Deacon = Servant
This week’s article concerns the office of deacon. This is the second of the two offices the Lord ordained for His church. Although it is secondary, the office is good for the welfare of God’s people and can be especially beneficial for the pastor who learns to depend on them.
The selection of the first deacons is recorded in Acts 6 during the time of phenomenal growth of the Jerusalem church. Three thousand were saved and baptized on the Day of Pentecost which was followed by thousands more in the next few weeks and months. The care of these many people both physically and spiritually was more than the apostles were humanly capable. Above the shear numbers, the church was poor and persecuted. Christians were outcasts from the hub of Jewish social order which was the temple and were unwelcome in the outlying spokes of the synagogue system. Jewish leaders demeaned them to the point that many lost their jobs and were without means of support.
Reading Acts 6, we learn that the care of widows was an acute problem and precipitated an urgent action by the apostles to alleviate their dire economic distress. The office of deacon was born out of the necessity to supply the physical needs of the people—a need that consumed too much of the apostles’ time and limited their ability to teach, pray, and evangelize. Despite the fact the office was first developed for the supply of physical needs, we find the qualifications for it had much to do with each man’s spiritual health. They were to be above reproach in reputation and be men who had proved themselves to be faithful.
The qualifications for the diaconate are remarkably like those of pastors. Two of the first six chosen were men who could teach and preach and were active in sharing the gospel. We can assume the others were likewise qualified. We may also assume that years later when Paul detailed the qualifications in 1 Timothy that he still had these qualities in mind for the type of men who would be chosen to fill the office. It is sad this ability has been neglected in most churches, and in many the office is downgraded to those who may take care of the physical plant but have no spiritual oversight.
In the next few weeks, we will see our deacons actively helping with spiritual duties. They are always active but not always as visible as they will need to be as I recover from my surgery. At times, you will hear them from the pulpit preaching God’s word and relieving my burden of being unable to tend the sheep. This is the most stressful aspect of my recovery time. In a measure, my mental health will be much improved by knowing the pulpit is in good hands.
The deacons derived the title of their office from diakonos, a word that means servant. Some pastors fear deacons and refuse to have their churches appoint them. This fear arises from improper authority given to deacon boards to run the church including censoring the pastor as they felt needed. They became the de facto office of singular authority. This is unscriptural and should be rather remedied by pastors teaching the people the biblical order of the offices.
I thank the Lord that for twenty years the deacons and I have enjoyed a close working relationship in which they respect my authority and I resist acting unilaterally. Pastors and deacons must work together so that I do not fear an unspiritual coup and neither do they fear being marginalized. A healthy spirit of cooperation is best for all as we serve the Lord together.
As always, I pray you will support all the leadership and be thankful for their willingness to be used as the church requires.
Pastor V. Mark Smith