Development of Church Leadership

The podcast discusses the development of church leadership during the first century under the guidance of the apostles. Initially, the only office in the church was that of apostle. However, as the church grew and its pastoral needs increased, additional officers were appointed. By the early AD 40s, a body of elders was assisting the apostles in Jerusalem, and elders were also ordained in other churches. The terms bishop, priest, and deacon were mentioned for the first time in the AD 60s and took time to acquire stable technical meanings. Eventually, by the end of the apostolic age, a threefold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons had become universal in the churches.