What’s a Deacon to Do? Serving in the Body of Christ

Five Bible Basics about Serving

1. was a servant . . . and if I follow him, I should be a servant too.

²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant [diakonos], ²⁷ and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served [diakoneo] but to serve [diakoneo], and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28, ESV)

2. follower of Jesus should serve in the body of Christ so that the church will be built up.

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry [diakonia], for building up the body of Christ, (Ephesians 4:11-12, ESV)

Ministry = Service
Every member should be a minister!

3. I should serve where I am and where I am needed.

¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve [diakoneo] one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves [diakoneo}, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV) 

4. I should serve with the God provides. 

5. I should serve for the of others and for the of God. 

The Servant (Deacon) Word Group

• Diakonos (noun): servant, 29 times in 27 verses
• Diakonia (noun): service, 34 times in 32 verses
• Diakoneo (verb): to serve, 37 times in 32 verses

What are the passages that tell us about deacons?

Philippians 1:1 (ESV)
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons [diakonos]:

1 Timothy 3:1-13 (ESV)

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer [episkope], he desires a noble task. ² Therefore an overseer [episkopos] 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 thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

⁸ Deacons [diakonos] 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 [diakoneo] if they prove themselves blameless. ¹¹ Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. ¹² Let deacons [diakonos] each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. ¹³ For those who serve well as deacons [diakoneo] gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 

1. Deacons must have –. (v. 8)
2. Deacons must God’s truth with strong and sincere conviction. (v. 9)
3. Deacons must be and demonstrate a proven pattern of godly living before serving. (v. 10)
4. Deacons must have wives, marriages, and families. (vv. 11-12)
5. Deacons who serve well will be with respect from others and stronger faith. (v. 13)

Acts 6:1-7 (ESV)

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 [diakonia]. 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 [diakoneo] 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 [diakonia] 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 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.

6. Deacons should be men with a good reputation and who are full of faith, full of the Spirit, and full of . (vv. 3, 5)

7. Deacons should serve . (v. 1)

Steps in the presentation and approval process:

• December 20, 2022 – Overseers approved the proposal.
• January 11, 2023 – The proposal was presented to current Deacons and former Overseer Chairmen.
• January 29 – “Town meeting” for questions and comments from congregation was held.
• February 22 – Vote by church at Semi-Annual Church Conference