Tatai nakai e kotofaaga he Tiakono moe Akoako?
The qualifications of character for Pastors, Elders and Deacons are easy to understand.
But understanding is one thing, actually doing what God says, is something else. All three are expected to have the same high standard of character.
For one, the Deacon and the Pastor (also called Overseer, Elder or Bishop) should be a male, the husband of one wife. He should be of good character and rules his own home the biblical way.
Given these requirements, anyone seeking these offices will have to be a born-again Christian believer.
In many Churches the qualifications of character (kind of person you are) are the same, it’s only the roles that are different.
The Pastor usually handles spiritual matters while the Deacon handles the operations. Another major difference in role, is that Pastors are expected to be able to “teach” but Deacons are not.
Tatai e tau mahani (character requirements) he ofisa he Tiakono, Patu (Elder) moe Akoako, kae ko e tau gahua ni ne kehekehe.
Here at our Church we share duties and responsibilities because it is the right thing to do for our growth. It’s a “model” or “procedure” that makes sense to us at this point of our journey as it facilitates sharing, helps develop our skills and build capability in different areas.
Pete ia, koe Ekalesia ha tautolu, fakatatai oti e tau gahua moe tau mahani. Koe gahua he Ulumotua, maeke e Tiakono ke taute. Koe gahua he Takitaki Tapu, maeke e Tiakono poke Ulumotua ke taute. Koe gahua he Tiakono, maeke e Takitaki Tapu poke Ulumotua ke taute. Koe fakatatai pihia, ke iloa oti e mautolu e tau mena ke taute kaeke kua lavelave e taha.
HOW THE OFFICE OF DEACON STARTS? KOE KAMATA FEFE E OFISA HE TIAKONO?
Koe gahua he tiakono kamata mai ia Gahua 6 : 2 – 4.
Ne pehe mai e tau kupu nei :
2. “Ati ui ai e tokohogofulu ma ua ke he lafu tutaki, kua pehe atu, Nakai fia toka e mautolu e kupu he Atua, kae tufatufa e tau koloa.”
3. “Hanai koe tau matakainaga nae, ati fifili a e tokofitu a tagata talahaua ha mutolu, kua puke kehe Agaga Tapu moe iloilo, kia kotofa e mautolu a lautolu ke he feua nai”
4. “Ka ko mautolu to fakamakamaka a mautolu ke he liogi moe tufatufaaga he kupu.”
Acts 6 : 2 – 4.
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Ko e kupu tiakono tupu mai he kupu Heleni (Greek) ne pehe mai diakonein, tatai moe kupu palagi wait on.
Ko e tau tiakono fakamua, tokofitu a lautolu, koe tau tagata tane, kotofa ke gahua ke tunu moe tufatufa e tau mena kai (food operations). Taha kakano he gahua tiakoko, koe tagata gahua ke he tau gahua he Tapu (church operations including maintenance, cleaning, attending to people and so forth).
ELDER (PATU) / BISHOP OR OVERSEER (EPIKOPO) / AKOAKO (PASTOR)
Koe kupu Epikopo ia 1 Timoteo 3, tamai he kupu Heleni – episkopos. Ko ia nei koe takitaki lahi he Ekalesia, tatai ni e Epikopo moe Akoako poke Fekafekau ha tautolu. Taha higoa foki he Epikopo koe Patu haia ia 1 Timoteo 5 : 19.
Efeso 4 : 11
“Kua tuku mai foki e ia falu ke eke mo tau aposetolo, koe falu foki kua eke mo tau perofeta, ko e falu foki ke fakamatala e vagahau mitaki, koe falu foki ke eke mo tau leoleo katoa moe tau akoako.”
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
According to online sources, some Baptist churches do not recognize Elder as a separate office (or entity) from those of Pastor or Deacon. The name Elder is commonly considered a synonym of Deacon or Pastor.
Kehe tokologa he tau Ekalesia Baptist, tatai oti ni e tau ofisa he Akoako, Patu moe Tiakono.
Koe tau tiakono, tatai ni e tau mahani kae kehekehe e tau gahua.
