Deacons - Part 1
If you grew up in the denomination I did - or had a church with a deacon board that ran things - this might not be something you want to read. Where I grew up Decaons were voted into "office" by the rest of the church members. So the people that were probably least qualified in terms of biblical understanding and contribution to the church in service and finances selected the deacons.
These deacons, however elected, were appointed as a board or committee and basically made all the important decisions for the church - including hiring and firing the pastor, deciding what to spend the money on, and what the church would do. Depending on the church the authority over the pastor may be limited and they might simply advise him or act as "yes men" bowing to his authority as the sole dictator of the church (note elders is always plural). Regardless, neither of these is what a deacon is.
Here is what a deacon is: Greek: Diakoneo
to be a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon
1. to minister to one, render ministering offices to
2. to wait at a table and offer food and drink to the guests,
3. to minister i.e. supply food and necessities of life
4. to relieve one's necessities (e.g. by collecting alms), to provide take care of, distribute, the things necessary to sustain life
5. to take care of the poor and the sick, who administer the office of a deacon
The word is only found here and in Philippians 1:1 and Romans 16:1. In Philippians Paul is greeting the Deacons. In Romans 16:1 the greek word is used in the context of greeting a woman named Phoebe who is a "Diakoneo" in the church at Cenchrea. Old translations render this as "servant" - new ones sometimes use the word "deacon"
The bottom line is the what not the who. The what is a deacon is a servant in the church held to a high standard of moral integrity and spiritual maturity nearly on par with the elder. People smarter than I go back to Acts 6 when there was a problem with the widows food distribution and the apostles called the church together and told them - we arent going to leave the word of God and prayer to wait (serve) on tables - find seven men to do it. We wont argue the gender issues for now but while these men were never called "deacons" they were appointed to oversee the task of making sure the widows all got fed. (They were never told to feed them - but make sure it happened)
From 1 Timothy and Acts 6 and Romans 16:1 its clear that a deacon is a servant. My assumption based on what I see in scripture is there is an "appointment" to this "position" or "office" and the implication is this is someone who ministers to the needs of others and leads others to do the same.
In our modern context if you lead in a ministry of the church serving others - you would be performing the responsibility of a deacon whether you have that title or accountability or not.. This is under the authority of elders(pastors, shepherds, overseers, bishops)
The qualifications to do this nearly parallel that of an elder. Character is the main issue:
NIV: 8Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
NLT: 8 In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. 9 They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. 10 Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.
I wont examine every word in here since we know we are dealing with integrity. But notice verse 10. Before they are appointed to this "position" as a "servant leader" (Deacon) they have to be tested/examined/watched. Will they be 1) fullfy devoted to Christ, 2) fully living a life worthy of Christs death and resurrection, 3) can they do the job they are supposed to do.
Do they suit up and show up and serve people? The only to know that is to get people involved in ministry, give them tasks and assignments, observe their commitment level and ability to perform, and then as they demonstrate they receive more responsibility. Pauls letter to Timothy seems to parallel Acts 6 and the appointment of 7:
Acts 6:3 men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom.
Notice in Acts 6 - it took 7 men to oversee a food distribution program. No telling how many other people were involved on the team or how many they served - but clearly this is a team of people working together to accomplish one of many roles in a church.
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