DEACONS

The ministry of Village Church is growing and becoming more complex – and what an awesome thing that is!

In that growth, the Elders recognize a developing need for organized service and propose to set apart the office of Deacon to support our vision – to make and grow disciples in our church, in our city, and around the world.

What is a Deacon?

As the church developed in the first century, God provided leaders for its growth and edification (Ephesians 4:11-16) to serve and lead under the headship of Christ. First, he gave foundational apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20 and 4:11), then evangelists (who took the gospel to new places), pastors (i.e., elders or overseers) and teachers (or pastor-teachers). Later, as the church continued to grow, deacons were chosen (Acts 6, 1 Timothy 3). This is the extent of leadership “offices” or roles named in the New Testament for the function of the church.1

Deacons are men and women who meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:8-12 and serve the congregation by prioritizing the unity of the church, safeguarding the Word ministry of the Elders, and addressing the tangible needs of the church body (Acts 6:1-6).

To ensure our effectiveness and faithfulness to the Great Commission while maintaining a minimal-staff structure, we have felt led to establish the office of Deacons. Deacons, as we are proposing, do not teach or exercise authority, and that is a large shift for some whose traditions operated with a Senior Pastor and committees of deacons who function much like our elders do. Those deacons may teach and exercise authority over theological matters, however at Village Church, we believe that the responsibility of Word ministry, care, counseling, and theological guidance is reserved to the biblical office of elder as instructed in the New Testament.

Plainly stated, a deacon is a person committed to the local church who has been recognized by the church as a “lead servant.” Deacons are to serve the body under the direction of the elders in order to mobilize her resources to carry out her mission.

Role and Responsibilities of Deacons at Village Church

In the New Testament, local churches consistently have a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23, 20:17; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14). However, the number of references to the office of deacon in the New Testament are few (Phil. 1:1). If the responsibilities of an elder is to teach, guard, guide, protect, and love the church, the responsibilities of a deacon must be in service of these and yet distinct from them.

At Village Church, this is what all deacons will agree to do for the church:

  • I will seek God’s guidance for Village Church in order to steward resources entrusted to the church in a way that gives God glory (1 Peter 4:11).
  • I will care for the church and serve with grace, humility, and love (Acts 6:8; Luke 22:26; 1 Corinthians 13:3).
  • I will mobilize members of the church for the work of ministry. (Ephesians 4:16)
  • I will protect the unity of our church, and I will guard the church against division (Acts 6:1-6).
  • I will act in a way that is blameless, managing my children and household well (1 Timothy 3:8-12). I understand the way I live will affect the church I serve, and I will live in a way that honors how Jesus portrays the beauty of His gospel and His Church.

Specific Roles

  • Active participation in the life and leadership of the church, including discipleship efforts.
  • Must maintain adherence to the church covenant as examples to the other members.
  • Discipline must be exercised by all deacons regarding what issues are taken up by deacons and what issues require the elders’ guidance.

Who is qualified to be a Deacon?

The Elders are proposing the following scriptural support with regard to qualifications:

1 Timothy 3:8-12 CSB

8 Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11 Wives (or Women), too (or likewise), must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. 12 Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently.

*(Italics in parentheses) added are CSB footnotes

Women

We desire to be found biblically faithful as an elder body and avoid being restrictive where the clear restrictions of scripture are unclear.  Therefore, we have affirmed the interpretation and availability of the office of deacon to women as Paul writes in verse 11 translated as: “Women, likewise.” We affirm that this presents as a continuation of Paul’s teaching of general qualifications in verses 8-10 progressing onto specific instructions for female deacons in verse 11 and specific instructions for male deacons in verse 12. This would be in line with the description of Phoebe in Romans 16:1 as a diakonos of the church as well as orthodox Christianity over the past 2000 years.

Divorce

Furthermore, our interpretation of the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 does permit divorced members to be eligible on a case-by-case basis upon evaluation by the elders.

