Foundations: The Role of Deacon

The Situation (Acts 6:1-7)

The growth of the church is accompanied by both celebrations and challenges. This is not unlike what we are experiencing these days at Harrisburg. People are growing spiritually, people are coming to Christ, and as a result there are more members and there are more needs. The word “complaint” can be understood like a low grumble or murmuring. The church was growing, things were good, but there were some having a different experience from the majority. This too is possible any given week in any church, and Harrisburg is no exception. Things are good, God is definitely working, and there are many new needs in our congregation every week. The growth of the church is an opportunity for unity or division.

A church should find its unity in faith in Christ, a shared submission to Christ and His Word, a love for other believers, and a commitment to God’s mission for His people to make disciples.

Some things change as a church grows, but the things that are grounded in God’s Word are unchanging.

The growth of the church requires responsive leaders and gospel-centered members.

Every church needs the two categories of leaders that we see in this passage:

Leaders who serve by prayer, preaching, & equipping members with the Word.

In Acts 6 the apostles are dedicated to the ministry and prayer and the Word. As the NT unfolds each congregation has pastors, elders, or overseers (bishops) who are committed to this ministry.

Leaders who serve by meeting the physical and practical needs of the church.

The Solution (Acts 6:3-7)

In Acts 6 there is a specific need that requires the attention of someone other than the apostles. The seven men who are chosen to “serve” are the first of their kind. They are the biblical pattern to follow for the church moving forward. God gives the church both pastors (overseers/elders) and deacons for his purposes and the good of his people. You can see this in Paul’s greeting to the Philippian church when he writes, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers (Bishops- KJV) and deacons.” Again in 1 Timothy 3 Paul lists the qualifications for the office of both overseer and deacon.

Deacons (διάκονος = “servant”)

The word deacon is a transliteration of the Greek word, its not a translation because the title is the meaning- A deacon is a servant, and a servant is a deacon.

The role of deacon is best understood by the translation of the word- A servant of the church.

3 Questions that help us better understand the role of a deacon: 1. Who are deacons? 2. What do deacons do? 3. Why do deacons do what they do?

Who Are Deacons? (See Acts 6:3 & 1 Timothy 3:8-13)

“3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.”

Acts 6:3 (CSB)

“8 Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11 Wives,, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. 12 Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. 13 For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 3:8–13 (CSB)

1. Deacons are faithful and mature followers of Christ. (expound here) Not just men who show up or who are popular… (See Barna “Revolutionary”)

2. Deacons are godly examples for the church to imitate. (expound here) Humble is worth imitating…

What Do Deacons Do?

1st- Two common misunderstandings of the role of deacon:

1. A board of decision makers

In some churches the deacons are decision makers that meet and determine what the church does or doesn’t do. But, in the NT the oversight of the church is given to a group of men known as pastors (or also elders or overseers). This group is charged with praying, preaching, and equipping the church with the Word.

In Acts 6 waiting on tables meant the needs of widows, but the “tables” represent the varying physical and practical needs of the congregation. These can range from reaching out or visiting those who are in the hospital to helping those who are in need.

The church is under the authority of Christ through His Word, it is ruled by the congregation, led by the pastors/elders, and served by the deacons.

What this means is that God clearly communicates His will for the church in His Word. We see in Scripture that the congregation is the final say in all matters. (sermon later on that) The pastors lead and aim the church to fulfill God’s will in obedience to Scripture (sermon coming next week on that), and the deacons take care of the practical details of the church- which can include matters like the finances, maintenance, and the care of church members.

The deacons in Scripture are not a decision making group, but a resourcing and supporting group.

For instance if the pastors/elders say “Let’s drive to Jackson... the deacons don’t meet to determine if we should go to Memphis instead. The deacons are responsible for making sure we have what it takes to get there. The deacons might come back and say “the engine on the bus won’t make it to Jackson, maybe we should reconsider.”

This relationship between deacons, pastors, and congregation places each member of the church in a vital and significant place.

