Foundations of Christian Leadership, Mentor's Guide, MG07

/ 3 3 7

F O U N D A T I O N S O F C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S H I P

The Christian Leader as Bishop Episkopoi

Welcome to the Mentor’s Guide for Lesson 4, The Christian Leader as Bishop (Episkopoi) . The role of the bishop, the role of administration and oversight, is perhaps the most dynamic concept throughout the history of the Church. From its original context as virtually a synonym for “elder” and “pastor,” it developed through Church history to signify a position of oversight and authority over a number of pastors and churches, all, of course, for the purpose of shepherding the people of God in an entire locale, region, district, or even nation . Now, with our final category making up the foundations of Christian leadership module study, we will consider the role of the bishop and its implications for the Church at large, and, in particular, the church in the city. By now you should have recognized the kind of fluidity and dynamism associated with these concepts in the Word of God, and their ongoing redefinition and evolution through Church history. Walker and Beckwith provide a neat and concise discussion on the fluidity of the four dimensions that we have considered in this module: Christ is not only the pattern of the diaconate, but also, as the good Shepherd (John 10.11), he is the great Bishop of men’s souls (1 Pet. 2.25, av). In a sense, both of these offices originate from the example of Christ himself, while that of the presbyter is a reflection of the ministry instituted by him in the apostolate (cf. 1 Pet. 5.1). But it would be wrong to stress these distinctions, since the terms bishop and presbyter are virtually synonymous, and the diaconate embraces many forms of assistant ministry. Pastoral care of the flock is an outstanding part of ministerial duty (John 21.15–17; Acts 20.28; 1 Pet. 5.2), and is closely associated with the preaching of the word (1 Cor. 3.1–2) as the bread of life (John 6.35), or pure nourishing milk (1 Pet. 2.2). The parable in Luke 12.41–48 implies that some ministry of this character is to continue in the church until Christ’s return. ~ G. S. M. Walker and R. T. Beckwith. “Ministry.” New Bible Dictionary . (3rd ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996. p. 770. Please notice how Walker and Beckwith suggest that we ought to downplay the distinctions biblically among the designations. As mentioned throughout this entire module, the blood in the body of Christian leadership is submission and servanthood , concepts which affect and influence every office and role of leadership mentioned in

1 Page 139 Lesson Introduction