Saturday morning we had a staff and deacon brunch at the Doherty’s. It was a time for all of us to get together and just talk and chill outside a busy sunday morning. I love serving along side such reliable, servant-hearted leaders.
If YOU have no idea what a deacon is or what they do check this out from a book by Mark Driscoll.
It did not take long for the senior leaders in the early church to become overextended, too distracted and ineffective. In Acts 6:1-7 we learn that the apostles became overburdened with the mercy ministry of caring for the needy. They were torn between the need and their other pastoral duties, particularly prayer and Bible study. Therefore, it was decided that the apostles would appoint pastoral assistants to care for the needy, thereby enabling the apostles to focus on prayer and Scripture.
From this passage of Scripture, we can extract the biblical principle that when senior spiritual leadership is overburdened to the degree that they do not have time for prayer, Bible study and the care of needy people, they are often free to appoint pastoral assistants to help alleviate some of their burden.
This simple pattern of senior leaders doing a work until it becomes too large and burdensome for them to continue is the pattern of the NT-elders are continually appointed first in local churches, and once they are overburdened then they appoint pastoral assistants to aid them. These pastoral assistants are called “deacons”. They are mentioned on two occasions in the NT. Both occasions are in relation to elders because the two groups of leaders work so closely together. Practically, elders specialize in leading but their words and deacons specialize in leading by their works.
Deacons are the servants of the church who are also qualified for the ministry of overseeing and caring for God’s people by qualifications that are nearly identical to the elders (minus the teaching and preaching abilities). Deacons are appointed only after they have proven themselves to the elders as faithful and mature church members (1 Timothy 3:8-13).
While the duties of an elder are clearly articulated throughout the NT, the same cannot be said for the duties of deacons. The Greek word for “deacon” simply means “servant” and beyond that title we are given little indication of what a deacon should do. Unlike the duties of an elder, the duties of a deacon vary according to the needs of the local church and their elders.
At the Summit Church you can find our deacons all over the place doing whatever the campus pastor/leaders of the church ask them to do.
THANK YOU DEACONS FOR MAKING THE SUMMIT CHURCH WHAT IT IS! YOU ARE APPRECIATED!
RD