Deacons in the Bible

The term "deacon" or "deacons" appears in only two places in the Bible (1 Timothy 3, Philippians 1:1), but the same greek word appears 31 times in the New Testament and is usually translated as "minister" (i.e. Matthew 20:26) or "servant" (i.e. Mark 9:35.)

Read Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and answer the following questions:

Is it obvious that "deacon" is an office in the church?
In both cases it appears in the scripture, which comes first elders/bishops or deacons?
What do you think that might mean?
Compare the qualifications for deacon with the qualifications for an elder in 1 Timothy 3, what differences do you notice?

Acts 6:1-7 is usually considered to be the first calling of deacons, read it and answer the following questions:
What was the problem in verse 1?
Had the church experienced problems like that before?
What bigger problem could have been experienced by the problem (look at verse 2)? (The pastors could have been distracted from their main job.)
Who chose the seven men (verse 3)?
What qualifications did the men have to have (verse 3)?
Is there anything interesting to note about the seven names found in verse 5? (They are all greek names.)
Were these seven men officially ordained for their work (verse 6)?
What was the result of this first calling of deacons (Verse 7)?

From these passages you can learn the following truths about deacons:

Deacons are an important office in the church.
Deacons must be strong Christian men with strong Christian families.
Deacons are subservient to pastors.
Deacons are deputized by the pastors and congregation to solve church problems.

Considering all of that, here is a definition of deacons I've come up with:

Deacons are servants that are officially deputized by the pastor and the church to solve church problems, preserve church unity, serve the needy, and enable the pastors to focus on the spiritual matters of the church.

Deacons in History

In AD 258, the Roman Empire was trying to eradicate Christians. One of the deacons of the church of Rome, a man named Laurence, who served as a treasurer for the church, was brought before the Roman court and they demanded that he surrender "the treasure of the church." Laurence said "ok, but it will me three days" - he came back later with a group of the poorest people in the church, the sick, the orphans, the widows and said to the court "these are the treasures of the church." He was sentenced to be burned at the stake, and took his death calmly even saying "You can turn me over, I'm done on this side."

A book from the AD 300s called Apostolic Constitutions describes deacons this way:

“They are to be doers of good works, exercising a general supervision day and night, neither scorning the poor nor respecting the person of the rich; they must ascertain who are in distress and not exclude them from a share in church funds, compelling also the well-to-do to put money aside for good works.”

Like most things in the church, the concept of deacons got confused during the middle ages by the catholic church, and deacons became a kind of stepping stone to the priesthood, so biblical deacons dropped out of history for awhile, returning after the protestant reformation.

In the 1940s, Deacons in German churches were helping to care for the politically oppressed, so Hitler and the Germans banned deacons.

(These stories are taken from the book "Deacons" by Matt Smetthurst)

The Purpose of Deacons

1. Meeting Tangible Needs

Consider Acts 6:1 again. The first deacons were selected because a problem revealed a sensitive fault line in the church, and the deacons job was to resolve that tension so that the elders could continue in their important work of preaching undistracted.

In America I would say that Biblical deacons are like a congregations offensive linemen. Their job is to protect the quarterback from an onrush of distractions that would keep him from doing his job. They rarely get the credit they deserve, but they are absolutely essential.

But maybe you could think of them as the presidents men. They handle all the distractions so the president and cabinet can do their job. It's thankless work. No one notices. But it's essential.

Deacons then should be people who meet needs discreetly (they aren’t looking for credit), at their own expense (they sacrifice) and who do so with initiative (they don’t have to be told what to do.

2. Protecting and Promoting Church Unity

Another thing we can learn from the Acts account of the first deacons is that they were selected to help protect the unity of the church.

Deacons then must not be contentious. They must be flexible, humble and gentle. They have to serve as the human shock absorbers for the church.

You don’t want people serving as deacons who are unhappy with your church. The deacons should never be the ones who complain the loudest or jar the church with their actions or attitudes. Quite the opposite!…You don’t want to nominate deacons who don’t recognize the importance of the ministry of preaching and teaching, but people who are anxious to protect it. More broadly, you want the most supportive people in the church to serve as the deacons. SO when you are considering who might serve as a deacon, look for people with gifts of encouragement. (Dever)

3. Serving and Supporting the Ministry of the Elders

Deacons are best understood as “formal assistants to the pastors.”

The word deacon can express agency at the behest of a superior.

The idea is that of a subordinate carrying out an assignment on a superior’s behalf and having full authority to execute the superior’s delegated task.

The structure of 1 Timothy 3 suggests that deacons are both paired with and subordinate to elders.

If the elders say “let’s drive to Pittsburgh” it’s not up to the deacons to say “no, let’s drive to Philadelphia instead.” They can legitimately come back and say “Our engine won’t get us to Pittsburgh. Perhaps we should reconsider.” That’s very helpful. But in general their job is to support the destination set by the elders. (Dever)

Pastors/Elders lead ministry.
Deacons facilitate ministry.
The congregation does ministry.

Problems with Deacons

Problem 1: Deacons who shouldn't be deacons.

Deacons are like spouses. A good deacon, like a good wife, can be an amazing blessing. A bad deacon, like a bad wife, can be like a "continual dropping on a very rainy day". (Proverbs 27:15)

Read 1 Timothy 5:22 - why do you think Paul warned Timothy against laying hands on men "suddenly?"

Typically, the following types of people are put up as candidates for deacons: - People with handyman skills. - People with business skills and leadership. - People on the road to being a pastor. - People with the loudest voices in the congregation.

But none of these things makes a person a good deacon. More than anything you are looking for men with spiritual maturity.

Deacons can be a tremendous source of blessing, but they can also be a heartache.

I like to make things out of wood, and one of the worst things you can do as a woodworker is to get wood and start building with it immediately. The reason is wood changes as it dries out and acclimates to it's environment. You can have a straight board when you bring it home and in two weeks it's curved like a banana.

Before you lay hands on someone as a deacon, make sure they are well seasoned spiritual man.

Problem 2: Deacons who see themselves as the bosses.

Deacons are always seen after elders/bishops in the Bible. They have a subservient role. But in many Baptists churches, deacons think they run the church and will resist the leadership of the pastor.

If you are taking over an established church, there isn't much you can do about that besides slowly bring on new deacons.

If you are starting a church, you can be deliberate and careful when you bring on deacons. Teach them their job descritption. Teach them their job from the Bible and be really careful before you bring on new deacons.

The Practice of Deacons

Here are five tips for managing deacons: 1. When you bring on deacons, consider having a "term" of a few years, and then insisting the deacon take a year off before considering. 2. When new deacons are elected, take the opportunity to teach on the role of deacons. 3. Consider giving deacons a specific role. I.e. Deacon of transportation, Deacon of benevolence, deacon in charge on building maintenance, deacon of finance, etc. 4. Have deacons meetings on an as needed basis.
5. When you have a deacons meeting, start and close with prayer and have a clear agenda.