The leadership of the church consists of elders, deacons, and members of the local church with Jesus as the head of the universal church.

The elders are the servant leaders. While the teachers of a church are commonly known as pastors, the New Testament interchangeably uses the word elder, bishop, or shepherd to describe those who oversee, lead, and lead the local church. They are to meet the qualifications presented in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 2 Timothy 2:24,-25, and Titus 1:5-9.

Also, the New Testament models a parity in leadership in a local church, which means no elder has more authority than any other elder. This shared leadership model is often referred to as a "plurality and parity" of elders in the local church. Even the Apostle Peter refers to himself as a "fellow elder" among other leaders in the New Testament church (1 Peter 5:1). Finally, elders are to be exclusively male, which is also a distinguishing qualification in the New Testament. Built on the authority of Scripture alone, a faithful plurality and parity of elders is the biblical model given to help the local church grow into maturity, orderliness, and flourishing.

In the New Testament, the word usually translated "serve" is the Greek word diakoneo, which literally means "through the dirt." It refers to an attendant, a waiter, or one who ministers to another. From this word we get the English word “deacon.” If the elders are the  servant leaders, the deacons are the lead servants.

We first see the word "deacon" used this way in the book of Acts. “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” (Acts 6:2). The men who were giving themselves to feeding the flock by preaching and teaching realized that it wasn’t right for them to leave those activities , so they found some other men who were willing to serve, and put them in place to minister to the church’s physical needs while the elders or pastors ministered to their spiritual needs. It was a better use of the resources they were given, and a better use of everyone’s gifts. It also got more people involved in serving and helping one another.

Today, for the biblical church, these roles are essentially the same. Elders and pastors are to “preach the word…reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). While the responsibilities of a deacon are not clearly listed or outlined; the qualifications for a deacon’s character clearly are. They are to be blameless, the husband of one wife, a good household manager, respectable, honest, not addicted to alcohol, and not greedy (1 Timothy 3:8-12). According to the Word, the office of deacon is an honor and a blessing. “For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 3:13).

The members are pillars and buttress of the truth (1 Tim 3:15). In other words, they are the pillars in the pews. While the traditional understanding of the officers of the church is the role of elder and deacon. However, there is reason to believe the Bible has a third office: church member. It is an office just like elder and deacon in the sense that church members are appointed to the position by a vote, and that position comes with duties and responsibilities that are to be discharged.