Deacons: Who are They?

A lot of misunderstandings of what deacons are.

Some Baptist circles have traditionally made the office of deacon in the church equivalent to elders. There is a board of deacons. Pastors are only those who preach.

Some have made deacons a training ground or stepping stone to eldership.

Some have viewed deacons as a part of board or like the House of Representatives.

What does the Bible say?

The message may be somewhat challenging because of our preconceived ideas and traditions. But we are concerned about what the Bible says and interpreting it as best as we can.

=> Deacons are servants with integrity and faith who directly oversee specific ministries of the church.

1. Deacons are Servants (1 Tim 3:8)

1 Timothy 3:8 (NASB95)

Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain,

Deacon (diakanos)

It literally means “servant, minister.”

Def.: “a person working in the service of another.” More specifically, “one who waits on tables.”

We can our first example of deacons in Acts 6.

Acts 6:1-6

Acts 6:1–6 (NASB95)

Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

A few things to note:

“It is not desirable to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. . . . We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

“. . . in charge of this task.”

The main point here to take away: deacons are servants. They do not lead and oversee the entire church like the elders.

One question that arises today: can both men and women be deacons?

There are indications in the NT that women can and have served as such. We also know from church history that this is the case.

2. Deacons are Men or Women (1 Tim 3:11)

1 Timothy 3:11 (NASB95)

Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

Women

“Women” (gunaikos) = women? wives? deaconesses?

Why it should be “women” with a view to “deaconess”:

(1) Women are mentioned in the middle of the list of offices in the church

(2) The term “likewise”

“Women must likewise be . . .”

“Likewise” indicates that there is an equivalency of the qualifications between deacons and the women mentioned.

(3) The structure of the verse seems to indicate talking about a separate church office:

1 Timothy 3:2 “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”

1 Timothy 3:8 “Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain.”

1 Timothy 3:11 “Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.”

(4) Can’t be the wives of deacons because then we would have to wonder why there are no qualifications for elders’ wives, esp when elders have the very important spiritual task of shepherding the church.

(5) Possibly akin to “The Twelve” and “The Women”

Luke 23:48–49 “And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.”

Luke 23:55 “Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.”

Acts 1:13–14 “When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

Phoebe

Romans 16:1–2 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.”

“a servant” = diakonos

“a helper” προστάτις = prostatis = “female benefactor† — a woman who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose; especially with her (financial) resources.”

The Long History of Women Deacons

“It is indisputable . . . that an order of deaconesses did quickly arise in the Church.”

[Kittel, “diakonos,” vol 2, 93]

“To sum up: such facts as there are—and they are not plentiful— suggest that the order of deaconesses came into existence in the first half of the third century. They devolved from and, therefore, shared certain restricted functions of the male diaconate and were drawn from those members of the order of widows who had begun to exercise an active ministry towards the women members of the congregation. Deaconesses were essentially an eastern creation and were not found in the West before the fifth century and were not accepted in Rome until as late as the eighth.”

[Davies, J. G (John Gordon). “Deacons, Deaconesses and the Minor Orders in the Patristic Period.” The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 14, no. 1 (April 1963): 1–15.]

So why is it permitted for women to be deacons but not elders-pastors?

Recall Paul’s instruction 1 Timothy 2:12 “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”

The Key: Deacons as Servants who maintain Specific Ministries

The context in which Paul lays out the principle in 1 Tim 2:12 is spiritual leadership of the church.

But remember: deacons are not the spiritual leaders of the church. Immediately after Paul says that women may not teach or have authority in the church is a discussion on elders.

In other words, deacons do not hold the official office of teaching and authority in the local church. Elders do. The deacons are not responsible for the teaching of Christian doctrine; they do not have the ultimate authority of how to manage the finances of the church; and they do not lead and apply church discipline. They do not shepherd the flock of God. They are not even over seeking and training deacons for the church. The elders do all these things.

The deacons’ primary role is to assist the elders in accomplishing specific tasks and ministries in the church.

John Piper: “It would seem, then, that the deacon office exists to assist the leadership of the church by relieving the elders of distractions and pressures that would divert them from the ministry of the Word and prayer and the general, visionary oversight of the church.”

[John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).]

As such, deacons may be women or men. For women to be deacons, therefore, does not break the principle Paul lays out in 1 Tim 2:12.

But deacons aren’t just any man or woman. They are to be men and women of integrity.

3. Deacons are Men and Women of Integrity (1 Tim 3:8-9, 11-12)

1 Timothy 3:8–9 (NASB95)

Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

1 Timothy 3:11–12 (NASB95)

Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households.

In Character

“dignified” = respected

“double-tongued” = speaking out of both sides of his mouth

“not addicted to much wine” = alcoholic, drinks too much

“not fond of sordid gain” = dishonest with money, craving wealth and resorting to ignoble and dishonest methods of getting it

Good managers of their home

Women deacons have similar qualities:

“dignified” (same word as in verse 8 for male deacon)

“not malicious gossips” = similar to not being double-tongued

“temperate” = sober (in judgement as well as with alcohol)

“faithful in all things” = faithful to Christ, families, husband

In Faith

“holding to the mystery of the faith” “faithful in all things”

Having a correct understanding of Christian teaching and doctrine is always stressed throughout the NT.

False teaching was a significant, if not the most significant, problem in the church. And it still is. The purity of Christian teaching must be maintained, even among those who serve as deacons.

4. Why This is Important

For good management and organization of the church:

Have you ever worked for a business that was poorly managed?

“Some Christians seem to equate disorganization with spirituality, but just the opposite is true. Disorganization and mismanagement always significantly multiplies problems and frustrate people… Management and disorganization ruins families, businesses, governments, and churches. It is the product of the polluted soil of greed, laziness, carelessness, lovelessness, and selfishness. It is not from God. The family of God should not be mismanaged. God should receive our best effort, energy, and skill. The entire account of Acts 6 is a sterling example of good organization and loving care for the people of God.” [Alexander Strauch, Minister of Mercy, 32]

For effective ministry

So elders-pastors can devote themselves to the teaching, preaching of God’s Word, prayer, and shepherding the flock

So people’s physical needs are met

So physical facilities can be maintained

So everyone can use their spiritual gifts

So the mission of the church is accomplished

For LCC

Beginning next year we will begin appointing deacons to serve as ministry heads over specific areas of ministry.

We should all make it a goal to be a deacon, servant in the church

What if we never served the Berkmar high school students? The Lilburn Coop? Our community through different outreach programs, like Fall Festival (Gingerbread bash coming up).

Maybe there are some who might want to serve as a deacon at LCC, leading/overseeing a specific ministry. Pray about it.

In a world and culture that emphasizes “finding happiness” “following your heart” stands Jesus who challenges us to “take up [our] cross daily and follow” him (Lk 9:23)—Jesus who says:

Mark 10:43–45 “. . . Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”