Sermon Title: God’s Desire for Deacons
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 4
The
Reason for Deacons
In addition to the Pastorate, the Diaconate is one of
only two formal offices given to the Church by our Lord.
The pattern of church leadership that the New Testament
follows finds its seeds in the earliest period. In Acts 6:1-6 we read of the
frustration of some members of the early Church for not having their needs
attended to. Because the church had grown so large, the twelve apostles were
not able to handle all the physical needs of the body and proclaim the Word.
They knew that if they neglected the ministry of the Word the church would
suffer: "It is not right for us to give up preaching the word of God to
serve tables" (v 2).
Keep in mind, the ministry of the Word and prayer are not
the only duties of a Pastor. Pastors should humbly serve in other areas. Why?
Pastors are Christians first and each imperative given to Christians is also
required of Pastors. However, it is when other duties prohibit the Pastor from
his primary God-given tasks that “serving tables” becomes a hindrance to the
Church.
The same word is used in Acts 6:2 and 1 Timothy 3:8. The verb "serve" in v.2 is “diakonevw” (diakoneo). The cognate noun is “diavkono" (diakonos),
from which we get "deacon" (1 Tim 3:8).
Does the mention of Deacons in Acts 6 inform our
modern-day ecclesiology? When studying books that chronicle the early
historical establishment of the Church (Acts) we must be careful to distinguish
those things that seem to have abiding significance from those that do not (For
example, Luke’s documentation of the apostolic office does not inform our
modern-day ecclesiology). One way to get a clue is to look from the historical
documentation of Luke to the specific instructions included in the Epistles.
The point is that it is a bad hermeneutic to suggest we should have Deacons on
the sole basis of the historical documentation of Acts 6 or that we should
attempt to cast demons out of man into swine (Matthew 8:31).
Acts 6 becomes gives the reason for Deacons, but other
passages such as Philippians 1 and 1 Timothy 3 establish the mandate. In
Philippians 1:1, Paul addresses the saints at Philippi "together with the
bishops (an interchangeable term for Pastor) and Deacons." Thus, a twofold
division of leadership is clearly seen.
The third significant passage is 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The
third chapter of 1Timothy addresses two categories of leaders in the church,
Bishops (Pastors) and Deacons.
How many
Deacons should a Church have? When the ministry needs grow such that the
Pastors are pulled away from their primary ministry of studying the Word,
teaching the Word, and prayer, Deacons are added.
The ministry demand, as discerned by the Pastors,
dictates the number of Deacons needed.
The most instructive text regarding the question is Titus
1:5. Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every town. The qualifications
list in Titus 1:6-9 parallels 1Timothy 3:1-7. However, in Titus there is no
corresponding list for Deacons like there is in 1 Timothy. Why? The church in
Crete was relatively young (Titus), while Ephesus (1 Timothy) had a long
history and had been, in fact, Paul's base of operations for nearly three
years. It seems likely that for new churches only Pastors were needed. As the
local Church grew, Deacons would be added to the leadership so that the Pastors
could devote themselves more to prayer, study, and teaching. This follows the
pattern of Acts 6.
It is evident that the early Church did not always have
Deacons. Acts 6:1-6 and Titus 1:5 show this, as do apparently Acts 14:23.
It is also evident that Deacons were added when the need
was felt. That need was in relation to the demand on the Pastors. When the
Pastors were detoured from the ministry of prayer and the Word, the Diaconate
was created.
The
Requirements of Deacons
Did you know the moral and character requirements for
Deacons and Pastors is identical?
For more information of the Biblical requirements of
Deacons, please visit www.opbiblechurch.org and click on the sermons tab à Sunday
School tab à 1 Timothy
The following two messages will prove to be helpful in
understanding the Biblical requirements for Deacons. We have included a message
pertaining to Pastoral requirements because the requirements for Elders and
Deacons are nearly identical, with the exception of Pastors being “apt to
teach”.
- Part 7 God’s Requirement for Elders (7/29/12) by Pastor Scott Moore
- Part 8 God’s Requirement for Deacons (8/5/12) by Tom Chase
Elders oversee souls. Deacons oversee ministries.
“Paul indicates that the office of deacon is not the
office of elder-in-training; it’s not the office of janitor; it’s not the
office of “one day I’ll grow up and be an elder” (Ligon Duncan).
The Deacons protects the primary place of the Word and
prayer by overseeing individual ministries within the local Church. The Pastors
lead ministry by delegating oversight to Deacons who facilitate congregational
involvement.
- Pastors lead ministry
- Deacons implement the vision of the Pastors by facilitating membership involvement.
Pastors are required to govern their family well because
they are governing the organization/organism of the Church. The same
requirement is stated for Deacons, which shows the same need for “managing” the
organization/organism of the Church.
Deacon
Nomination and Installation
The Scripture is not definite on how Deacons are to be
installed.
OPBC believes congregational nomination with unanimous
Pastoral appointment is the wisest and healthiest method.
Our Deacon installation is signified by the laying on of
hands (Acts 6:6). Why?
First, we are not
suggesting this is a mandate (laying on of hands). However, by extension,
instances in the NT of laying on of hands commonly signifies the transmission
of power, authority, or Divine blessing (though on occasion it may have other
connotations as well).
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