The Blessing of Deacons
In 1940, in the early part of the Second World War, the Netherlands fell to Germany. Many people in the Netherlands suddenly found themselves facing political oppression under the Nazi regime. To meet that crisis head on, deacons in the Dutch Reformed Church bravely rose up to care for those who were suffering the most. They provided food for the hungry and offered secret refuge so that those in danger could be kept safe. When the Nazis realised what was happening, they issued a decree in the Netherlands demanding that the office of deacon should be eliminated from the church. The Dutch believers then responded in a Synod the following year, issuing this statement to the Nazis: “Whoever interferes and touches the diaconate touches the task of the church. Whoever lays hands on the deacon lays hands on worship.” The Nazi’s backed down in the dispute, and the deacons were allowed to continue with their vital ministry.[1]
What exactly is this office of ‘deacon’ which so riled the Nazis? What does the role involve, and why do churches need them? Most people would agree that the office of deacon (literally ‘servant’) became established in the New Testament church in Acts 6:1-7.[2] The church in Jerusalem was experiencing rapid growth, growing to over 5,000 members in a short space of time (Acts 4:4). However, along with that remarkable growth came some uncomfortable growing pains. An angry complaint arose in the church. Each day, the church would distribute food amongst those in the church family who were particularly needy, especially widows who had no means of providing for themselves. However, some of the Hellenist (that is, Greek-speaking) widows were being overlooked, whilst the Hebrew widows were being cared for adequately. Complaints arose, accusations were levelled, and the unity of the church was under threat.
How would the apostles deal with this crisis? Their answer was to appoint a group of deacons. We notice from this story that deacons perform two main functions in the life of the church, like two sides of the same coin.
Two functions that deacons perform
i) Deacons protect Word ministry
The apostles knew that they had been called to a particular aspect of ministry in the life of the church: they were called to proclaim the Word of God. Therefore, if they were to take upon themselves this other area of ministry, vital though it may be, it would take them away from the ministry to which they had been called. If they were to try and organise the daily distribution themselves, the preaching of the word would inevitably suffer as a consequence. They say to the church, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” (v2). The answer to this problem, therefore, is not to for the apostles to try and sort it out themselves, but rather to appoint a group of ‘deacons’ who will be trusted to oversee it. Notice what the apostles say in verses 3 and 4, which not only demarcates the different areas of responsibility, but also includes some of the qualifications for holding the office of deacon:
“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. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Deacons protect Word ministry. Deacons lift certain burdens from those who are called to preaching and teaching God’s Word, so that they are enabled to give themselves fully to that task. A church where there is a healthy group of deacons fulfilling that role is a church where the ministry of the Word is protected, kept free from any unnecessary distractions and interruptions, and can therefore be given the devotion that it requires.
I’m incredibly thankful for the deacons we have in our congregation at Crumlin EPC. Though they are far too humble to think of themselves in these terms, by serving as deacons they are protecting the preaching of God’s Word, week by week, in the life of our church. All those essential tasks that they take care of, many of them unseen, help to protect the ministry of God’s Word. Take away the deacons, and very quickly it would show in the pulpit.
However, that is only one side of the coin. As well as protecting Word ministry, deacons also promote mercy ministry.
ii) Deacons promote mercy ministry
The particular issue that had arisen in the life of the Jerusalem church was that there were many widows in great financial need, who were dependant on the church to provide daily food for them. The deacons were to help meet those needs by giving themselves to what we would today call ‘mercy ministry’. That is, showing practical help in order to meet tangible needs in the church family.
By doing this, deacons reflect the heart of our God, who shows mercy to those in need (Deuteronomy 10:18). Furthermore, they follow the example of Christ, who is the ultimate ‘deacon’ of the church, who humbled himself and took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8), coming into the world not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). Deacons, therefore, have an extremely special place in the life of the local church. By promoting mercy ministry, they help the church to reflect God’s heart, and to follow Christ’s example.
It should be noted that it is not the case that deacons by themselves fulfil all the needs of the church. Rather, they are what someone has called ‘a team of leading servants’. They head things up, they help organise things, they do whatever they can to help the ministry of the church run smoothly. They manage resources, financial or otherwise, on behalf of the church family. They keep their eye out for tangible needs in the church. Is there something that needs fixing, or replacing? Is there someone in the church family who needs help with something? Deacons are ‘leading servants’, but it is the church family as a whole that ministers and shows mercy to one another. As someone has put it, elders lead the ministry, deacons facilitate the ministry, but the congregation does the ministry.
Three benefits that deacons bring
From Acts 6:1-7, we see that the church in Jerusalem enjoyed three benefits as a result of appointing a team of deacons.
i) The needs of the church are met
As a result of appointing deacons, the church in Jerusalem was able to make sure that all the tangible needs in the life of their church were being met. For a while, the Hellenist widows were being neglected, but with a group of deacons put in place, that situation was dealt with. Everyone in the church who was in need was sufficiently cared for.
The same is true for any church. When there is a good number of deacons fulfilling this role in the life of the church, it helps to ensure that the needs of the church family as a whole are being met. Things are not being overlooked, people are not being neglected. All those in need can be cared for adequately.
ii) The unity of the church is maintained
The church in Jerusalem was facing a crisis. As a result of the needs of some being neglected, it caused a further problem, which was that their unity was threatened. The church was at risk of splitting into two factions: the Hellenists on one side, and the Hebrews on the other.
The appointment of deacons dealt with that problem as well. By meeting all of the pastoral needs in the church family, the deacons helped to maintain the unity of the church, showing that everyone ought to be cared for equally in the life of the church, whoever they were and wherever they were from.
iii) The gospel continues to advance
As we have seen, one of the functions of the deacon is to protect word ministry, allowing those called to that work to devote themselves fully to it. In verse 7, we see the effect of that: “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.” Thanks to the deacons, the apostles were able to give themselves fully to proclaiming the gospel, and the Lord blessed their efforts greatly. The church continued to grow more and more. Still today, churches with a rightly functioning diaconate will find that their gospel proclamation gains an added impetus, as those called to preach God’s word are enabled to throw all their energy into the task.
I hope you see what a great blessing deacons are to the life of any church, and why God has given the office of deacon to his people. Deacons protect Word ministry, and they promote mercy ministry, so that the needs of the church are met, the unity of the church is maintained, and the gospel continues to advance.
Andy is the Minister of Crumlin EPCI (https://www.crumlinepc.co.uk/)
[1] This story is recounted by Matt Smethurst in the opening chapter of his book Deacons: How they Serve and Strengthen the Church, published by IX Marks.
[2] Whilst the title ‘deacon’ does not appear in this passage, the related verb diakoneō (to serve) appears throughout these verses in various places.
