Addendum: What About Deacons?

Just like elders, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the biblical role of deacons in the church. The modern church seems to have fallen into one of two extremes:
1 - They have completely forgotten about deacons and their ministry is absent altogether
2 - They have redefined deacons into something that they prefer and given them roles they were never intended to have.

But, just like elders, God intended Deacons to have a major role in the local church. It was never his plan for them to be pushed aside and treated as optional. And, also like the elder, the deacon's ministry, qualification, and purpose are all clearly defined in the pages of Scripture.

Why Does The Church Need Deacons?

The deacon's role is best summed up in Acts 6:2 - "It is not desirable for us [that is, the elders / Ephesians 4 ministry gifts] to leave the Word of God and serve tables." 

(Please note that when I use the term "pastor" in this post - I'm using it in the broadest sense; meaning a shepherding ministry gift that is overseeing your local church. Understand that many of these people are also called to be apostles, prophets, and teachers...but in our culture we commonly call them "pastors". Its like the general title "doctor". In any medical facility, whether you're speaking to a dentist, a pediatrician, or a surgeon...you would call them "doctor", right? You wouldn't address them by their specific medical field. In the same way, when you're sitting under the ministry of an Ephesians 4 gift, it's perfectly acceptable to call them "pastor", even if they show some characteristics of one of the other ministry gifts.)

Your pastor's assignment is specific and absolutely critical to your spiritual growth. He is responsible to study the Word, teach the Word, pray for you, and bring God's wisdom when you need it. He is NOT responsible for making sure your physical needs are met. He was not called by God to shovel your sidewalk, mow your lawn, maintain your car, or take you out for dinner.

The church of Jesus Christ exists primarily to meet your spiritual needs and equip you to serve God effectively. As such, the shepherds that God places in His church lead us in a spiritual way by making God's Word known to us. Having said that, there are also physical things that need to be done in the local congregation. In these situations, it is deacons who are called by God to help.

The primary responsibility of the deacon is to make sure that their pastors can continue in the Word of God and prayer...without having to also focus on the physical needs of the church. 

Remember this, deacons exist to help the pastors by helping the people.

What Is The Deacon's Responsibility?

To answer this question, let's look at the first time we see deacons in Scripture.

Deacons were first appointed to the church in Acts chapter 6. As we read through verses 1-7...pay close attention and see if you can pick out what their calling may be:
"Now in those days, when the number of disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of disciples and said, 'It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.'
"And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip. Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
"Then the Word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

In this passage, we read that the first deacons were appointed to solve a specific problem. The church was caring for (it's own) widows by distributing food to them each day. These were women in the church whose husbands died and they desperately needed the help of their fellow believers. It appears that, either because of prejudice or just a lack of proper communication, the Greek-speaking widows were not being taken care of as well as the Hebrew-speaking women were. This disparity led to a growing complaint in the congregation, one that threatened to split the church and monopolize the apostles attention.

The Hellenists' complaint was legitimate. There was a real need in the church for a better administration and distribution to those congregation members that were in need. But the only way this was going to happen was is if someone was appointed for that specific purpose. This was NOT what God wanted the ministry gifts to be doing.

But don't be mistaken on this, the first deacons were not just appointed to wait tables. According to verse 3, they were appointed "over the business". This is not just handing out food in a soup line. It also included deciding who qualifies for assistance (see 1 Timothy 5), and determining how much assistance they actually needed. These seven men organized the entire distribution program, under the authority of the apostles. It would be safe to assume that their responsibility would also include overseeing collections and preparations, as well as managing the other workers who were involved.

So what are deacons responsible for today? Are they only limited to administrating food? I don't believe so. Look back to verse 2 and re-read the reasons they were appointed.
1 - the congregation had a legitimate need for physical help...and for proper oversight in a disorderly situation.
2 - It was not good for ministers to leave their assignment and spend their time managing that need.

I believe deacons are assigned to supervise different areas of church ministry than just the one we see in this passage. These would be areas of service are necessary, but would also distract their pastors from their true assignment. This could include things like helping fellow congregation members that are legitimately in need of something in their natural life. I could be other things as well: things like music ministry, nursery, hospitality, ushering, grounds keeping and cleaning. But I don't think that an exhaustive list of their duties would easy to create, because that list would change based on the specific congregation. 

