What is the Role of the Deacon?

by KeeperAtHome | More from this Blogger

05 Mar 2007 01:56 PM

Deacons serve different purposes in different churches. Some churches have deacons which act as an authority over the Pastor. The deacons are the final decision makers and nothing significant may be done in the church without their approval. In other churches, the Deaconship is more of a title. The men who hold the office are relatively uninvolved in the happenings of the church, other than attending an occasional meeting. They may function only as the rule of advisor to the Pastor.

The passage from which we gain insight into the role and responsibilities of a Deacon is I Timothy 3:8-13.

"Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Acts 6 gives us further insight into the purpose of deacons. The Apostles were spending so much time taking care of the people in the church, especially the poor widows, that they needed to find people who would fulfill this responsibility. Thus, the first deacons were established in order to meet the needs of people in the church so that the preachers would be able to give themselves more fully to their evangelistic ministry. The word "deacon" means "to serve" or, "to wait upon".

The biblical qualifications for a deacon are very high. They cannot drink alcohol, must not be interested in material wealth, not gossipers or divorced. Furthermore, they must not be new to the faith. Their relationship with Christ must have had time to develop, and they must be knowledgeable of the Word of God. They must be faithful men, who have their house in order. Furthermore, a man cannot be a deacon if his wife is a known gossip or unfaithful to God's house.

In short, the deacons ought to be servants in the church. They may be the ones who greet you at the door, take up the offering, or even clean up after church fellowships. The deacons have a responsibility to see to the needs of the members of the church. Some churches take up monthly "Deacon's Fund Offerings" in order to have money to use for this purpose. Furthermore, the deacons form a Godly council for the Pastor to provide both accountability and advice.

A Pastor's Responsibility to His Flock

A Flock's Responsibility to Their Shepherd

What About the Pastor's Wife?

Learn more about KeeperAtHome

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger