YOU HAVE ONE JOB
1 Timothy 3
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 1
Over time as people are part of organizations, sometimes the reasons why certain roles and offices exist become confusing.
Maybe some of you are like me and remember the varied titles of those working or serving on the church staff over the years. Titles like...
• Pastor
• Senior Pastor
• Lead Pastor
• Youth Minister
• Youth Director
• Youth Pastor
• Music Minister
• Worship Leader
• Worship Pastor
• Children’s Pastor
• Children’s Minister
• PreschoolMinister
• Director of Ministry • Single Adult Pastor
• Senior Adult Minister • Minister of Education • Executive Pastor
• Associate Pastor
And the list grows limited only by a local church’s creativity in naming.
Most of those titles I mentioned are not in Scripture. I’m not saying they’re heretical, but they just are not in the Bible. You’re not going to find a Worship Pastor or a Youth Minister in the Bible by those titles.
In an effort to provide clarity, titles can sometimes create confusion.
To help clarify briefly today, allow me to read Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired letter to a young pastor named Timothy. I read earlier the qualifications for deacons, but as you noticed, that passage began with the words “Deacons likewise” and it therefore requires us to read the prior portions to understand the “likewise.”
1 Timothy 3
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well
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thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. 2
Matt Perman wrote on a posting for Desiring God’s blog that “Elders/overseers/pastors lead the church, teach and preach the Word, protect the church from false teachers, exhort and admonish the saints in sound doctrine, and judge doctrinal issues.”
The term elder is not used often among many Baptists, though some churches do have elder titles. The office of overseer, elder, and pastor is the same. These are not differing offices. Many churches have what is termed a plurality of elders where what may be called the senior pastor is a leader among equals as he is the primary preacher/teacher in the local body.
Yet...there are only two offices of the church according to scripture and one is pastor/elder/overseer. In our case, the ordained associate pastors fit in this category.
There is another office created by God and defined in Scripture as well. The only other office in the New Testament church is deacon.
Deacons are NOT elders. Deacons are NOT overseers. Deacons are NOT pastors.
It is a different position and comes with similar, but different responsibilities.
Perhaps this role is even more confused by many church members than that of pastor/elder.
Even here we have had many who historically have thought that the ushers greeting you at the door and in the day of handing out bulletins and collecting the offerings were deacons.
That is a logical confusion, but even if a deacon happens to serve as an usher does not make every usher a deacon.
We have a great number of godly men who serve this church as deacons, but even they have heard the questions often asked by attenders and members (especially when that time of year comes to prayerfully nominate and call out men to be ordained as deacons.) That question is “What do these guys do?”
And apart from handing out the Lord’s Supper elements, many just do not know.
If we are confused as to what a deacon biblically is to be, we will either create unbiblical expectations to place upon them, or perhaps declare they are no longer needed.
I believe the first instance of deacons being set apart in the church is found in the book of Acts. In Acts 6 there was a division growing among the saints. Shocking, huh?
Acts 6:1-7
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy
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Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. 3
Seven men were called out and set apart to ensure all the widows in the Jerusalem church received enough food. Why were they needed? Because the apostles were being asked to manage these disputes and not unlike Moses who initially tried to judge all disputes among the people of Israel, these apostles were being distracted with this important issue and thereby not able to focus on the more important issue.
Yep – believe it or not, but prayer and ministry of the Word of God is actually more vital to the church than the caring for the widows and the practical needs of the membership.
“Deacon” means servant or waiting man (waiter)
That’s the role. Deacons serve the Lord by serving the elders/pastors and congregation of the local church by tending to the practical and logistical needs of the church.
While every Christian is to be a servant, those called out to be deacons meet certain character requirements and are set apart by the local church in order to handle specific physical needs or ministry roles.
Therefore, deacons are not leaders of the church. To say that deacons are not leaders is true, but in the sense that they only lead by examples of humble service to the Lord and the church body.
That’s a far cry from what some churches have experienced when they end up with a deacon board that by permission or omission becomes the group that manages the finances, the hiring and firing, the securing of property, or any other aspects of church business and church leadership they are not biblically called to do.
I thank God that our men are not on the Board of Deacons and that we do not have a Board of Deacons, but serve as a body of servants humbling themselves to the work God has set them apart to do.
Why? Because by serving the congregation in such ways, the pastors are able to be obedient to what God has called them to do. For his glory alone and not the glory of the pastors.
I’m not speaking of the very dangerous elevation of platforming celebrity pastors who gather entourages and live as if they are more than they are. Humble pastors need humble deacons to serve alongside for the glory of God.
While there is some natural overlap, deacons attend to physical needs and pastors/elders attend to spiritual ones.
REQUIREMENTS
It’s interesting that the biblical requirements of the deacon center more about what the deacon must be rather than what he must do.
Why? Because character matters. God cares more about the character of the man than the abilities of the man. These character requirements protect the reputation of God’s church.
Ever seen a news report about some scoundrel who was driving drunk, picking up prostitutes, embezzling money, cheating on taxes, having an affair, or some such atrocity and that joker is always described in the news as “a deacon from such-and-such church.” Oh, there are bad pastors out there too, but you get my point. The reputation of the local
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church can be ruined by the atrocious actions of those the church has set apart as pastors or deacons.
Thus, when Paul wrote the listing of what type of man may serve, he lands on the character that exemplifies the humble Christ-follower, the faithful servant, the spiritual leader in their respective homes, and the man who does not have to change a bunch of things in his life to qualify, but the one whose love for God and humble heart is so visible in who he is that God has used his church to call him out, set him apart, and assign him the tasks of doing that which flows from a heart of humility so that God alone is glorified.
Deacons may not be all about what they do, but I’ll say that the deacon who does nothing is unworthy of serving.
I’m thankful for our deacons.
DEACONS ARE GLUE
One of the reasons the original deacons were so needed is because the early church was fracturing. The widows were not getting food distributed to them fairly. Anger was welling up. Rumors were starting. Perceived favoritism made church members feel unimportant when compared to others. It was a mess.
But these men were called. They began serving. And verse seven gives us the result.
Acts 6:7
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. 4
Today we ordain Austin Libal to this role. God bless him and FBCOP.
Footnotes
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Ti 3:8–13). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Ti 3:1–7). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
3 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 6:1–7). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
4 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 6:7). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
