Who Are Deacons?

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. 

One of the most important task and biggest challenges a church planter faces is the appointment of the first leaders in a new congregation.  Churches, like families, businesses, and governments cannot function well without good leaders.  In the beginning, you as the church planter may have been the only true leader the embryonic church had.  Then maybe a person of peace helped with you with some leadership activities.  But other than that, you may have been the only one who planned, ministered, guided and evaluated the church.  As we know from the story of Moses and Jethro in Exodus 18, no one is served well when one leader does all the work.  So for your health and the health of the church, elders must be appointed.  Two kinds of church leaders described in the New Testament are elders and deacons.

But what is the role of a deacon? How do they serve a church? Are deacons truly leaders?

Deacons are church leaders who work to meet practical needs.  In fact, the Greek word translated in the New Testament as “deacon” means servant. Deacons serve the church in practical ways.  Is food needed? Deacons take care of obtaining, preparing and distributing food.  Is shelter needed, deacons take care of providing shelter for the congregation. Are there church members who need clothes. Deacons work to find solutions and meet this practical need.  Do people need medical attention. Deacons can help make sure that medical needs are met.

Deacons often have spiritual gifts such as helps, service, administration, and mercy. When deacons think of love, they think of action not just words.  Deacons can often work with their hands. Some are cooks, some sew, some are carpenters or welders. 

But are deacons really leaders?  They should be.  While it’s true that elders are responsible for the overall leadership of a church, wise elders will make sure that deacons have clear responsibilities and well delegated authority to make sound decisions to meet the practical needs of the church.

The example from the Jerusalem church describe in Acts 6 is instructive.  After the problem of food distribution was identified, the apostles said to the congregation, in front of the new deacons, “We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

One of the hardest tasks you will have as a new church planter is to turn responsibility over to others.  But you have to do it.  So ask God for deacons full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. Then give them authority to take care of the practical needs of the newly planted church.  As you do so, you will lighten your own load, you will strengthen the church, and you will bring joy to men and women God has gifted with power to serve well.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

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