Three Primary Ministry Groups Within the Local Church (03.08.2026)

This Sunday, Muddy Creek Baptist is ordaining a new deacon.

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Philippians 1:1 (ESV) — Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.

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I know one of the things that makes MCBC special. It is the love we have for one another. This is a church that exalts Christ Jesus as the Preeminent One, and we genuinely love one another. Not in words only. Not in a cliché type way, but genuinely. This heart is the fuel in the heart of the leaders of this church. It reminds me of a visitor who now comes regularly and said to me, “Coming here is like a warm hug.”

A local church should love genuinely. This is biblical. There are other attributes of a local church in the Bible. Does the Bible define what a church is and isn’t? Yes, actually quite well. The Bible tells us that a true Church is made up of believers, disciples of Jesus Christ, those who have been regenerated by the Spirit of Christ. The actual church is not just people who attend or give an offering. A local church is made up of people who have been born again by the Spirit of God. That makes a biblical church a specific people. The church is inclusive. It is a community of people of like faith who share the same God, Father, Lord, and Spirit. They share the same faith and vision for living it out. They hold the same vision of ministry in the name of their Master, Jesus Christ.

In 2012, a luxury cruise ship, Costa Concordia, deviated from its planned route to perform a “sail-by-salute” to impress a retired captain on shore, and to impress the passengers on board.

The captain ordered the ship to sail dangerously close to the coastline at high speed. The crew, going along with the stunt, caused the ship to collide with a reef. The collision tore a 174-foot gash in the hull, flooding the engine room and causing an immediate power blackout. Despite the severity of the damage, the crew initially downplayed the situation to the passengers and the Coast Guard. The result of this stunt was 32 deaths.

We gasp at something like this. Why did the Captain and the Crew let this happen? But what happens when a local church deviates from God’s planned route and governance? Or when a Church leader or even a member deviates from Christian love and biblical obedience? We have all seen or heard of pastors who have steered a church off course. We have seen or heard of people within a local church who want to steer the church to their agenda. When these things happen, not only does the person injure himself, but others are injured as well.

Do not get this wrong: God’s ways are for our good and the good of others. When we stray from His Way, it's not going to be good for us or others. God’s way is right; always.

How a local church governs itself is in the Bible. The leadership labors to guide this vessel in accordance with God’s Word. After all, lives are at stake. God’s glory is at stake. The Church is not to be governed as a business or as a civil government. It is governed by the Head of the Church—Jesus Christ. This makes it a theocracy.

In the ministry of the local Church, the Bible identifies three primary ministry groups that move the Church forward. We see this in the letter from the Apostle Paul to the local church in Philippi.

Philippians 1:1 (ESV) — Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

The First one is found in Paul’s words, “to the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.” This is the Congregation. The Congregation is “the Saints.” The next question is, “Who are the saints?”  This same scripture tells us who saints are. They are “those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Okay, Pastor, “Who are those who are in Christ Jesus?” A saint is someone washed clean of all sin, shame, and guilt. They are holy, blameless, and beyond accusation of wrong. They are before God as holy. The only people that fit that description are the blood-bought people of God. Those who have been washed of their sin by the death of Christ Jesus. That is why a biblical congregation is not just any people. A biblical congregation refers to those who belong to Christ Jesus. Jesus, by His Spirit, has redeemed, cleansed, and made holy a people for God. These are people who have put their faith in Christ Jesus for cleansing. That is the congregation to which this letter from the Apostle Paul is written and referring.

There is the old story of the pastor visiting a man who lived down the street from the church. The pastor sat down in the man’s living room and asked him if he attended church. “No, I refuse to go.” The man said. “Why?” the Pastor asked. “I don’t go to church because every time I do, they throw something at me.” “What do you mean?” the preacher inquired.

The man went on to explain. “When I was just a baby, and my parents took me to church, the minister threw water on me. When I got married, the wedding ceremony took place in a church, and they threw rice at me.” Hearing this, the pastor responded, “And if you don’t start going to church soon, the next time you do, I’m afraid they’ll throw dirt on you!”

