The apostle Paul opened his epistle to the Philippians, writing, "Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons." These words demonstrate how the church is comprised of "saints" (literally, "holy ones" and among them are two groups of officers: "overseers" and "deacons." We learn elsewhere (particularly Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Peter 5:1-2) that "overseer," "elder," and "pastor" are three different terms for the same office. So Christ has designed His church to have two offices: elders and deacons.

Accordingly, Grand Prairie Bible Church is structured to be led by qualified elders and served by qualified deacons. The first of these two groups, elders, are charged with three responsibilities: first, to be an example of godly living; second, to shepherd His people, primarily by prayer and the Word; and third, to oversee her ministries.

The second group, deacons, minister to the church in one of two ways: coordinating specific works of service, or being stewards of her resources. An example of the former is our Deacon of the Sunday AM Service, who coordinates the Ushers. An example of the latter is our Deacon of Information Technology, who manages our computer network (and our website). As the examples illustrate, each of our deacons has a specific responsibility (rather than collective and broad responsibilities).

The qualifications for these officers are set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The elders appoint new officers after seeking feedback on candidates from the congregation. Officers serve for a term of six years, with a mandatory sabbatical of one year before consideration for another term.