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What is the difference between an elder and a deacon? Can a church function with just one pastor, or does the Bible require a plurality of elders? In this episode of Marked by Grace, Pastor Heath Lambert tackles one of the most common points of confusion in church polity: the blurred lines between elders, pastors, and deacons.

0:13 - The question: confusion over elders and deacons

1:38 - The two offices ordained in the New Testament

2:43 - What deacons do: servants of the congregation's practical needs

3:18 - What elders/pastors do: servants of the Word and leaders of the church

4:19 - Where churches blur the lines between elders and deacons

5:44 - Elder-led vs. pastor-led: why that question is trickier than it sounds

7:18 - What the Bible says about plurality of elders

8:16 - The role most people overlook: congregational authority

9:18 - Matthew 18 and the congregation as the court of final appeal

10:23 - How faithful churches apply these principles differently

12:32 - The sufficiency of Scripture and freedom within firm biblical lines