What Should Deacons Do?
A question that comes up from time to time in the circles I run in (that is sort of laughable as I don’t really run in any circles) is this: What do the deacons do in your church?
This is a question I wondered for many years as a youth. It all seemed rather mysterious to me. I would hear that there was going to be a deacon’s meeting. I would see men selected and elected deacon. I would hear stories about how certain deacons were the power brokers in certain churches, maybe even in those I belonged to.
I was ordained a deacon in my former church in 2008. I went to a meeting once a quarter. What did we do? We went to a meeting once a quarter. That was it. In essence, we did nothing, other than perhaps ordain a new deacon here and there.
I’ve been my new church now for three months. We have deacons. Guess what they do?
I don’t know. I don’t care.
My focus has shifted a bit in regard to deacons. I’m not really all that concerned with what deacons do.
I’m more concerned with what deacons are.
Instead of focusing on if deacons are doing their job, I’m more focused on what deacons are being.
To put it another way, what they are becoming.
Paul lists out what I think are some bare minimum standards to Timothy. They are to be men of dignity. They are not to be double-tongued. They are not to be addicted to much wine. They are not to be fond of sordid gain. They are to hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. They are to be tested. They are to be above reproach. They are to be the husbands of one wife. They are to be good managers of their children and their households.
Beyond that they are to serve.
That’s a whole lot of being. Not a lot of doing. In fact, the thing that I see them doing is serving.
The being is specific. The doing, the serving? Not so much.
So, what should a deacon do? Work on himself most of all. And serve.
That’s it in a nutshell.
What do the deacons do in your church? What do you think they should do?
I am not a Baptist so I am guessing by deacons that you would be talking about what I would call elders? In my tradition, elders are to be the spiritual leaders of the church and deacons are to be more concerned with the physical needs. Man, has that got all messed up! Most elders meetings are more concerned with incidental things instead of being spent in prayer or concern about people who don’t come or visitation. Many are just glorified deacons. I like what you say though: it is to be more about being than doing.
Bill, in most of the churches I’ve been a part of, the pastor is the elder and the deacons are this weird hybrid between biblical elder and deacon that ends up being unbiblical.
I would love it if a pastor came in and led our church to have a group of elders to help him attend to the business of the word and prayer. Then the deacons could focus on the physical needs.
In my former church there was a benevolence committee. People didn’t like it when I said that should be the deacons, not some other group. They really couldn’t see that was the one of the ways the deacons should have been serving.
We don’t have deacons at our church. We do have a leadership team that might be considered deacons or elders.
In the church I worked at in college the Deacons went outside and smoked before or after the service. That’s the only thing that I ever saw them do.
In the church that I went to in college the deacons would smoke before and after the service. That’s the only thing that I ever saw them do.
Deacons are referred to as Deacons. Thats about it. It is good to be a part of a church that doesn’t get wrapped up in titles. I like that I have a pastor that lets me call him Rob. This is in no way out of disrespect, and there are plenty of occasions I call him Pastor Rob. Just nice to know that NLC isn’t bought into the “titles” and “postions” thing.
I’m surprised Rob doesn’t want to be called Captain Pastor or Indiana Shepherd or something.
I have not been on the Internet much today but when my wife got home she told me that I had to read your blog today. She was right. Thanks for the thoughts. This is something I have been thinking about for sometime.
At our church the deacons consider themselves the ruling body of the church, I agree with your take on that they should be servants, but they would not agree with you or myself. Unfortunately for us right now it is this attitude of ruling and not serving that is tearing apart the church that we have attended for the past 17 years.
Self, I am sorry that is happening. When it comes down to it, everyone should be a deacon. And all of us should have the attitude of doing the best thing for each other.
I never understood what deacons did either. In the church I grew up in, my dad was a deacon. He did pretty much everything, but there were other deacons who just kinda hung out. It seems like most deacons just take the position as a status thing. That’s a blanket statement, I know, but it’s just been my experience.
If we’e being technical, we really should ALL be deacons of the church, shouldn’t we?
BINGO!!!