Jesus, or simply a part of that man made quagmire known as religion? For it is through religion that we have raised up before us the leadership of our churches. Even the so called organic, grass roots gatherings of our home groups are not immune to this idea of leadership. Everywhere Jesus is taught, there need be someone in charge of teaching. And if you have a teacher, you will need a assistant teacher as well. The issue we get into with this kind of organizational religion is that there need be 'approved' venues where people can gather and worship. I recall many times that I skipped a Sunday service in order to stay home and enjoy the Lords presence...big mistake. I was quickly told that to be in the presence of the Lord I needed to be in Gods house on Sunday.
Now selecting elders for them according to the ecclesia, praying with fastings, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 14: 23, Concordant New Testament
If someone were to tell me someone such as the apostle Paul would openly advocate for overseers in the church of the risen Christ I would have considered it blasphemy. Yet there it is in scripture. Paul advising that there should be elders in the church {1 Timothy 3:1}. Paul calls for deacons in the church {Philippians 1:1}. Is this double speak by Paul? Was he somehow trying to undermine the church of the Lord he was struggling to build? I doubt it. We must realize above all else that this man Paul whom Jesus called on the road to Damascus...was still human. Being human, Paul was indeed still influenced by the world around him as well as his past experiences. What were Paul's past experiences? Being raised up in the top down hierarchy of the Jewish faith. Therefore, I'm not at all surprised that Paul would resort to a similar model as he worked to grow the early church of the followers of Jesus. As far as church building, this is what he knew. Was he off the rails? No. I believe that he was simply building the early organized church the best way he knew, drawing from his experiences. In everything else we read from Paul, he continues to hold fast to the gospel. Is this Paul contradicting himself? Perhaps but, then again, this is Paul doing what he knows how to do. It is here that we see the human side of the apostle. What was his reason for appointing overseers in the early church? I believe it to be for the benefit of building up the body of Christ, the church {Ephesians 4:12}. In my opinion, Paul's desire was not to set up a ruling church hierarchy. That had already been accomplished in the synagogues of the day.
~Scott~
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