In most of the congregations we need at this time of year to find not only new elders to take the place of those who retire, but also (a) new deacon(s). What are Consistories to look for when they nominate a brother for the office? What are we to look for as we consider which candidate to vote for?

Scriptural Qualifications⤒🔗

The Lord has given specific instructions to us in the Bible about the qualities He wishes to see in those called to the office of deacon. Unless a person meets these criteria, no Consistory may nominate the brother for the office, and no congregation member may give him his vote. Paul was moved by the Spirit to record these criteria:

Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 3:8-13

Nature of the Work←⤒🔗

When all is said and done, every brother of the congregation ought to fit these criteria (though in the brokenness of this life not all do). More needs to be said, then, in considering the question of who should be nominated for the office, and who of the nominated brothers should receive ones vote. I wish to devote some space to detailing the nature of the work of the deacon. As that work comes into clearer focus, we can also determine the better who is able to do the work.

Communion of Saints←⤒🔗

The congregation of Jesus Christ at Corinth is, says Paul, a body: Now you are the body of Christ and all the Corinthian believers are members individually (1 Corinthians 12:27). This reality has consequences, for a body by definition must work together. In order to impress upon the Corinthians how important each individual believer is for the proper functioning of the congregation as a whole, Paul compares the spiritual body of Christ to the physical human body. The human body is the sum total of all its members, and each member has its unique contribution to make to the wellbeing of the whole body.

He puts it like this: The body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 1 Corinthians 12:14-26

The body of Christ functions no differently than the human body in that all the members individually make up one whole, and all the members need each other. So Paul concludes, Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually (vs. 27).

Seek Each Other’s Benefit←⤒🔗

This reality described here by the apostle was evident in the way the believers in Acts 2 interacted with each other.

For the Christian converts continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers… Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47

These people realised that as a group they were united into one body through their shared faith in Christ, and they expressed this unity in deeds that sought each others benefit.

The same can be found in Acts 4:32, concerning the body of believers in Jerusalem: Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

The same chapters of the book of Acts tell us of great numbers coming to faith. Acts 1:15 records 120 persons, while on the day of Pentecost about 3,000 souls were added (Acts 2:41). In Acts 4:4 one reads that the number of men alone totalled 5,000, to which believers were added increasingly.., multitudes of both men and women. Hence by the time one gets to Acts 6 one could estimate that there may well have been a sizeable congregation of some 20,000 people.

Acts 6 tells us, though, that such church growth brought its own difficulties. In relation to the effective functioning of the communion of saints. Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution (Acts 6:1). Possibly the Greek-speaking widows did not receive the food they needed. Or maybe they were not involved in the work of distributing food. Whatever the case might be, the fact is that the limitations of this broken life caused the body to malfunction. Something was not right in the church of Jesus Christ.

The First Deacons←⤒🔗

How were the apostles to address this problem? They recognised the importance of devoting themselves totally to the ministry of reconciliation, since this was the way by which they were to bring people to faith. So the apostles came up with this solution:

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. 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; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Acts 6:2-4

If the apostles had to involve themselves in the actual functioning of the communion of saints, they would have to do so at the cost of their real work. So they appointed and ordained seven men to the office of deacon. The seven men are not called deacons in so many words, but their task description (serve tables) captures the work characterising the deacon; he serves. The Greek word serve is simply the verbal form of the noun deacon; these seven men had to deacon the tables. Hence the name deacon.

Each church of Jesus Christ is a body, with each person a member. That body (like the human body) needs to function corporately; each member needs to function for the benefit of the other members. In the abiding brokenness of this life, this may require organisation. It is when spontaneity does not cover a need that the deacons must get involved. Their task is the ministry of mercy: letting people taste the mercy of God. To that end deacons help and encourage the members of the congregation to look after each other, to be the communion of saints the body of Christ must be.

Encourage←⤒🔗

Of course, in order to know the needs and ensure that the appropriate support is given by the brotherhood, the deacons need to go into the congregation and visit the members. I realise: we commonly understand the collection and distribution of money as the heart of the deacons' task (for managing the collection bags is what we all see them do in church). But here we understand the matter wrongly. Distributing alms to the poor is only a small part of the ministry of mercy. A more important duty of the deacons is to make sure that the communion of saints functions well. Hence deacons need to make visits to all members, and in their visiting are to determine (in this order!) whether the gifts God has given to the visited are properly used for the benefit of other members of the body, and whether there are any needs at the visited address which are not being met by the brotherhood.

Where gifts are not being utilised for the benefit of others, the deacons will need to encourage and instruct in greater obedience to following the example of Christ. Where an unfulfilled need is found, the deacons will need to encourage others of the body to be the hand and foot the needy member requires.

Who, then, can be a deacon? The deacon's main task is not first of all to give (financial) assistance to the needy, but rather to ensure that the members are willingly assisting each other, and if not, stimulating them to do so. The brother gifted in encouraging the congregation to be the communion of saints God wishes it to be: let him be called to this beautiful task.