Bethel MBC

Basic Baptist Doctrine

June 25, 2008

Lesson 19

The Office of Deacon

Acts 6:1-7

“1And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

I Timothy 3:8-13

“8Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 11Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

The office of deacon is the second office of the Lord’s church.  The role of deacon is filled by men whom the local church sees as qualified and willing to serve that particular body.  First and foremost, the office of deacon is one of service; as such, deacons are first servants.  They are called upon to serve the church in numerous capacities and should be encouraged and allowed to do so.  At times the office of deacon has suffered (just as the pastoral office has) by being filled with unqualified and unwilling men.  Deacons are to have purpose, know that purpose and fulfill its work.  It is not an honorary position or one of nominal value only.  The Bible references the phrase, “use the office of a deacon”.  The Greek word for this phrase is “diakoneo” ( a verb, not a noun) which correctly translated means “the ministry of a servant.” 

Tonight, we will play “20 Questions” as a way to shake up our recent modus operandi.  The goal when playing the real game is to narrow your area of search by using information, positive or negative, to hone your search.  Sometimes, knowing what the mystery word is NOT leads us towards what it IS.  Hopefully, after this evening, we will have a better idea of what the office of a deacon and is and what it is not.

20 Questions Concerning the Office of Deacon

1. Where and when did the position of deacon originate?

Answer: During the First Century with the Church at Jerusalem  (Acts 6:1-7)

2. What necessitated the office of deacon?

Answer:  Acts 6:1

                a. Growth: As the church grew in size, so did the problems

                b. Division: Some of the members were not having their needs met adequately; The Jews felt that the Jews were giving them the short straw and deacons were introduced as a solution to

                this potentially flammable problem.  Also, the preachers (apostles) felt that they were

                neglecting the ministry of the Word (See Acts 6:2,4).  One of the deacon’s primary objectives was

                to free the apostles to focus upon prayer, study and teaching the Word.

3. Who selected or chose the deacons?

Answer: Acts 6:2-3

The local church at the request of the preachers (apostles)

4. What is the primary distinction between the deacons’ and ministers’ call to ministry?

The Scriptures teach that a minister must be called by God to preach.  His calling must be divine while a deacon is called by a particular body (church) and asked to serve that church in that capacity by that church.  His calling is also important, but its source is earthly.

5. Do deacons have a responsibility to oversee or police the pastor?

Answer: The Bible does not speak of deacons supervising bishops.  The deacon’s office is one of being the pastor’s “best helpers”.  If he is unwilling or unable to do so, one of his primary purposes is made ineffectual.  Deacons should seek to fight with and for the pastor (not with) as far as he is found in sound practice and charity.  Likewise, the deacon must  possess a spiritual discernment and willingness to stand a tough stand when necessary.

6. Are deacons to be relied upon for leadership and authority or to act as a governing body?

Answer: “Deacon” comes from “diakonos” which refers to a waiter, an attendant; one who ran errands

or other menial duties.  The first church showed a plurality of elders (one pastor however) and the deacons served and ministered to the physical needs of the members; meanwhile, the elders were responsible for providing the spiritual nourishment and leadership.  Deacons and the pastor have one vote, which is not weighted in any way, within the government of the Lord’s church.  Spiritual pastors and deacons realize that they are servants not bosses or masters.

7. Are deacons mentioned relating to the spiritual gifts of ministering and leadership of the church?

Answer: No.  See Romans 12:6-8; I Corinthians 12:1-11; Ephesians 4:11-16

8. In the New Testament passages where the leadership of elders and bishops are mentioned, are deacons mentioned?

Answer: No.  Read Acts 11:30; 15:2,4,6,22,23; 16:4;20:17;21:18; James 5:14; I Peter 5:1,5

9. Are deacons responsible for defending church traditions?

Answer: No.  They ARE to be looked to for soundness and sturdiness in the faith.  They should be responsible to defend the Word of God and truth.  Traditions, however, are rarely worthy of any of us defending.  We need to wisely choose which “bridge we will die on”.  It is sometimes the case that deacons feel that their sole purpose is to defend against the wiles of the devil and detect any hint at modernism.  While this is not wrong in and of itself, it is detrimental if it takes the deacon’s focus from his biblically dictated tasks and responsibilities.  In addition, you will not find such a directive in the New Testament for the office of deacon.

10. Are deacons to be older men of the church?

Answer: This is often the practice of our churches, but the Bible does not dictate such. It is often a wise practice as wisdom and patience are often attributes of aged spiritual men.  However, these qualities may also be possessed of a younger man.  The bottom line is that the man has to meet the Biblical qualifications for the office regardless of age.

