Week Four - The Office of the Deacon

There are only two offices in the church, as defined in Scripture, the office of the pastor and the office of the deacon.

The word deacon means servant.

Two Greek Words for Servant

Diakonos: servant, minister, messenger, waitingman Doulos: slave, bondslave

The office of the deacon is an office of service, not authority.

Deacons are servants who do whatever is necessary to allow the pastors to accomplish their God-given calling of shepherding and teaching the church.

Deacons care for the material, administrative and logistical needs of the church family that do not require pastoral attention.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.Acts 6:3-4

Deacons lift a burden from the pastor by providing care for the church.

Deacons help maintain a spirit of unity.

Deacons must not only have a spirit of service, but meet the biblical qualifications of the office.

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.1 Timothy 3:8-13

1. Honorable: honorable, respectable, esteemed, or worthy,

2. Not double-tongued: They are two-faced and insincere. Their words cannot be trusted, so they lack credibility.

3. Not given to much wine: Such a person lacks self-control and is undisciplined.

4. Not greedy for dishonest gain : If a person is a lover of money, he is not qualified to be a deacon, especially since deacons often handle financial matters for the church.

5. Sound in faith and Gospel stewardship:

6. Proven and Blameless: “Blameless” is a general term referring to a person’s overall character. At a minimum, the candidate’s personal background, reputation, and theological positions should be examined.

7. Godly wife: Honorable, serious and faithful

8. Husband of one wife: The best interpretation of this difficult phrase is to understand it as referring to the faithfulness of a husband toward his wife. He must be a “one-woman man.”

9. Manage children and household well: A deacon must be the spiritual leader of his wife and children.

There are no biblical qualifications for a leadership team, church board, church council or church trustees. There are qualifications for deacons.

“Deacons are not a board of directors or the church’s spiritual leaders. Rather, deacons are to care for the ‘needy, poor, and suffering’ members of our churches and relieve the church’s elders of ‘many practical needs…so that the shepherds can attend more fully to teaching, guarding, and leading the whole flock.’”