As we have seen, however, the Bible does show that some are “servants” in an appointive sense, having a congregational ‘appointment’ to serve in a particular assignment of service, as in the instance of elders or assistant servants.​—Titus 1:5; 1 Tim. 3:1-13.

¹⁹ These do not receive such appointment through baptism. The apostle Paul was not referring to baptism when he wrote Timothy, “Never lay your hands hastily upon any man,” but was referring to the action of appointing a man to a congregational assignment of service and the responsibility that went with it. (1 Tim. 5:22; compare 1 Timothy 3:1-15.) Paul himself, along with Barnabas, had been ‘set apart’ for a certain work by holy spirit. The body of elders at Antioch, in recognition of this, then “laid their hands upon them.”​—Acts 13:1-5; compare the action of the apostles in ‘appointing’ the “seven certified men” to handle a certain assignment of service, as recorded at Acts 6:1-6.

20, 21. How do the examples of Paul, Timothy and Archippus illustrate that certain congregation members are “servants” or “ministers” in an appointive sense, by congregational assignment?

²⁰ So, while all true Christians (brothers and sisters alike) serve (or “minister”), only some of them are appointed to a particular service in a congregation.

So today there are, in the congregations of God’s people, men (usually baptized for some time) who are appointed to serve the congregation in certain assigned capacities. Those who have received such congregational appointments to particular services may be said to be “ordained,” in the sense in which the word is used today.b