Why a Woman Shouldn't Be a Deacon

Welcome

Joy hearing Joel and Sterling teach/preach Christ today

RECORD AUDIO

Where we’re going:

Last week: When a woman shouldn’t be a deacon.

When it threatens our doctrine and unity

Confusing chart—who determines what is important? who determines what is clear?

Dever and Dunlop—“By clear, I mean something that nearly everyone in a local congregation has historically seen as taught in Scripture. By important, I mean an issue that is either essential to the gospel or essential to the preservation of the gospel.” (165-66)

Tonight: Why a woman shouldn’t be a deacon

Biblical arguments against woman deacons

Next week: Why a woman could be a deacon

Biblical arguments for woman deacons

10/24: Why a woman should be a deacon

Explain some of the benefits of female deacons

Opening prayer

Family road trip in our minivan—five seats, five children. Where each child sits doesn’t impact the vehicle’s direction or effectiveness. But it may impact our experience relating to each other inside the vehicle.

Who gets carsick, who fights, more helpful in the front, etc.

So too with deacons. As long as we agree on the main things, and we’re not ignoring the biblical qualifications, who serves as a deacon will have little or no impact on the church’s direction or effectiveness. But it may impact our experience relating to one another inside the church.

Not saying this issue doesn’t matter. It matters. But what matters more than where we end up is how and why we get there.

Why should a church not have female deacons?

Both sides agree...

this is a complex issue

history is filled with female deacons

This isn’t about who is liberal or progressive, or who is bigoted and chauvinistic

This is an honest, in-house debate between Bible-believing, Jesus-loving, Gospel-preaching, Orthodox Christians on both sides

My goal tonight is to present the case against women deacons.

Hope to do so in a way that the most ardent proponent of this position would agree with what I’ve said

Not going to talk about the opposing viewpoint. That’s next week.

I’m going to sound schizophrenic over the next two weeks, not because I’m conflicted myself but because I want you to see as clearly as I can show you the best arguments for both positions.

Four Reasons NOT to Have Female Deacons:

Based on Matt Smethurst’s helpful summary in his book Deacons [1]

A church should not have female deacons because...

1) The first “deacons” were all MEN.

Turn to Acts 6.

Early on in the life of the Jerusalem church

No elders, no deacons

Luke records a story that appears to be the origins of the deacon office

Deacons in quotes because there is some disagreement on whether these were deacons or not

Acts 6:1-5—“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.”

Apostles then, much like elders now, are devoted to the ministry of the Word and prayer

The Seven then, much like deacons now, are meeting practical needs so the Apostles can focus on their responsibilities

There’s a lot more we could say here, but for our purposes notice the gender of each of these seven individuals: they’re all men.

The Apostles tell them to choose men

If the NT would eventually approve of female deacons, wouldn’t it make sense to recruit women here? After all, these positions include ministering to widows!

A church should not have female deacons because...

2) There are no female deacons in SCRIPTURE

You would think if women were permitted to occupy an office as important as deacon, the Scriptures would give us at least one example of a female deacon.

But there are no female deacons in Scripture.

Wait a minute, what about Phoebe?!?

Turn to Romans 16:1

At the end of his magnum opus, Paul mentions a woman named Phoebe, and some have taken his comments to be evidence of at least one female deacon in Scripture

Romans 16:1-2—“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.”

Does anybody know what the Greek word for servant is? Diakonos.

This is the same word used at various places throughout the NT to refer to the office of deacon, so some have argued that Phoebe is a female deacon

But the word doesn’t have to mean deacon. It almost always doesn’t mean deacon. Most of the time it is translated “servant” or "minister”

We only translate it deacon if there’s strong contextual clues to do so

The argument goes that this passage doesn’t need to be translated “deacon.” Paul is just saying that Phoebe is a commendable servant of the church.

A church should not have female deacons because...

3) Paul refers to deacons’ WIVES

Turn to 1 Timothy 3

Remember, Paul wrote this letter to explain how we should conduct ourselves in the life of the church

This chapter teaches us more about deacon ministry than perhaps any other passage in Scripture

Two clues in these qualifications why a woman shouldn’t be a deacon:

Verse 12—Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.

