Orthodox Ecclesiology

Unless you happened to have spent some time in the Eastern part of the world, you probably will not be very familiar with the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church traces its roots back to the early church and has been the predominant Church in the Eastern world since that time. There are many differences between the Eastern and Western Church, but none is as significant as it’s polity, especially as it relates to the Papacy. Let’s learn more about the structure of church government in the Orthodox tradition. We adapted this article from the Orthodox Study Bible, the first study Bible of its kind.

The Four “Orders” in Church Government

The New Testament teaches that all four “orders” which form the government of the Church—laity, deacons, presbyters, and bishops—are necessary to the proper functioning of the body of Christ. All four are clearly visible in Paul’s first letter to Timothy.

Saints

The laity are also called “saints” (Rom 1:7; 2Co 1:1; 1Ti 5:10), the “faithful” (Eph 1:1), and “brethren” (Col 1:2). The laity (Gr. laos) are the people of God, the “priesthood” (1Pt 2:4–10). Technically, the term “laity” includes the clergy, though in our day the word usually refers to those in the Church who are not ordained. It is from among the laity that the other three orders emerge.

Deacons

The deacons, literally “servants,” are ordained to serve the Church and must meet high qualifications (1Ti 3:8–13). The apostles were the first to take on the service tasks of deacons, and when the workload became too great they called for “seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business” (Acts 6:3). Besides serving the material needs of the people, deacons occupy a crucial role in the liturgical life of the Church.

Presbyters

The presbyters, or elders, are visible throughout the New Testament. Their ministry from the start was to “rule,” “labor in the word,” and teach true “doctrine” (1Ti 5:17) in the local congregation. Paul “appointed elders in every church” (Acts 14:23) and later instructed his apostolic apprentice, Titus, to do the same in Crete (Tts 1:5). From the word “presbyter” came the shorter form “prest,” which finally became “priest.” In no way is the ordained Christian priesthood seen as a throwback to or a reenacting of the Old Testament priesthood. Rather, joined to Christ who is our High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 5:6, 10), the Orthodox priest is likewise a minister of a new covenant that supersedes the old.

Bishops

The bishop is the “overseer” of the congregation and clergy in a given area. Often the terms “bishop” and “elder” are used interchangeably in the New Testament (Acts 20:17, 28), with the bishop being the leader of the elders. The qualifications for bishop listed in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:7–9 underscore this role. Nonetheless, the bishopric is a specific office both in the New Testament and in the early Church. The Twelve were the first to hold this office (in Acts 1:20 “office” could literally be translated “bishopric”) and they in turn consecrated other bishops to follow them. For example, Timothy and Titus are clearly of a separate order from that of elder (see 1Ti 5:17–22; Tts 1:5). Early records show James was bishop of Jerusalem by AD 49 and functioned accordingly at the first council there (Acts 15:13–22). Peter is on record as the first bishop of Antioch prior to AD 53, and later first bishop of Rome, where he was martyred about AD 65.

Perhaps the strongest early reference outside the New Testament to the presence of the four orders in church government occurs in the writings of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch from AD 67–107, the very heart of the New Testament era. To the church at Philadelphia (see Rev 3:7–13) he writes of “Christians [laity] at one with the bishop and the presbyters and the deacons” (italics added).

Conclusion

In the Orthodox Church, authority is resident in all four orders, with the bishop providing the center of unity. His authority is not over the Church, but within the Church. He is an icon of Jesus Christ, “the Shepherd and Overseer [lit., bishop] of your souls” (1Pt 2:25). Church leadership does not consist of one or more of the orders functioning without the others. Rather the Church, with Christ as Head, is conducted like a symphony orchestra, a family, the body of Christ, where all the members in their given offices work together as the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity.

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