The Deacon: What, Who & How? – Pt. 3 b.

) NT Institution
(Serving and Supporting Office) WHAT is a Deacon?
Answer: It is the Serving ad Supporting Office in the Church
Sources: They assist the Elders with the physical care of the Church
1. Ptr. Noel Espinosa; Dogmatics 8
2. Cornelis Van Dam; Foundations of Today’s Ministry of Mercy [Alexander Strauch] “The help of qualified men relieves the elders of certain
3. Alexander Strauch; The Deacons; Assisting The Elders With The demanding tasks and helps them to keep their focus on their primary ministry
Care of God’s Church of leading and feeding God’s flock. Deacons best assist the elders by helping
4. Benjamin Merkle; 40 Questions on Elders and Deacons them to keep their focus on the supreme importance of feeding, guiding, and
protecting God’s flock by “the word of truth.”
Outline:
I. Origin (What) REVIEW: II. Qualification (Who - Qualification)
a. OT Shadows
b. NT Institution A. His Character
II. Qualification (Who) ➢ Note: These qualifications are all imperative and not either or
a. His Character ➢ Text: 1Tim. 3:8-13
b. His Model 1. Respectable – “Dignified”
III. Ordination (How) 2. Verbally Sincere or Integrity – “not double-tongued-worded”
a. How is he ordained 3. Self-control – “not given to much wine”
b. How is he to function 4. Financial Integrity – “not greedy for money (dishonest gain)”
5. Conscientious Orthodoxy – “holding to the mystery of faith with a pure
REVIEW: [1689 BCF Sec. 26.8] “Ang iglesiang lokal na tinipon at lubos na conscience”
itinatag ayon sa kaisipan ni Cristo ay binubuo ng mga namumuno at mga 6. Domestic piety – “husbands of one wife, ruling their houses well”
kaanib. Ang mga namumuno na itinalaga ni Cristo na dapat piliin at ibukod 7. Godly wife – “According to Paul, deacons’ wives must “be dignified, not
ng iglesia ay ang mga pastor at mga diyakono. Ang kanilang tanging slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things” (v. 11). Like her
pananagutan ay ang pagsasaayos ng pagpapatupad ng mga ordinansiya ng husband, the wife must be dignified or respectable. Secondly, she must
Panginoon, at paggamit ng mga kapangyarihang ipinagkatiwala sa kanila sa not be a slanderer or a person who goes around spreading gossip. A
pagganap ng kanilang mga tungkulin. Ang ganyang kaayusan ng iglesia ay deacon’s wife must also be sober-minded or temperate. Finally, she must
nagpapatuloy hanggang sa katapusan ng mundo. be “faithful in all things” (cf. 1 Tim. 5:10).” – [Benjamin Merkle]