The pastors pursue God and His Word for the direction of the churchThe deacons serve and work to care for the physical and practical of the churchThe church itself is the final say in matters of disputes, doctrine, membership, and calling pastors, budgets, etc. This means that you matter, and your walk with Christ impacts the church as a whole.

2nd misconception of the role of deacons…

2. A ministry that only focuses on the widows of the church.

(See 1 Timothy 5 for further instructions on caring for widows in the church)

In some churches the deacons focus solely on a ministry to widows, this is largely because in Acts 6 the issue was that some of the widows were being neglected. But, if you read 1 Timothy 5:3 it says

“Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”

This means that family members are responsible for each others needs first. But, in the case where a widow is without family she should be cared for by the church, but not without some qualifications on the matter.

1 Timothy 5:9-10 says to let “a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.”

Paul goes on to say in verse 16 that “if any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.”

Does this mean that pastors and deacons don’t care for widows? No, it means that God cares for each person in the church and has provided a pattern and a plan for making sure that each person is cared for- even those who don’t have family to depend on.

So, if deacons are not making the decisions, and if deacons are not solely dedicated to a ministry of widows what then do they do? Looking at Acts 6:1-7 we find three ways that deacons serve the church:

Deacons are like the Swiss Army Knife of the Church

Three ways Deacons serve the church:

1. Deacons serve the church by meeting the physical and practical needs of the members.

This will depend on the physical and practical needs of the church at that time. The deacons in many ways are a responsive group. Responding to the every growing and ever changing physical and practical needs of the congregation.

2. Deacons preserve the unity of the church. Deacons understand that unity is typically threatened by the needs of members more than the beliefs of members. Deacons don’t work to silence members into submission, but instead work to make sure that the members are cared for in accordance with Scripture. In Acts 6 the church wasn’t divided over doctrine, it was divided over the care of its members. The task of meeting the needs of members was two-fold. First it met the needs, and second it helped to mend the disunity that existed between two groups in the church. Today’s churches are the same, they are often divided over who is meeting the physical & practical needs or divided over who isn’t meeting the physical and practical needs. Again, this doesn’t mean that pastors or other church member don’t serve or help meet the needs of others, it simply means we need to understand how God has designed for the church to work for the good of its members and for the glory of His name. We are all called to love and care for one another, but the deacons have a unique serving and unifying role in the church. The deacons respond, minister, and lead in specific ways to meet particular needs of the church.

3. Deacons support the ministry of the Word.

The ministry of the deacon is significant because it makes the increase of God’s Word possible. Second, it is significant because the needs of the congregation are real and each member is important. Both pastors and deacons serve.

You could say that where the deacons are the servants of the physical and the practical- pastors are the servants of the Word, primarily through praying, preaching the Word, teaching the Word, equipping members with the Word. If a church doesn’t have deacons who are organized to help support the ministry of the Word by meeting the needs of the members then the church is hindered.

In the same way, if a church doesn’t have pastors dedicated to prayer, preaching, teaching, and equipping members to live faithful to the Lord then the church is hindered.

A church that puts the responsibility of meeting the physical and practical needs of the church on the pastor(s) experiences : i. A steady diet of the Word but few needs are met

ii. A steady diet of met needs but the Word is missing

iii. A mediocre version of preaching and ministry

Why Do Deacons Do What They Do?

Deacons serve so that the Word of God may increase. (expound)

Deacons serve so that the church can make disciples. (expound)

I often wonder if the issues so many churches face will be dealt with and overcome with a simple obedience to the Word. Could it be that the increase in faith and the multiplication we so desire of the kingdom is found in following the Word? What if the solutions to the ills of the church are sitting in the expressed, infallable, and inerrant Word of God?

I think they are… and I think that obeying the Lord as He has organized the church is just one of many ways that each of us need to align our lives with the truth of Scripture.

Obedience is better than sacrifice, and I have found that when I obey, I sacrifice my name for the lifting up of His name… and that my friends is always better!