If you're like me, you're probably very familiar with the book of Philippians. That's why I think it's a good idea to read things that we're familiar with as though we were reading them for the very first time. I'll tell you, that's one of the keys to my own personal Bible study. Every single time I go to a passage of Scripture I go to it as if for the first time. I don't go back to previous notes I've taken or to the commentaries or to the English Bible translations. Eventually I do all that, but I don't start there. When you read the Bible this way, I think you'll see things you've never seen before. You'll struggle over your own personal translation of the passage you're studying as never before, especially with terms that seem unclear or ambiguous.
For example, in Phil. 1:1, Paul refers to "overseers and deacons." Are these descriptors, or are they titles -- or both? How you decide that question will determine how you translate those words. In other words, are these administrative offices in the church or simply a reference to people who are called upon to perform specific functions in the church? One thing is clear: Paul refers to these people in a way that distinguishes them from the congregation as a whole. Not only that, he addresses the entire congregation first before even mentioning these overseers and deacons. Hence the Living Bible's translation here will hardly do:
From: Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ.
To: The pastors and deacons and all the Christians in the city of Philippi.
This is precisely what Paul does not say! Let me add that, in the Greek, both terms lack the definite article, which normally indicates that the writer is emphasizing qualities and characteristics rather than particular identity. Finally, let's recall that as early as Acts 6:1 and Acts 14:23, the duties of these people were fairly well defined in the early church. This implies that Paul considered these persons to be distinguishable from the congregation by some kind of official status. Apparently some in the church had been called by God to (in some sense) administer and overseer affairs in the church and others to take care of the poor and the sick in the church. All of this leads me to render Phil. 1:1 as follows. See if you like it.
This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves owned by Christ Jesus. We are writing to all God's people in union with Christ Jesus in the city of Philippi, including those who supervise the spiritual needs of the church as overseers and those who serve the material needs of the church as deacons.
At the very least we can conclude that Paul is reminding the Philippians that church leadership is not an imposition on the congregation but an extension of it!
Have a wonderful rest of your day!