Deacons: Their Role in the Church

 1 Timothy 3:8–15 (LSB)

8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not fond of dishonest gain,

9but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

10And these men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.

11Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

12Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, leading their children and their own households well.

13For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

14I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you soon,

15but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

The church of Jesus Christ is more than a simple loosely-arranged organization of men and women who know and love God. Rather, the church is instructed to be an organized, structured assembly of unified faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This needs to be said because of the lackadaisical approach that many professing Christians have towards the church. The picture in Scripture concerning the proper arrangement of the church includes directions for leadership, preaching/teaching, spiritual giftedness, as well as handling money. There are clear instructions for settling disputes, correcting the wayward, and organizing the family. The more functional efforts of the church, such as evangelism, are clarified by the example of Jesus Himself.  

One area of organization which the Bible gives to us is concerning the role of “deacons.” The Bible teaches us that the category of men and women who are publicly recognized as the servants of the church in more tangible ways are placed into a role using the title “deacon,” a title often overlooked and made to feel insignificant. However, the Bible appears to elevate this work in surprising ways; ways not often understood.  

In this essay, we will examine the role of the Deacon in order to reacquaint the church with it, and to give back to it the dignity and beauty of the work.

The Servant

 In order to build the case for the elevated position of the deacon, we need look no further than Jesus’s own words in Matthew 20:24-28. There, Matthew records Jesus as saying:

Matthew 20:24–28 (LSB)

24And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers.

25But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

26“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

27and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;

28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

There, the disciples are zealous for positions of leadership in the Messianic Kingdom to come. In fact, they appear to bring their own mother into the request, creating dissonance within the ranks of the disciples. Their request was that they would become co-rulers with Jesus in His kingdom. Knowing human nature, this request could not be from any other motive than self-elevation and a pseudo-demure sense of entitlement of the obvious qualification for the positions.

Jesus’s response was the right one, of course.

Matthew 20:22 (LSB)

22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

Their request was from a position of ignorance of their own motives, as well as the work. Jesus is about to live a level of suffering and persecution which they have never known. In fact, they will also likely suffer the same fate. Yet, in their ignorance, they asked for elevation.

The instruction by the Lord uses the same Greek word which is used in other passages as “deacons.” Jesus said, “…whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.” There, Jesus in essence elevates the position of servant, “deacon,” to a place of greatness. In fact, it is this work of service which is even the characterization of the future apostles! This identifies the role not as of a lower position of value and service than the apostles, or elders. Rather, it identifies the role of deacon as consistent with the very role of the leadership of the church. The pattern for this service is not the man, however, but Jesus Christ Himself. His own service, that of giving His life for the sake of many, is what is expected from those who lead.

This quality of service, then, is not something of lower importance in the church as compared to the elders, or pastors, of the church. Rather, the work of the deacon is, here, elevated by the Lord as a place of great importance, and reward. In fact, it was so important to the ongoing ministry of the church, that a specific category of recognition was created by the apostles in order to give justification for this place of service.

The First Deacons

The church of Jesus Christ began fifty days after the resurrection of the Lord from the dead. It began when the promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled, being sent from the Father by the request of the Son, and He entered the hearts of the disciples in the upper room where they were staying. That event caused the growth of the church in a way that could only be described as an explosion. Luke tells us that the first wave of converts was around 3,000 souls. Although having that many disciples is exhilarating and fantastic, it also came with its own trials.  

In the weeks that followed, the daily distribution of food to the saints was demonstrating some level of partiality and that partiality began to create division. The widows who were of Greek and Hebrew descent, were being overlooked during the daily meals in favor of the purely Hebrew widows. This favoritism was causing a bit of a ruckus and, as a result, the apostles were entreated.

However, instead of the apostles coming to oversee the equal distribution of the meals, they, instead, chose seven men to do that. Although the term is not used there, these men would be come to known as the first Deacons. Their role to the church, as demonstrated by this event, would be to assist the church in her needs such that the apostles, and later elders, could concentrate upon the work of prayer and ministry of the Word.

The Formation of the Office of Deacon

Acts 6:1-7 is the record of the creation of the work of Deacon. The men who were chosen to be such were high-quality men, men full of the Spirit and wisdom. These would become men who would be “put in charge of” the need of feeding the widows without partiality. This statement, “put in charge of,” means to “appoint,” or “to set in order,” or even “to constitute.” It is the official creation of the appointment of the men who would be able to provide leadership to the physical care of the saints, as demonstrated in the food distribution. This work would require fairness, diligence, wisdom, and the Holy Spirit. 

The constitution of this office is an ongoing position from this point forward. It is such that the office is further referred to in the development of the church. It is assumed that the work of the Deacon was a necessary responsibility as the church was often called to care for the physical needs of the saints. To ensure that this happens with equity and with the proper intentions that God would have, men, and later women, were appointed to this position in the churches.

It is obvious that this work is made a regular position in the church as key Scriptures indicate as much. In addition to the Acts chapter, there are a handful of other passages of Scripture which tell us of a leadership role of deacon. Theirs is not pastoral leadership, and, as such, cannot be confused with pastor/elders. The role of deacon is the role of “taking charge” over the physical needs of the saints. As such, they are made in charge by the elders and accompany them in the care of the saints.

Overseers and Deacons

Philippians 1:1–2 (LSB)

1Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The imprisoned Apostle Paul desired to minister to his beloved fellow saints in the Macedonian city of Philippi. Their care and spiritual steadfastness, especially in light of his Roman imprisonment, concerned him. In order to encourage them, he writes them a letter.

However, it is the prologue of the letter that has our attention. Paul addresses this inspired letter to:

“…all the saints…with the overseers and deacons…”  

There are three categories in view here. The first category is “all the saints.” These are the people who have believed the gospel, and are following Jesus Christ. Those in leadership are not included in this category because it usually refers to the general church body, over which leaders have authority.

The next category is what Paul called “overseers.” The Greek word is just that: “to look upon, or over.” These refer to the men responsible for the care of the souls of saints, as mentioned earlier. In other passages, they are called “elders,” or “pastors.” The third category Paul called “deacons.” This is distinct from “saints,” and “overseers.” This is the term which we discussed earlier which is most often used in regards to waiting on a table at a restaurant, or someone who is a servant in a household. This is the “servant” to which the Lord referred when He said that they would be “great” and “first” in the kingdom for their service. Paul addresses them as a group of men who are in some league with the overseers, but distinct from the body of saints. These, then, are men who assist the needs of the church, likely appointed to such by the overseers, so that the soul-ministry of prayer and the Word can continue without neglect.

Deacons and Deaconesses

 1 Timothy 3:8–13 (LSB)

8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not fond of dishonest gain,

9but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

10And these men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.

11Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

12Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, leading their children and their own households well.

13For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul gives qualification to the work of the league of servants we call deacons. Paul also includes female deacons, “deaconesses,” as well. The qualifications are essentially the same as those of elders in the previous section. However, the distinction not included in the list is that of being “able to teach.” An elder is required to be apt to study and teach the Word of God accurately. The deacon does not have that requirement. If a deacon is skilled in teaching, having met the other requirements, then his giftedness might best be used in eldership.

Conclusion

In the usual business model of the modern church, the role of deacons appears to have a lower hierarchy than that of the elders, who, in that same model, appear as the board of CEOs. However, that model is not a biblical one, and will not lead to the biblical arrangement of the leadership of the church.

Those who serve as deacons lay up for themselves a treasure in heaven of immense value and eternal reward. Far from a lower-rung slave cast, the deacon is highly elevated, being much like the Serving-Savior Himself.