On August 29, 2009, I (a woman) will be ordained as a Deacon in our church (Bradenton Seventh Day Baptist Church). Some denominations believe that a woman cannot serve as a Deacon because of the contrary implications from a few Bible passages – mainly those found in 1 Timothy chapters 2 and 3. I was relieved when our pastor taught us about deacons during his message last Sabbath, July 18. In his message – “A Dedicated Servant,” which follows in its entirety, he explained that in the KJV of the Bible the translators simply transliterated the Greek words ‘diakoneo’ (to serve) and diakonos (servant) into deacon as a way to justify their church polity that included offices of authority not found in the early apostolic church. And not only did they create this office, they excluded women from it as well.
I now feel confident that God has not excluded me from having a role as a deacon (servant minister) within my church. We still use the name deacon, only reluctantly since it has become an institutionalized word. But I know now that I am accepting a call to become a servant minister to serve (diakoneo) God in his kingdom.
A Dedicated Servant
By Pastor Michael Spearl
Acts 6:1 – 7 ( 1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists,[a] because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.)
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.)
Let me summarize what was happening in Jerusalem as described in Acts 6:1 -7.
The Jerusalem church had a problem serving the needs of its widows in a fair and equitable manner. The apostles determined that the care of these widows was not a part of their function or responsibility. And so they instructed the church members to choose seven men of good character within the congregation to perform this task of caring for the widows. Once they were chosen they were set apart for this service. They were not appointed by the apostles or the elders. They were chosen by the church members. They were not ordained to an office.
These men were directed to administer and distribute the collected goods and services for the care of deserving widows within the congregation. They were not personal assistants of the pastor. They were not enforcers of the faith within the congregation.
Acts 6:1 – 7 is a passage commonly used as a starting point to justify the organizational office of a deacon. Perhaps you’ve been taught that these men were the first men to hold an office of authority denoted as Deacon within the congregation of the early church. But, no such authority is found in these verses. In the strictest sense, these men were chosen by the members of the congregation to serve the needs of widows in the congregation.
Two of the three Greek words that are associated with the English word deacon are used here. In verse 1, the Greek word diakonia is translated as “serving of food” in the NASB. In the KJV diakonia is translated as ministration. In the NKJV it is distribution. This word, diakonia means ‘serviceable labor’ or simply ‘service’. The second Greek word, diakoneo, noted in Acts 6:2 means “serve.” These Greek words were used to identify someone who serves. Their use in the New Testament refers to men and women who serve their brothers and sisters within the congregations of the church.
Many biblical commentaries use diakoneo, diakonia, and diakonos to describe a teacher, a minister or a church official, but there really is no biblical authority for this application.
Let’s now consider Philippians 1:1. (1Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:) In this text, the Greek word diakonos (servant or ministering person) is not translated as servant or minister in most translations. Instead diakonos is simply transliterated into a new English word. The word ‘deacon’ was created. This gives the impression that both bishops and deacons are in positions of authority within the church. However, there is nothing in this text that would indicate that the diakonos were anything other than fellow ministering saints or fellow servants in the church.
Note that there are only 2 passages in the Bible where the term deacon is used. Here in Philippians and also in 1 Timothy 3 where it is used 4 times from verse 8 – 13.
What about 1 Timothy 3: 8 – 13.
In verses 10 and 13, the King James translators replaced the word diakoneo (to serve) with the phrase “use(d) the office of a deacon”. This was an obvious attempt to show that the Greek word diakoneo connotes an office of authority separate from that of a bishop. But, the phrase “use(d) the office of a deacon”, is not in the original Greek text. And the context of verses 10 through 13 does not support the presumption that the Greek word 'diakoneo' refers to anything other than the action of service by an individual.
In verses 8 and 12, the Greek word diakonos (servant) is also not translated by most translators giving the impression that a deacon (i.e., one who serves) is a position of authority separate from that of a bishop. If you correctly translate diakonos as ‘servant’ and diakoneo as ‘serve’ and read the passage, then it is easy to see the passage’s intent is that those who desire to serve their brothers and sisters in God’s family must have correct attitudes, behaviors, and priorities and be well versed and practiced in God’s truths.
Another interesting passage. In Romans 16: 1 – 2, Phebe, a woman, is noted as being a servant (diakonos) within a congregation. She was a helper of Paul’s, and one to whom he entrusted major responsibilities. Listen to what he said of Phebe:
“I commend to you Phebe our sister, who is a servant (diakonos) of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.”
Paul introduced Phebe as a prominent member of the church at Cenchrea who should be received with the courtesy and respect due to a child of God. Paul had apparently sent her to Rome to accomplish some task for him and he instructed the church there to assist her in the things she had to do. This account shows that there were some women in the church who were trusted with responsibilities that would affect the church and its ministry; however, this account does not sanction an office of a Deaconess, nor does it imply that such service is a part of an office of authority within the church.
And something else we need to consider while we’re talking about women servants. There are some Christians who limit the role of women within the church. They use verses eleven and twelve of 1 Timothy 3 as part of their rational to exclude women from leadership roles. On the basis of these verses they claim that a woman cannot be a deacon. Understand now that there is no biblical office of authority called deacon in the original Scriptures. Obviously, women cannot be excluded from something that doesn’t exist. But even without this obvious conclusion, there is another piece of evidence to consider.