11. Are deacons to control the church finances; does the church treasurer have to be a deacon?

Answer: There is no mention in the New Testament of deacons controlling the finances.  Among the Apostles, Judas Iscariot was the financier…NEVER trust a so-called preacher with money.   J  Having said the above, it is possible that the deacons regularly handled the finances in distributing to the widows, etc.  See Acts 6:3.

12. What are the qualifications of deacons?

                a. Believers (had to come from among the church membership)

                b. Honest report

                                1. Must be men of integrity and trustworthiness

                                2. They were highly esteemed

                                3. They were trustworthy

                c. Full of the Holy Spirit

                                1. Surrendered to or controlled by the Holy Spirit

                d. Full of Wisdom

                                1. Wisdom in the ability to see a situation from God’s point of view

                                2. Must possess the ability to not act impulsively, but wisely

                e. Grave

                                1. Dignified, honorable, reputable, and worthy of respect

                                2. Does not take serious things lightly

                f. Not double-tongued

                                1. Does not say one thing and do another or tell multiple accounts

                                2. Is consistent in speech

                                3. Does not talk one way in church and another in town

                g. Not given to much wine

1. Although I have seen it, it is not advisable for a deacon to drink socially per our discussion last week re: the church covenant

h. Not greedy of filthy lucre

 1. Not having a lust for money or the things money buys

2. Does not use every opportunity to gain money

3. Deacons have to be men of integrity, not greedy, so they could be trusted to distribute to those in need

                i. Mystery of the faith

                                1. Does NOT mean something difficult to know

                                2. Read I Corinthians 2:7-8

                                3. Deacons are to hold the revealed mysteries of the NT as treasures

                j. Pure Conscience

                                1. They are to live out the “mysteries of God” (truth) in a clear conscience

                                2. They are to walk their talk

                k. Proved

                                1. Tested over a period of time; to ensure their genuineness

                l. Blameless

                                1. Does not mean “sinless”; does mean irreproachable

                m. Husband of one wife

                                1. Must be devoted to healthy marriages and families

                n. Ruling his children well

                                1. The testing ground for a deacon is how he raises his children

        2. Each deacon should be examined in light of how they accept their responsibilities as fathers.

                o. Ruling his house well

        1. If a man does not take his responsibilities at home seriously, what will he do in church?

13. What are the qualifications for a deacon’s wife?

                a. Grave

                                1. Dignified, honorable, not taking serious things lightly

                b. Not slanderers

                                1. Must not speak quickly and when she does speak, do so in love

                c. Sober

                                1. Sincere

                d. Faithful in all things

                                1. Temperate and has self-control in all things

                                2. Is consistent to her marriage, family and church

14. Can women serve as deacons?

Answer:  No.  The Scriptures clearly exclude women from the offices of pastor and deacon.  Phebe was a servant of the church at Cenchrea.  The Bible does not list her as a deacon. The word deaconess quite possibly refers to a deacon’s wife or a woman who served a church as a servant (but not within the office of a deacon)  Romans 16:1

15. Are deacons to be ordained or simply elected like a Sunday School teacher?

Answer: Acts 6:6

1. The candidates were set before the apostles

2. The apostles prayed over them

3. The apostles laid hands on them

16. What are the benefits of having godly deacons?

Answer: Acts 6:7

                1. Church harmony (church widows no longer neglected)

                2. Word of God spreads

                3. Church grows

                4. The benefits to the deacons themselves

                                a. Good standing

                                                - an excellent reputation among the people of God

                                b. Great boldness

                                                - a greatly needed quality for God’s people

17. Should a person seek the position of deacon?

Answer: If one desires to serve others , YES!  If one seeks the office of deacon, NO!  We all are to desire to serve one another, not seek a perceived power or prestige. If a man desires those sort of things, he is unfit and unqualified to be a deacon at all.

18. Is the office of deacon a lifetime office?

Answer:  No.  Every church has the authority to practice as she desires.  We historically have accepted ordained deacons from other churches by letter as deacons.  We ought not to feel obligated to do so.  Furthermore, deacons are not Supreme Court justices.  They aren’t deacons until they die. They, like pastors, may disqualify themselves  or asked to be made “inactive” due to age or physical limitations.

19. Does a church have to have deacons in order to be a scriptural church and how large does a church need to be before she ordains deacons?

Answer:               a. A church DOES NOT have to have deacons to be a scriptural church

                            b. The church at Jerusalem had over 10,000 members before they had deacons

                            c. A church should ordain deacons when they feel the need has arisen

20. What are the responsibilities of deacons?

Answer:           a. Peacemaker: performing menial tasks for the widows of the church (needy)

                        b. Leaders; by example and action

c. Taking the burden of physical ministry off the pastor and supporting the church by supporting the pastor.