The concept of an “armor-bearer” in the church is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. However, there are some principles and examples that can help inform whether having a designated position of armor-bearer would be appropriate.
What is an armor-bearer?
In modern church contexts, an armor-bearer is usually someone who assists a church leader or pastor. They may help bear the weight and burdens of leadership by providing practical and spiritual support. Some responsibilities can include:
- Praying regularly for the leader
- Handling logistics and scheduling
- Providing counsel or accountability
- Aiding in ministry tasks
The position is inspired by armor-bearers for kings in the Old Testament. For example, Jonathan’s armor-bearer carried his weapons and accompanied him into battle (1 Samuel 14:6-7). The pattern of a leader having a trusted attendant is seen throughout Scripture.
Biblical principles related to serving and assisting leaders
The Bible offers various principles that connect to the concept of armor-bearers in a church context:
- Humility – Leaders should have a humble stance, not promoted personal agendas (Matthew 20:26, Philippians 2:3-4). An armor-bearer role risks becoming about self-importance if not done in humility.
- Mutual Servanthood – We are all called to serve one another out of love (Galatians 5:13). An armor-bearer serves a leader, but the leader also serves the armor-bearer through teaching, encouragement, etc.
- Burden Bearing – We are to help carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). An armor-bearer can help bear burdens of ministry and leadership for a pastor.
- Respect and Honor – The church is called to respect and honor faithful leaders who serve well (1 Timothy 5:17, Hebrews 13:17). But ultimately all glory goes to God alone.
- Unity and Mutuality – The body of Christ is diverse but unified, with each part needed (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). There should be no elitism between “clergy” and “laity.”
These types of principles should shape how any assistant role functions in a church.
Biblical examples to consider
While the Bible does not explicitly mention church armor-bearers, there are various relationships that can inform whether having assistants is appropriate:
- Aaron and Hur – They held up Moses’ arms so he could keep them raised in battle (Exodus 17:8-13). This shows helpers coming around a leader to strengthen and support their duties.
- Gehazi – He was Elisha’s attendant, traveling with him and assisting his needs (2 Kings 4:8-37, 5:20-27). However, Gehazi later misused his position for selfish gain.
- Jesus and His Disciples – The 12 disciples traveled with Jesus, witnessed His works, were discipled by Him, and assisted in ministry tasks (Mark 3:13-19). This models humble, mutual service.
- Barnabas and John Mark – Barnabas took John Mark under his wing for mentoring after he abandoned Paul (Acts 15:36-39). Barnabas bore this burden to encourage Mark’s growth.
- Paul and Timothy – Paul mentored Timothy and trusted him to represent him in ministry duties (Philippians 2:19-23). However, Paul did not give undue esteem to Timothy.
These relationships display different types of service, assistance, and bearing of burdens between leaders and assistants in biblical times. They can help us evaluate appropriate leader-assistant dynamics for today.
Potential benefits of an armor-bearer role
There are some potential benefits to a church having designated armor-bearer positions:
- Can provide practical help to ease burdens on pastors and leaders
- Creates opportunities to come alongside leaders for encouragement and prayer support
- Allows for mentoring and discipleship of the armor-bearers themselves
- Models biblical patterns of humbly assisting leaders
- Enables more effective ministry by allowing leaders to focus on core responsibilities
If handled appropriately, having armor-bearer type roles can strengthen church leadership and reflect service. The position must be framed as supporting, not about status.
Potential problems with an armor-bearer role
There are also some potential problems that can arise with having designated armor-bearer roles in a church:
- Can create an unhealthy divide between “clergy” and “laity” if not careful
- Risks armor-bearers seeing their service as superior and becoming prideful
- Can result in pastor/leader becoming dependent on armor-bearer in unhealthy ways
- May cause confusion between roles of armor-bearer vs. positions like elder/deacon
- Can become Distracting if armor-bearers end up doing jobs that other volunteers could help with
- Can enable leaders to avoid responsibilities that they should not delegate
Without proper understanding and boundaries, armor-bearer roles risk becoming positions of spiritual elitism. Safeguards must be in place to prevent these types of problems.
Questions to consider
Churches thinking about introducing an armor-bearer type position should carefully reflect on questions such as:
- What specific needs would armor-bearers help meet? Are those needs appropriate to delegate to assistants?
- How will we prevent armor-bearers from becoming spiritually proud or seeing their role as superior?
- How can armor-bearers provide practical help to leaders without fostering unhealthy dependency?
- How will we ensure armor-bearers do not overstep biblical responsibilities of established positions like elder/deacon?
- Would assistant roles be more appropriate than formal “armor-bearer” positions?
- Could church volunteers fill needed gaps rather than designating armor-bearers?
These types of questions can help assess if introducing the concept would truly serve the church or if pitfalls outweigh potential benefits.
Guidelines for implementation
If a church decides to establish an armor-bearer type position, some biblical guidelines include:
- Framing the role as humble service rather than prestige or spiritual superiority.
- Ensuring the senior pastor/leaders serve, teach, and pour into the armor-bearers as well.
- Providing clear position descriptions and boundaries for responsibilities.
- Regularly evaluating if the positions are beneficial or fostering unhealthy dynamics.
- Emphasizing that armor-bearers are not intermediaries between pastor and congregation members.
- Encouraging armor-bearers to take initiative in tasks to lighten burdens but not become irreplaceable.
- Rotating armor-bearers periodically to prevent anyone seeing the role as their permanent status.
Implementing these types of best practices can help maximize benefits of assistant-type positions while minimizing risks.
Conclusion
The Bible does not explicitly mention the concept of armor-bearers in the church. However, there are supportive principles and examples for leaders having assistants who provide practical and spiritual support. Introducing a designated armor-bearer role has some potential benefits but also risks if mishandled. Churches should carefully consider if the concept fits their context. Any positions should reflect biblical standards like humility, burden-bearing, and mutual service. Armor-bearer roles must never create division or elitism in the body of Christ.