How did the office of Deacon come into being? Bible scholars point to the following scripture reference in the Book of Acts, describing the selection of seven men to serve in the Church at Jerusalem in the first century.
"And 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. Then 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. Wherefore, 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. 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 of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And 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." - Acts 6: 1-7
You will note that the office of Deacon was created to serve tables. The work of the Apostles was being stifled by the time constraints which drew them away from their proper prayer and preparation time, and time for the ministry of the Word. The church was instructed to look among their membership to choose out seven men to serve the congregation's needs. The characteristics required for such servants were simple:
- They were to be men of good reputation, who had earned the respect of the church
- They were to be men who were full of the Holy Spirit
- They were to be men of wisdom
- And obviously they wouold be men who had a heart to serve others.
These were characteristics that should be found in the lives of men considered to be Deacons. Furthermore, in 1 Timothy 3: 8-13, the Apostle Paul gives qualifications for men who would be selected to serve as Deacons. All of the men of the church do not possess the characteristics or the qualifications required for the job. Truly qualified Deacons are a select few.
Somewhere along the line in many churches, the concept of the office of Deacon has taken on an unscriptural twist. In some churches the men who serve in the office of Deacon have become a "Deacon Board". Many Christians (by tradition and not by scriptural mandate) tend to regard the Deacons as a "Board of Directors" of the church. Nothing could be farther from the scriptural concept of the office. Every Pastor who has been around for a while has some sort of horror stories regarding their experiences with Deacons who are out of bounds in their concept of the responsibilites of the office. Sometimes it gets really out of whack. One Pastor friend of mine told me he would be unable to go to a particular conference on a certain day because he had to attend his monthly "Demon Meeting". On the other hand, at times we Pastors get out of control too. That door swings both ways.
I have been blessed to serve in this church with a wonderful group of men who have servant hearts. God has blessed us with an excellent relationship as we seek to focus on keeping the main thing - the main thing. Further, we also have a great group of men who, although they may not meet every point of the qualifications to officially serve in the office, do have a servant's heart as well. Although not ordained into the office of Deacon, many of them serve admirably in other ways. It takes all of us to get the job done.
One wise teacher once told me, "If you don't want your Deacons to act like a 'Board of Directors', then don't you act like a CEO". I have tried to follow that advice. Along with the Pastor, the Deacons should model the highest example of servanthood among the congregation of believers.
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