The office of a deacon

The office of a deacon (I Timothy 3:10; Acts 6:1-6)

The New Testament mentions the noun deacon five times, in Philippians 1:1 and I Timothy 3:8-12. There is a distinct correlation between the office and the function of the seven in Acts 6.

“The office of deacon originated in a state of things referred to in the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.”[i]

“Let deacons be chosen for an indefinite period and then let them be solemnly ordained according to the example given in Acts vi.6.”[ii]

The church today has two offices.[iii] In the beginning, the church had neither elders nor deacons. Jesus their head, the Chief Shepherd, called disciples from among John’s disciples to follow him. He afterward set apostles in the church. After Jesus ascended back into heaven, the apostles functioned as the elders and deacons. The increasing overload of administrative duties necessitated help. The church selected seven helpers to “serve tables.”

The work of deacons in Acts 6 is:

• to solve a problem that arose in the church fellowship (6:1)
• to help preserve the harmony of the church (6:1-3)
• to free the apostles from administrative duties in order to give full attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (6:2,4)
• to serve tables, take care of business (6:2-3)

The position of deacons in Acts 6 is:

• a congregational position – from among you (6:3)
• an elected position – i.e. one appointed by the church, not a position to which one appoints himself (6:3,5; the apostles and church body take the initiative, not the seven individuals)
• a qualified position – men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom (6:3; Cf. 1 Timothy 3:8-13, which has spiritual, moral, and familial qualifications)
• an ordained position – i.e. one initiated by prayer and laying-on-of-hands (6:6)

Notes:

---

[i] Church Manual Designed for the Use in Baptist Churches, J. M. Pendleton, 1867, p. 30.
[ii] Ibid., p. 36.
[iii] Acts 11:30 first mentions elders in the sense of church leaders. The disciples in Antioch-Syria sent relief in time of famine to the elders of the churches in Judaea. We find both apostles and elders in the church in Jerusalem Acts 15:2-6, 22-23.