Family Roles: Responsibilities Of Leaders And Members

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/3ccmmq

In marital counseling work, both before and after a marriage, I often speak to the couple about family roles. Who is the one responsible for taking out the trash? Who will be the one to make the beds, do the laundry, mow the lawn, or change the oil in the car? Most of these roles fall into our traditional expectations of husbands and wives. However, it is not uncommon to find a wife that loves to do the yard work or a husband that has a particular love for doing the cooking. But one thing is very important—we must understand and agree on family roles.

When husbands and wives disagree on family roles this creates disharmony and eventually strife. Usually this occurs when one or both spouses are not doing some task that the other spouse thinks should be done.

One example years ago was of a man who had expected his wife to pick up his dirty clothes where ever he dropped them. After all, his mother did that for him for 20 years. But his wife would have nothing of it and left his dirty clothes lying around until he finally ran out of clean clothes. She didn’t mind doing the laundry, but did not think it was her job to be a mother to her husband. That situation finally erupted. The couple did not properly communicate role responsibility and that led to problems.

The church is a spiritual family and like the natural family the church also has certain roles that need to be filled. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the head of this family, or body, and that many other roles need to be filled.

Paul outlines the qualifications of elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, and again of elders in Titus 1. These roles are very important to the success of the local congregations.

The elders are also referred to as rulers, overseers, bishops and shepherds. They have the responsibility to feed, protect and ultimately give an account for every sheep or member within the local body. Theirs is a very serious role and they must be on guard to not allow lesser issues to command their time and take away from their primary responsibilities. Luke 15 tells of the importance of just one sheep as the shepherd leaves 99 in search for the one missing sheep. Every church has a role to fill by godly shepherds.

The deacons have roles to fill as well. The concept can be illustrated in Acts 6:1-4 where a situation is given where some of the widows were being overlooked or neglected when it came to assistance. The apostles told those who brought the problem to choose seven men of certain qualifications from among their number. Then they would appoint these men to look after the problem with the widows. The apostles needed to give their attention to the ministry of the word and not to the daily physical problems. So they delegated. These men in Acts 6 may have not been deacons, but this passage illustrates the role that others play in helping the body as a whole.

Preachers also have a role to fill in the family of God. Paul expresses some of these duties in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Preachers are human just like the other members. But their tasks in the church are multiple. Notice these tasks from the reading above. Preach the word. That’s content. Be faithful in and out of season. That’s constancy. Convince, rebuke, exhort. That’s balance. Don’t compromise. That’s virtue. Be watchful. That’s being informed. Endure hardship. That’s perseverance. Do the work of an evangelist. That’s preaching and ministry. Finally, fulfill your ministry. That’s leaving nothing undone.

Many other roles also need to be filled in the family of God. Bible class teachers, encouragers, older men and women to teach and instruct younger men and women, people to pray, people to support with money, people to reach out to the neighbors and share the gospel. This list could go on and on.

The question today for you is this. “What role do you fill in the family of God?” If you aren’t sure what your role is then you’d better find out. God wants all of His family to be active in the body of Christ.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we seek to be encouragers today, to uplift someone’s spirit, carry someone’s burden and brighten someone’s day. May we seek to fill any role that we can so the glory of God can be seen through us.

Our thought for the day: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Paul, Colossians 3:23.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.