Why would the responsibilities of deacons change from one ministry to another? Because each congregation is going to have its own unique needs, and each pastor is going to find out his own unique distractions from his time in study and prayer. If that's happening in any area of the local church - deacons should be appointed into that area and "lift his hands" (an analogy from Exodus 17). 

Remember this though: These deacons didn't lead the church. They didn't make decisions concerning direction, vision, or message. Yes, they did administer and make some decisions about natural things - but even then, it was under the authority of the apostles who set them in place.

Who Qualifies To Be A Deacon?

Let me clear something up: Someone is not qualified to be a deacon because they've attended church for a long time, or because they're influential in the community, or because they're good at organization, or because they've always been friendly to everyone. The Bible lists specific qualifications for these men - and it's strange to see how they are often ignored in many churches! Let's take a look and see what kind of men these people should be.

From Acts 6, we see three main qualifications:

1 - They needed to have a good reputation.
There could be no legitimate room for someone in the church to say, "Why on earth did you pick HIM?"

2 - They must be full of the Holy Spirit.
These should be men who are known to be spirit-filled, spirit-guided, and spirit-controlled believers.

3 - They must be full of wisdom.
After examination, there should be evidence in these men's lives that they have wisdom. Not the wisdom of the world, though - they must know the wisdom of God.

1 Timothy 3:8-12 takes these three qualifications, and then expands on them:
"Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well."

What does it mean to have a good reputation?
 - They must be reverent. They must treat holy things as holy.
 - They must not be double-tongued, speaking one way in church and another out in the world.
 - They must not be drunkards
 - They must not be greedy for money

What does it mean to be full of the Holy Spirit?
 - They must hold onto their faith
 - They must serve God from a pure conscience
 - They must already be showing themselves as a servant
 - They must be found blameless

What does it mean to be full of wisdom?
 - They must be a one-woman-husband (Wise indeed!)
 - They must be known to direct their own home well

Unique among church leadership, there is also some qualifications for the deacon's spouse. In order for a man to be considered as a deacon, his wife should be:
 - Reverent: She should also treat holy things as holy
 - Not slanderers: She  should have her speech under control, without any trace of gossip.
 - Temperate: She should not be living for pleasure
 - Faithful in all things: She should be known to be diligent and true to what she says.

THIS is how churches should select their deacons - THESE are the criteria that qualify or disqualify men to serve in this office. (And if you think of the responsibility they'll have in their hands, these qualifications protect the safety of the congregation.)

Selected and Appointed

Now we know why the local church needs deacons - to help meet the needs of the people and to help the pastor continue in the Word of God and prayer.

We also know what those deacons are assigned to do - to help the church maintain order and meet the needs of the congregation whenever possible, while keeping those needs from pulling the preacher away from the Word.

We know where they fit in the local church - among the congregation and caring for it, while being overseen by the elders of the church.

And we also know who qualifies for consideration - those who have a good reputation, who are full of the Holy Spirit, and possess the wisdom of God.

Our only question now is this: How do they step into this position? Are they elected by the people? Are they hired after an interview process? Are they just picked out of their congregations by the pastors? Once again, we see the pattern set in Acts 6.

First, the need for these servants was made known to the congregation. Peter said, "It's not good for us to stop our real assignment of study and mistering the Word so that we can take care of these things. But it's also not good for you to keep coming up lacking in these things either!"
Rather than surprise the congregation by setting men in this new position - Peter let the people know what was happening, what they needed, and what their responsibility would be.

Then, the congregation was charged to select men for consideration. Peter taught the congregation about the qualifications of a deacon and made it clear what kind of people they must select. After teaching them, he gave them the job of finding who could be trusted with this ministry. After careful consideration, the church put forth their candidates.

Finally, the leadership of the church examined these men further (we see this in 1 Timothy 3:10 - "Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pas the test, then let them serve as deacons."). When the candidates were "found blameless", they were brought before the congregation again. Publicly, the leadership laid their hands on the new deacons, and set them into their positions in the church.

All things were done decently and in order...

Unfortunately, we often cheapen and distort the position of deacon in modern churches. But this position is not only directly responsible for make sure that business in the church is being managed, the deacon is also indirectly responsible for keeping us spiritually fed! After all, when the deacon is absent, isn't it usually the teaching gifts of the church that have to step in and take up the slack? 

When "deacon-ing" is done correctly, it will allow your pastors the time to dig into God's Word, to discover amazing things in Scriptures, to teach and help you grow, and also to cover you and your family in prayer.