As mentioned above, the phrase, “husband of one wife” (literally, “a one-woman man”) is an idiom to be applied the same to both women (as in, “wife of one husband”) and men. But what does this mean?

People have attributed all kinds of interpretations like: a deacon must be married (no singles), a deacon can only be married to one person at a time (no polygamists), and a deacon must not have been previously divorced. However, the best understanding of this idiom is that a deacon must have a proven reputation of being faithful to his or her spouse. There are godly people who have had divorces before they were regenerated, who have now shown themselves to be faithful in marriage. There are also examples of people whose spouses abandoned them due to no fault of their own. The truth is, every divorce is tragic, and everyone is different. What matters to God regarding spiritual servant-leadership is that deacons are growing disciples who have a track record of marital faithfulness. Therefore, if a previously divorced person is being considered for the role of deacon, questions about the divorce will be asked, but the commitment and health of the current marriage (if applicable) is of paramount importance.1

DEACON SELECTION PROCESS

At Village Church, there are three phases in the deacon selection process: nomination, examination, and confirmation. The information below will describe the practical steps that are taken in each phase.

STEP 1:

The church’s members nominate candidates from the current active members list.

STEP 2:

The elders take the list of nominations and approach each person with more than 2 votes.

STEP 3:

Each nominee who accepts their nomination in STEP 2 will be given the below Deacon Questionnaire Packet. It will be completed and given to the elders for review.

STEP 4:

Upon approval by the elders, each nominee will be presented in the next family meeting for approval by the members.

DEACON QUESTIONNAIRE PACKET

BIBLICAL QUALIFICATIONS

  1. Dignified (v. 8): This term normally refers to something that is honorable, respectable, esteemed, or worthy, and is closely related to “respectable,” which is given as a qualification for elders (1 Tim. 3:2).
  2. Not double-tongued (v. 8): Those who are double-tongued say one thing to certain people but then say something else to others, or say one thing but mean another. They are two-faced and insincere. Their words cannot be trusted, so they lack credibility.
  3. Not addicted to much wine (v. 8): A man is disqualified for the office of deacon if he is addicted to wine or other strong drink. Such a person lacks self-control and is undisciplined.
  4. Not greedy for dishonest gain (v. 8): 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 life (v. 9): Paul also indicates that a deacon must “hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” The phrase “the mystery of the faith” is simply one way Paul speaks of the gospel (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16). Consequently, this statement refers to the need for deacons to hold firm to the true gospel without wavering. Yet this qualification does not merely involve one’s beliefs, for he must also hold these beliefs “with a clear conscience.” That is, the behavior of a deacon must be consistent with his beliefs.
  6. Blameless (v. 10): Paul writes that deacons must “be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless” (v. 10). “Blameless” is a general term referring to a person’s overall character. Although Paul does not specify what type of testing is to take place, at a minimum, the candidate’s personal background, reputation, and theological positions should be examined. Moreover, the congregation should not only examine a potential deacon’s moral, spiritual, and doctrinal maturity, but should also consider the person’s track record of service in the church.
  7. Godly wife (v. 11): It is debated whether verse 11 refers to a deacon’s wife or to a deaconess. For the sake of this discussion, we have affirmed the interpretation and availability of the office of deacon to women as Paul writes in verse 11 translated as: “Women, likewise.” We affirm that this presents as a continuation of Paul’s teaching of general qualifications in verses 8-10 progressing onto specific instructions for female deacons in verse 11 and specific instructions for male deacons in verse 12. This would be in line with the description of Phoebe in Romans 16:1 as a diakonos of the church as well as in church history over the past 2000 years.
  8. Husband of one wife (v. 12): 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.” That is, there must be no other woman in his life to whom he relates in an intimate way either emotionally or physically.
  9. Manage children and household well (v. 12): A deacon must be a spiritually mature spouse of his/her wife/husband and parent to his/her children.

The biblical qualifications for deacons are indeed high. Consistency, not perfection, is the thrust of the biblical qualifications. Through the indwelling Spirit’s ministry, these character qualities can and must be present in each deacon’s life.

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