The Deacon and the Pastor do have the same qualifications for character but their roles are different.
Regardless of whether the role is a Deacon, Elder or Pastor, the qualifications of character as you can read from the bible verses below are very serious and are not to be taken lightly.
In Titus 1, v5 and v7, Paul refers to the Overseer and Elder as the same Office. In 1 Peter and Acts 20, we can determine that Elders and Pastors are also the same.
This means the OVERSEER is the same as PASTOR and is the same as ELDER.
1 Timothy 3 : 1 – 7
3 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
In Titus 1 : 5 to 9, Paul again refers to the qualifications above.
5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
WHAT ABOUT A DEACON? KA KUA E TIAKONO?
Well, let’s read 1 Timothy 3 : 8 – 12.
8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Totou fakaniue (in Niuean) –
8 Kua pihia foki e tau tiakono, kia fulumokoi a lautolu, nakai tala fakaua, nakai hagaaki inu uaina, nakai velevele koloa he lagatau kelea.
9 Kua taofi e lautolu e kupu galo ke he tua mo e loto manamanatu hifo kua mea.
10 Ka ko lautolu foki kia kamatamata fakamua a lautolu, ti eke ai e lautolu e feua he tiakono, ka nakai talahaua kelea a lautolu.
11 Pihia foki moe tau fifine kia mahani fulumokoi a lautolu aua neke tau amuamu ka kia mataala, kia fakamoli kehe tau mena oti.
12 Kia takitokotaha e tiakono moe hana hoana kua takitaha, kua pule fakamitaki ke he fanau mo e magafaoa ha lautolu.
WHAT ABOUT FORMAL TRAINING?
The above verses clearly means that our characters are more important than formal qualifications but it doesn’t mean that we should not pursue formal training.
There are many advantages in going to College or University and this is the easiest way to learn.
For example, the hard work has already been done by others who are teachers and experts. You only need to turn up, be willing to learn/commit, do some assignments and then sit the exams. Another advantage is that it will take much less time compared to learning by yourself.
And even then, learning by yourself can be a hit and miss undertaking and full of risks and potential to miss important materials.
When you pass, you will then graduate with a piece of paper endorsed by a recognized education institution (undergraduate degree or higher). This is the most common way taken by our ancestors but it’s not the only way to learn. Be open and believe that God can also choose to take you on a different path.
Learning by yourself will usually take a lot more time and effort but that’s not the only problem. You must also know what you are learning, why and how. Therefore it’s a lot more work to learn by yourself but entirely possible if that’s what God wants for you.
One main disadvantage of formal training of course, is that you will have to fork out thousands of dollars unless you have help like a scholarship, student loan or other forms of financial assistance.
If you are wondering, no, I am not formally trained in Theology, but I will consider doing that if it is God’s will.
Even so, we are blessed to have with us, the Senior Pastor from the Clontarf Beach Baptist church, Rev Andrew Otte.
We’re also blessed to have Norton Taleni, who graduated from Laidlaw with a Diploma in Theology. I will write more about our people later.
Mooli nakai lauia kehe tau kupu nei e tau fakaakoaga kehe tau aoga tokoluga tuga e tau Theological colleges kae nakai pehe e mena ia, ke nakai o atu a tautolu ke he tau aoga pihia. Ka maeke moe manako, oatu kehe tau aoga tokoluga ha koe mena mukamuka e fakaakoaga he tau aoga pihia, fakatatai kehe tgt ka fakaako ni e ia a ia. Kae nakai fai puhala ne kua hako lahi. Koe uta ni kehe puhala ne kua lata tonu moe tagata.
Ka uka ke fifili, manatu ke liogi fakalahi kehe Iki, ke fakakite atu e puhala kua lata tonu mo koe ha koe mena kehekehe oti a tautolu – kehekehe e tau toto (genes), kehekehe e tau puhala ne leveki aki a tautolu, moe tau mena pihia.
Loga lahi e puhala ke fakaako ai e tagata kae koe tgt ni ke kumi e puhala kua lata mo ia.