What’s the difference between the offices of elder (or church leader) and deacon?

Acts 6:2-4The Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

Acts 14:23Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

Titus 1:7A church leader is a manager of God’s household.

1 Peter 5:1-4Now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I [Peter], too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

In the New Testament, we can observe elders, sometimes referred to as church leaders, and deacons fulfilling different functions among their local community of believers. The first deacons were chosen to serve needy widows in the community so that the apostles could devote themselves to teaching God’s Word. Among these first deacons, we also see them performing miracles, preaching, and spreading the Good News all over the Roman Empire (for example, Stephen, Acts 6:8–7:60; Philip, Acts 8:4-40). Elders were responsible for preaching and teaching and caring for a local community of believers; elders, alongside the apostles, were responsible for guiding and leading the church on doctrine. Today, different churches define these roles in different ways, but modern-day elders and deacons still share these same responsibilities first described in the New Testament.