Sadly, this describes the situation for many people. Their church attendance is three times and out. They go to church to be baptized, married, and buried—and that’s about all. Sometimes, Christmas and Easter, and out.

Here at MCBC, we take advantage of the opportunities to assemble together in worship to our God, in fellowship with one another, in carrying one another’s burdens, and in holding one another up in prayer. Here at MCBC, we take our responsibilities to be a biblical church seriously. We take the kingdom of God seriously. We take spiritual growth and spiritual life seriously. We take eternity seriously.

Jesus said, “I will build my church.” We want to be a church built by Jesus.

The members of MCBC have a great responsibility for the life and purpose of the local church. We read in Ephesians 4:11–12

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

There is the responsibility: “building up the body of Christ.” What does that mean? It means, build it up. As opposed to “tearing down.” As opposed to “wearing down” the body of Christ. When you build something up, you strengthen it. How does a person do that? Encouraging one another. We all know how to do that, don’t we? Affirming one another. Affirming someone is giving your support. It gives a positive acknowledgement of someone or what they are doing or saying. Here are some examples:

• Recognizing someone’s goodness, kindness, and love.

• Giving positive recognition to someone’s ministry in the church.

• Affirming to someone that their faithfulness to the church encourages your faithfulness to the church.

• You share with someone that their love and passion for Jesus inspires your love and passion.

• Telling someone how their ministry to the church body is making a difference in your life.

• It can be as simple as telling someone who sits around you in the service that their singing ministers to you.

• It is thanking them for the work they do with the children, in the choir, as a teacher, for running the audio and video, or for being a deacon.

We build up, and we build up, and we build up. Encourage and affirm are two ways we can build each other up in Christ. This is not just the job of pastors and deacons. It is the responsibility of the entire body of the church. Ephesians 4:16, “… when each part (each of us) is working properly, it makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

Do not forget the obvious way to build one another up in the Church—Pray for one another, for the leadership, and for the ministries of the Church. Also, join others in the church's ministries.

The first primary ministry group within the Local Church is the Congregation of Saints

Back to Philippians 1:1, and we see the second primary ministry group within the local church:  The Elders.

The Second “Primary Ministry Group within the Local Church” is … The “Elders.”  The overseers are the elders in the church. These are spiritual elders, not elders by age.

1 Peter 5:1–2 (ESV) — So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly.

The Overseer/Elder’s key role is the spiritual shepherding of the flock entrusted to their care. Peter says, “shepherd the flock of God.” Our Church Bylaws say this about the ministry of the Elders:

Elders are established in the church to exercise oversight of the church in all its ministries and functions. The Senior Pastor is the Senior Elder.

Elders lead and manage the local church based on their knowledge and study of the scriptures and doctrine (I Timothy 5:17). Elders must meet the Biblical qualifications as found in the Scriptures (Acts 20:28; I Timothy 3; Titus 1).

Elders are responsible for the spiritual ministrations of the church, including but not limited to the implementation of church discipline as well as teaching.

In a nutshell, the Elders oversee, lead, and equip ministry in the Church. The Elders' primary focus is on the spiritual needs and direction of the church

The third primary ministry group within the Local Church is the Deacons. The Apostle Paul establishes the office of Deacons in his letter to pastor Timothy—1 Timothy, Chapter 3.

The Elders oversee the spiritual health and direction of the church, and equip the church for the ministry. The Deacons support the ministries of the church. Deacons are regarded as assistants to the elders in overseeing temporal affairs and the church's practical needs. We use Acts 6, 1 Timothy 3, and Philippians 1 as the main biblical context for the formation of our beliefs and practices in this ministry.

In a nutshell, deacons support ministry in the Church.

The three primary ministry groups within the Local Church Congregation are the congregation of saints, the elders, and the deacons. The elders oversee, lead, and equip ministry. The Deacons facilitate ministry – help us carry out ministry. The congregation does ministry.

[At this point in the worship service, the focus turned to deacon ordination.]