Pansinin:
➢ “mga pastor at mga diyakono”… Nagtitibay na may two ‘resident’ office
lamang sa NT Church.
➢ “paggamit ng mga kapangyarihang ipinagkatiwala sa kanila”… Opisina
ang Diaconate kaya may awtoridad (1Cor. 16:15-16… “be subject to
them”)
➢ “ang ganyang kaayusan ng iglesia ay nagpapatuloy hanggang sa
katapusan ng mundo”… bagay na hindi nababago ng kultura, panahon o
karunungan ng tao kaya’t dapat panatilihin ng iglesya!
REVIEW: I. Origin (What - Definition)
a.) OT Shadows
Remember: “In general, if a moral qualification is listed for elders but not for
deacons, that qualification still applies to deacons and vice versa. For
example, a deacon should not be double-tongued (v. 8). Paul does not
explicitly say this about elders, but no doubt it applies to elders since Paul
said elders must be “above reproach,” which would include this prohibition.”
– [Benjamin Merkle]
B. His Model – “The Lord Jesus Christ as Deacon”
➢ Key Text: Mk. 10:42-45 “for even the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve (deacon), to give his life a ransom for many”
➢ Opposite: to earthly leadership… “lord it over them”
➢ Oriented: to sacrificial service (deaconing)… the very sacrifice of
Christ… “a ransom for many”
III. Ordination (How)
A. How is he to function
1. Promoting Church Unity
➢ In Ac. 6… the apostle’s response to a brewing conflict and disunity
among widows in the Church is the setting apart of seven Godly
men as deacons to address this possible disunity.
➢ Although seldom emphasized, this is the utmost goal of the office of
the deacon. His function in minding the physical needs of the
Church aims to maintain unity and relational harmony.
➢ [Matt Smethurst; TGC; The Deacons] “Deacons promote unity in
the Church. A quarrelsome Christian will make a poor deacon. The
spirit of gentleness, the capacity to be flexible and the ability to
stand on conviction without being combative should mark a deacon”
➢ Point: A qualified deacon will increasingly resemble the kind of
unity-building love the Bible clearly commands.
2. Spotting Physical Needs
➢ In Ac. 6… clearly the deacon should be skilled in addressing
practical needs and then taking the initiative to meet them.
(reactionary)
➢ But the best deacons don’t just react to present problems when it
becomes glaring—they also spot immediate needs and even
anticipate future ones. (anticipatory – eg. future marriages,
childbirth, church maintenance, elder’s retirement)
➢ Also they should be able to spot self-inflicted poverty and able to
rightly prioritize the Church’s limited resources. (see 1Tim. 5:9-10;
2Thes 3:10)
➢ Remember: The care for physical needs extends to other
missionaries and mission work as the church’s fund permits it.
3. Preserving the Member’s joy
➢ In Ac. 6… another thing that was threatened in the dispute between
widows is not only the unity of the Church but the ability of the
Greek speaking widows to joyfully serve God. Want for food
weakens the physical body that directly affects their joyful service in
Christ.
➢ Note: lack of material needs – due to legitimate reasons, like job
loss, death of spouse, pandemic, sickness, persecution etc. – can
hinder the believer’s ability to faithfully serve God (body & soul
composition). This robs them of their joy in the Lord.
➢ Point: The deacon becomes Christ’s hand in meeting the physical
needs of his people, in turn, abating any hindrance to their joy in
serving God.
[Cornelis Van Dam] “Deacons should give all the help church members
need so that they can live normal lives and never feel like second-rate
church members living off the goodness of others. What they receive is from
their Lord through the agency of the congregation and deacons. He owns all
the church’s resources, and He distributes according to needs. And when
Christ gives through the deacons, He gives generously so that those who
belong to Him can live the freedom and joy of the gospel.”
4. Supporting the Elder’s ministry
➢ In 1Tim. 3:1-13, Phil. 1:1 & Ac. 6… the coupling and pairing of
elders with the deacons are not accidental. This shows how the
office of the deacon is a supporting office to the elder.
➢ The deacon functions in harmony to the elder’s priority (growth of
word & prayer). By enabling elders to stay focused on their teaching
and prayer roles, deacons also advance the ministry of the word.
➢ [Matt Smethurst; TGC; The Deacons] “They are like a
congregation’s offensive linemen, whose job is to protect the
quarterback. Without them, elders will suffer incessant distraction
and get sacked by an onrush of practical demands.”
➢ Reminder: Deacons must not impose a potential “check” on the
elder’s every decision. In a healthy church, godly deacons execute
the vision and oversight of godly elders, not the other way around.
[Ptr. Noel Espinosa] “to make the office of the Deacon a sort of check in
balance of authority over the Pastor is unbiblical. This will result in
destructive tensions in the Church and ugly politicizing. Inevitable
partisanship and seeking of allies will be the result. The Diaconate will seek
its allies in the Church and the Pastors will seek its allies as well… and Paul
in Corinthians called this carnal.”
[Edward Hiscox; Principles & Practices for Baptist Churches] -
"Deacons should be watchful guardians of the purity and good order of the
churches, striving to maintain a healthful tone of piety and Christian activity in
the body. But they do not constitute a coordinate branch of authority for the
administration of its government, and in the exercise of their functions must
act only in conjunction with the pastor, not independent of him; Hence, while
it is desirable for the pastor to have meetings with his deacons often or
statedly for consultation and advice, it is not proper for them to hold meetings the existing eldership (Ac. 13:3; 1Tim. 4:14). A special
as a 'board of deacons,' independent of and without the advice of the pastor.” portion of the regular Lord’s Day service maybe allotted in
which the candidate shall take his vows of office.
B. How is he ordained (7) The laying on of hands will signify the whole church’s
approval of the deacon’s installment to the office.
➢ Guidance on Appointment:
o The appointment of deacons is the prerogative of the Lord Important Reminder: Decisions which are made by this process are to be
Jesus Christ alone (Matt. 10:1-4; Acts 13:2; 20:28; Eph. submitted to by each member of the church.
4:11). • Any member who casts a negative vote contrary to the 80%
o But Christ has ordained the local church to exercise the majority is bound to recognize the decision as authoritative
responsibility of recognizing those whom He is appointing to (Christ himself appointed the man to the office).
be officers of his church (Acts 6:3; 1Tim. 3:1-13). • Once a candidate has been elected, any member who did not
o The Lord’s appointment of a man to church office is vote for him must support him in his total ministry as deacon of
recognized by… the church.
- his possessing the graces and gifts required by
Scripture
- his own conviction
- the church’s recognition
o The proper recognition should be done in prayer and in frank
evaluation of those who are being considered as office
bearers.
o These activities are the responsibility of each individual
member of the Local Church.

➢ Procedure of Appointment
(1) The elders must recognize those who are gifted in serving as
deacons and bring them before the Church for recognition.
(2) The elders can also ask the congregation for potential office
bearers but is still to be determined by the elders if the
suggested man is to be brought to the recognition process.
(3) A month or two shall be given for objections to be raised and
questions to be asked. Here, the congregation is given time
to evaluate the candidate and to address any issues that
may biblically bar the man for the office (1Tim. 5:22)
(4) This period of observation and evaluation must be
accompanied by much prayer. (Ac. 13:3; 14:23)
(5) Once the elders see that there are no reasons for delay, a
suffrage or voting will take place. An 80% majority vote shall
be required for a deacon to be formally installed to office, but
unanimity is to be aimed.
(6) The new deacon will then be formally set apart by special Prepared by: Ptr. Eli Cana RBCM Sunday School
prayers of the whole church and the laying on of hands of 09/03/23