Do you know that the Greek word for woman is the same word used for wife? The Greek word guné means either woman or wife. One would know from the context of a conversation whether a woman or a wife was being spoken of. This type of contextual understanding is very common in English. For instance, if I say, “That’s my baby,” I could mean that’s my child or that’s my girlfriend or that’s my wife. Which is it? We know which it is from the context of a conversation. And so it is in Greek. We know the meaning of guné from the context to be either a woman or a wife. What do you suppose was the contextual meaning of guné in 1 Timothy 3:11? Know also that the word their in their wifes is an add-on word not found in the Greek translations.
It is easy to see that some translators have used considerable freedom to not only invent a new position within the church, the office of deacon, but to also exclude women from it as well. Let me retranslate verse eleven from the Greek context: Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.
Now what are we to do? ‘Deacon’ is a real word that has evolved in the English language. We should attempt to stick to the intent of Scripture in light of knowing that a deacon is a servant. A deacon is one who serves and ministers within the church. To be asked to serve as a “deacon or deaconess” is an honor. Deacons do real ministry in their service, just as was done by those first seven servants who were much more than a kitchen committee in a grumbling church.
The first seven servants became active in many ways helping the church to function and grow. Two of the original seven, Philip and Stephen, became known for their powerful witness for Christ. Acts 8 records that Philip led an Ethiopian eunuch to Christ and baptized him. And the bold witness of Stephen led to his becoming the first Christian martyr. So a deacon (servant minister) has always been more than just an honorary title... deacons actively serve the church in many ways.
One of the most important things they do is to preserve the harmony of the church. Just like the first servants, who restored peace to the church in Jerusalem our deacons (servant ministers) are out among us....acting as peace-makers....squelching harmful gossip and murmuring. And this is a vital job! Harmony is an essential requirement if church growth is to occur.
A church cannot flourish without a sweet, sweet spirit. Deacons help us to get along as a church family. They support each other and our staff publically and privately. They know how important church unity is. They guard and cherish our church unity.
Deacons are pastoral assistants, not personal assistants. They work with the pastor in many ways.
Deacons help with the Lord's Supper and baptism.
A deacon grabs an umbrella when it’s raining to walk people to their cars.
A deacon writes a card or visits the home of a first time guest and tells them we’re glad they came to Bradenton SDB Church.
A deacon sees someone sitting alone and walks over to have a conversation.
A deacon prays for the pastor and the church.
A deacon hears about a need, organizes action, and meets the need—the pastor often doesn’t know.
A deacon visits in the hospital, listening, praying, and caring.
A deacon notices someone who needs an encouraging word—and offers it.
A deacon doesn’t think about having power in the church.
A deacon shares perspective and opinion, but unites behind the decision of the group.
A deacon sees church leadership as an act of service, not control.
Deacons visit, they counsel, and they administer benevolence funds to those who have financial need. They free up the pastor “to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ (the church) may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11). This means that a pastor's primary job is to provide spiritual food for his people so that they will be equipped to do ministry.
Now, this is not to say that other things are not important but everything can't be first. Something has to have priority in one’s life. And the pastor's priority....his first job it so feed his people....to train, organize and motivate them to do the work of the ministry.
2 Corinthians 5 says that all Christians have been designated as "ministers of reconciliation." All of us are specially called by God, ordained to lead the lost to faith in Christ. A pastor’s primary responsibility is to equip believers for this God-given assignment and deacons free pastors to minister and pray and study and to equip the saints.
So the word deacon is more than honorary. These men and women do real ministry!
Amen, hallelujah!
Thanks for posting this very interesting study. I have just volunteered to be a deacon because we have some 'holes', ironically due to a dispute within the church about who was doing what, or not, for, or to, a staff member out on sick leave. That is, the 'holes' I'm speaking of are resignations from the diaconate, leaving too much work and responsibility for the remainder. Now, I already have a spot on the nuture committee (essentially Christian Ed., Adult Ed.,and hospitality/food for Events and Pot Lucks, Breakfasts, etc.) which I will continue to serve in, and I wasn't anxious to take on additional 'tasks', particularly in view of the strife and hard feelings floating about. Primarily I wanted to support our beleagured Pastor and remaining stalwarts. Reading your elucidation(s) has really helped my thinking and reassured me as to my reasons for stepping up, or in (deep doo doo), as the case may be! In Christ's service, Jean
P.S.
My tentative suggestion to the Pastor and Nominating Committee that I would be willing
to serve, if they thought it would be a good thing, was taken up with such JOY and
AFFIRMATION that that alone would have made my day! Now to brush up my skills, as
it has been many years since I have served. In the 90's maybe. Jean
P.S.
My tentative suggestion to the Pastor and Nominating Committee that I would be willing
to serve, if they thought it would be a good thing, was taken up with such JOY and
AFFIRMATION that that alone would have made my day! Now to brush up my skills, as
it has been many years since I have served. In the 90's maybe. Jean
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