We are in the process of appointing deacons in our church, and I thought it would be helpful to mention a few important things to keep in mind.
(1) The word deacon is the translation of the Greek word diakonos It appears 29 times in the New Testament. However, only four of those twenty-nine occurrences refer to a person holding the office of deacon (Rom. 16:1; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8, 12). The other examples of the word simply mean “servant” or “messenger” or “one who ministers for the good of others” (cf. Lk 22:26-27; Jn 12:26; Eph 3:7; 1 Ti 4:6). In Acts 6, the passage most frequently associated with the office of deacon, the name itself appears nowhere. But the verb “serve or minister”, diakoneois found in Acts 6:2.
(2) The need for servants came as a result of the increasing growth of the church. Widows, as well as those with special physical needs (financial needs? need for food?) alerted the apostles to the urgency of this ministry. Although serving others was not “below the dignity” of the apostles, they concluded that their efforts should be devoted to “preaching the word of God” and “praying” (Acts 6:2, 4). They decided that seven men should be appointed “for this duty” (Acts 6:3). To qualify for this position, they had to be “of good repute, filled with the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3).
(3) It should be noted that in Acts 6 nothing is said about an “office” of deacon. Also, it is the apostles, not the elders of the local church, who made this decision that would free up their time to spend in Word and prayer. However, most agree that this passage provides us with a model for the office of deacon that Paul would later speak of in 1 Timothy 3.
(4) Romans 16:1-2 is a crucial text. There Paul says: “I recommend our sister Phoebe, deaconess of the church in Cenchrea, to receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and to help her in whatever matter she needs from you, because she he has also helped many and even myself ′′ (Ro. 16:1-2). Some argue that Phoebe was simply a servant, but that she did not hold the office of deaconess. Paul also applies the same term to Apollos (1 Cor. 3:5), Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7), Epaphras (Co. 1:7), and Timothy (1 Tim. 4:6). ). Although others have a different opinion, it seems to me that the main reason they are reluctant to talk about Phoebe as a deaconess is because of the previous conviction that the office of deacon is specific to the masculine gender, that is, it is restricted to men. It may well be that there is an element of fear in this as well. In other words, some fear that opening the office of deacon to women is giving them power to rule or exercise authority over men in a way that would violate Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 2. Or they fear that making women deaconesses is a “slide” that will lead to naming them as pastors.
(5) Paul opens his letter to the Philippians with this: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the bishops and deacons” (Phil. 1:1). It seems clear that Paul envisions two “offices” in the local church: (1) elders/bishops/overseers, and (2) deacons.
(6) The only other two times the term occurs are in 1 Timothy 3:8-12, where Paul lists the necessary qualifications for those who hold this office:
“In the same way, the deacons also must be worthy, of a single word, not given to much wine, nor lovers of dishonest gain, but keeping the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Let these also be put to the test first, and if they are blameless, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, women must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober, faithful in everything. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, and rule their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves an honorable position and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
(7) There are differences between elders and deacons. The elder has ruling authority. He occupies the position of “overseer” (1 Tim. 3:1). Other texts point to the ruling authority of the elders (1 Thess. 5:12-13; 1 Tim. 3:4-5; 5:17-18; Ti. 1:5-9; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet 5:1-4). On the other hand, deacons are never described as exercising this type of governing authority. They are serfs.
While the elder must be able to “teach” (1 Tim. 3:2) and “hold fast the faithful word that is according to the teaching, so that he may also be able to exhort with sound doctrine and refute those who contradict” (Ti. 1:9), deacons are never said to be people capable of teaching. Although they “should hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9), nowhere does the New Testament say that they should be able, gifted, or qualified to teach doctrine.
A comparison of the qualifications for both the office of elder and deacon indicates that the latter must meet virtually the same moral and spiritual standards as the former. In other words, the “bar” is just as high for deacons as it is for elders when it comes to spiritual maturity in Christ.
(8) An interesting qualification for the office of deacon is indicated in 1 Timothy 3:10: “Let these also be put to the test first, and if they are blameless, then let them serve as deacons.” The nature of this “test” is not specified, but it surely included an examination of his character, his record of service within the church, his reputation, and his theological convictions.
(9) Nowhere outside of the book of Acts are the duties and responsibilities of a deacon mentioned. Twice Paul describes them as “serving,” but he never gives us content or structure as to what this means. Most believe this is because the early church viewed the depiction of deacons in Acts 6 as providing the nature of this office and the type of “service” or “ministry” they would provide. The most we could say with confidence is that “deacons are needed in the church to provide logistical and material support so that the elders can focus their efforts on God’s Word and prayer” (Ben Merkle, p. 238).
(10) Given the lack of specific content regarding the duties of a deacon, it seems to me that each church should retain the freedom to determine the scope of the responsibility delegated to those who are appointed to this position. In other words, each church must decide for itself what are the needs that require the input and supervision of deacons. This will likely vary from church to church. What are some duties that deacons might be responsible for today? They are likely to take on any task not directly related to teaching or local church government. Ben Merkle lists the following areas of ministry appropriate to the office of deacon:
Installations. Deacons could be responsible for the basic administration of church property. This would include making sure the place of worship is set up for the worship service. Other duties may include cleaning, sound system, etc.
Benevolence. Similar to what happened in Acts 6 with the daily distribution to widows, deacons should be involved in managing funds for the needy.
Finance. Some believe that the elders should handle financial matters, since the famine relief money brought by Paul and Barnabas was given to the elders (Acts 11:30). But while the elders may oversee the financial affairs of the church, it’s probably better to let the deacons handle day-to-day affairs. This would include collecting and counting the offering, keeping records, helping to establish the church budget, etc.
ushers. Deacons could be responsible for distributing bulletins, seating the congregation, preparing communion items, etc.
Logistics. Deacons should be available to help in a variety of ways so that elders can focus on teaching and shepherding the church (Merkle, 40 questions about elders and deacons, p. 241).
In addition to the above, deacons could serve in what might be called a global diaconate. This ministry is designed to mobilize church members and the community at large to respond to natural disasters wherever they occur. The earthquake in Haiti, the tsunami in Japan, the hurricanes in Texas and Florida… these are just a few examples of heavily affected areas that require immediate assistance. The global diaconate would be ready at all times to do what can be done in terms of providing assistance where it is needed, as well as financial support to those most in need around the world. One could also think of deacons interviewing candidates for baptism, administering and leading prayer meetings, planning retreats and conferences, etc.
Originally Posted by . Translated by Team Coalition.
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