An Office of Service
Christ has given His churches two offices, and only two: the pastor and the deacon. Paul greeted the saints at Philippi with the bishops and deacons (Philippians 1:1). Pastors shepherd the flock. Deacons serve it, and they free the pastors to give themselves to prayer and the Word.
The word deacon means servant. It comes from the Greek diakonos: a servant, a messenger, a man who waits on tables. The servants at the wedding in Cana are called by this word (John 2:5). A second word, doulos, means a slave who belongs to a master. Doulos looks at whose you are. Diakonos looks at the work you do for someone else.
That plain meaning is easy to lose. In some churches a deacon has come to mean a board member who runs things. In others he is a lower rank of clergy. In many he is simply the man who takes up the offering. Scripture gives a better picture: a Spirit-filled, proven man whom the congregation has chosen to serve, so that needs are met, pastors are free, and the church stays together.
A qualified man chosen by a local church to serve its practical needs, so that its pastors can give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. The office is one of service, not authority.
The Autonomy of the Local Church introduces the two offices, and Congregational Government shows the congregation's part in choosing its servants. This study looks closely at the deacon himself.
Would you gladly do the work of a deacon with no title at all? That is the heart the office requires.
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For Deeper Study
- The Baptist DeaconAmazon Robert E. NaylorA Southern Baptist classic (1955) on the deacon's character and work.
- Paul's Vision for the Deacons: Assisting the Elders with the Care of God's ChurchAmazon Alexander StrauchA careful study of Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 3. Written for elder-led churches, so we differ on requiring a plurality of elders.
- Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the ChurchAmazon Matt SmethurstA short, warm book on what deacons are and how they serve a church. Reformed in its theology of salvation, where we differ.
- 40 Questions About Elders and DeaconsAmazon Benjamin L. MerkleClear answers to the common questions, with the views laid out. Merkle argues for a plurality of elders in every church, which we do not require.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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The Autonomy of the Local Church
Each local church is self-governing under Christ, its Head, led by its pastor and served by its deacons, and accountable to Christ and His Word rather than to any outside hierarchy.
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