Like elders, deacons must be faithful husbands and faithful leaders at home

Therefore, the argument goes, deacons must be men

If a man is married, these qualifications would apply to him/his wife

The more complicated clue is in...

Verse 11—“Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.”

On face value Paul is giving requirements for wives of deacons

Debate is concerning term gynaikas (translated here as “wives”)

Someone read 1 Timothy 3:11 in NASB or NIV

NIV—In the same way, the women

NASB—Women must likewise be

The word can be translated either “women” or “wives”

The same root word in 1 Timothy 2:12

How do you decide on the proper meaning when more than one option is available?

NOT WHICHEVER ONE YOU LIKE BEST!!!

Five reasons why this word is better translated “wife,” not “woman”...

A) Immediate Context

Read 1 Timothy 3:2 and 3:12

Same word both before and after 1 Timothy 3:11.

Both times how is it translated? Wives.

B) Ambiguous Language

If Paul wanted to refer to female deacons, why doesn’t he say so?

He could have used the word “deacon” with a feminine article

Or he could have said gynaikas diakonous

C) Inconsistent Requirements

Both elders and deacons have marriage standards (v.2, 12)

Both elders and deacons have testing requirements (v. 6, v. 10)

If Paul is referring to women deacons in v. 11, why does he not have requirements that they be tested and their marriages be God-honoring?

D) Logical Flow

Why would Paul discuss male deacons in vv. 8-10, female deacons in v. 11, and male deacons again in v. 12?

E) Unique Role of Deacons

Some have objected that it seems strange for Paul to give requirements for deacons’ wives and not elders’ wives.

But this difficulty can be resolved when you consider the types of work a deacon will sometimes have to do, which may require a wife’s assistance more than an elder

A church should not have female deacons because...

4) Deacons have some AUTHORITY

1 Timothy 2:12—“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.”

Does a deacon have this kind of authority? It really depends on what you believe a deacon should do.

We need humility to admit that the Bible doesn’t give us a lot of clear information about what deacons do (unlike elders)

So there are several different ways deacon ministry can function

Five Deacon Ministry Models:

First two are unhealthy deacon models that I’ve personally witnessed.

The remaining three are healthy models taken from Matt Smethurst’s book Deacons. [2]

Not an exhaustive list

Let’s briefly examine each and assess if it exercises authority

A) Delders

Deacon functioning like an elder

This was PBC

Conclusion: yes, these deacons exercise authority

2) Balance of Power

Like the branches of government, the deacons job is to check the power of the pastor

This was Belmar

Conclusion: yes, these deacons exercise authority

3) Mercy Ministers

The deacons serve the poor and needy, beginning with those inside the church (Galatians 6:10), and then moving outside

This model has probably been used the most throughout church history

Alexander Strauch has written an entire book advocating this position, and he says this: “Deacons guide and direct the entire church’s overall welfare ministry. They make decisions that affect the whole church body. Thy are the church’s official managers or representatives of mercy ministries.” [3]

Because he believes this ministry exercises authority in a way that affects the whole church, he believes a woman shouldn’t be a deacon.

Conclusion: maybe these deacons exercise authority

Why maybe? We had a benevolence team a few years ago and women were on that team and I don’t believe those women were exercising authority over the church. So I think it depends on how mercy minister deacons operate.

4) Servant Team

In some churches, deacons meet as a decision-making body in service to the elders, to coordinate plans for addressing administrative concerns and practical needs in the body

Brian Croft, Jeff Mingee

Conclusion: maybe.

These deacons may be executing the authority of the elders...

...or they could be exercising authority apart from the elders

5) Task-Specific Ministry Mobilizers

PBC now

Conclusion: maybe.

These deacons may be executing the authority of the elders...

...or they could be exercising authority apart from the elders

“If there’s even the possibility that a woman might be exercising authority unbiblically by serving as a deacon we should avoid it!”

We’ll talk about how to respond to that and other objections next week.

Closing prayer