Beginning in Service
Deacon Ordination Service
March 25, 2001
Acts 6:1 through Acts 6:7 (KJV)
1And in those days, when the number of the disciples was
multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews,
because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2Then
the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It
is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4But we
will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5And
the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of
faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon,
and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6Whom they set
before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on
them. 7And the word of God increased; and the number of the
disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests
were obedient to the faith.
Tradition holds that the Apostles died in the following manner: Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia. Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that city. Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece. John was put in a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward banished to Patmos. Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward. James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem. James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club. Bartholomew was flayed alive. Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors until he died. Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel in the East Indies. Jude was shot to death with arrows. Matthais was first stoned and then beheaded. Barnabas of the Gentiles was stoned to death at Salonica. Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was at length beheaded at Rome by the Emperor Nero.
These men gave their lives in service to our Lord, but it was their unselfish service that allowed the early church to spread rapidly throughout the world. The church today needs men of service equally as much as the early church did.
It is for this reason, that we are gathered this evening. We are gathered together to set aside new men to serve in the ministry of a deacon for service to our Lord.
Deacons were important in the life of the early church. We see in our passage of scripture where they were called on to carry out the work of the church hand in hand with the pastor. In Phil 1:1, we see how the early church was structured.
Philippians 1:1 (KJV)
1Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the
saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
Paul was writing to the Christians as a whole (The saints), but he singled out what we would call the officers of the church today. He mentioned the Bishops, who would be the overseer and the deacons. Another way of looking at the word for Bishop is to call him the pastor of the church. It’s important that Paul mentions the deacons alongside of the pastor because together they lead the church.
The term “deacon” is derived from the Greek word diakonos, which is usually translated “servant” or “minister.” Only a few times in the New Testament (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8, 12, and, in some translations, Rom. 16:1) is it translated “deacon” and used to denote one holding a church office.
It is more properly a designation of service rather than of power.
Title: Holman Bible Dictionary
Author:
Although Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3 clearly indicate that the office
of
deacon existed in New Testament times, no explicit Bible reference describes
the
duties of deacons or refers to the origin of the office. In Philippians 1:1 and
in
numerous references in early Christian literature outside the New Testament,
bishops and/or elders and deacons are mentioned together, with deacons
mentioned last. Because of this order, and because of the natural connotations
of
the word diakonos, most interpreters believe that deacons, from the
beginning,
served as assistants of the church leaders. Certainly, that was clearly the
role of
deacons by the second century. Deacons continued to fill an important role in
the
ministry of the early church, serving the needs of the poor, assisting in
baptism
and the Lord’s Supper, and performing other practical ministerial tasks.
In our passage from the book of acts we see that the first deacons were chosen because of some grumbling that was going on. It appears that some of the good church folks were getting disgruntled because the pastors were not able to check on the widow women often enough.
That is a fair complaint, except that the truth is that many times the pastor cannot get around to see everyone. That’s why God, in His wisdom, called out other men of good reputation and maturity to assist in the ministry.
As an aside, (and this one is for free) grumbling is always detrimental to the work of the Lord. Charles Spurgeon had this to say about grumbling:
A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country lane by a team of oxen. The axles groaned and creaked terribly, when the oxen turning around thus addressed the wheels, "Hey there, why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we -- not you -- ought to cry out!" Those complain first in our churches who have the least to do. The gift of grumbling is largely dispensed among those who have no other talents, or who keep what they have wrapped up in a napkin.
The deacon has as one of his responsibilities to keep the grumbling to a minimum. He is to be a servant, taking care of the needs (both physical and spiritual) of the congregation he is called to serve. Specifically in our passage of scripture he was tasked to look after the widows and relieve the pastors.
Keeping down the grumbling would help to build unity within the church. It would also have the added bonus of stopping the gossip train dead in its tracks fostering a positive attitude in the church.
Four preachers met for a friendly gathering. During the conversation one preacher said, "Our people come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs. Let's do the same. Confession is good for the soul." In due time all agreed. One confessed he liked to go to movies and would sneak off when away from his church. The second confessed to liking to smoke cigars and the third one confessed to liking to play cards. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn't confess. The others pressed him saying, "Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?" Finally he answered, "It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here."
Gossip destroys the work of the church, and destroys the lives of those inside it.
By relieving the pastor of some ministry responsibilities the deacon would give the pastor the opportunity to enrich his Bible study and allow him more time to prepare for preaching as seen in verse 4. “. 4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word”
It will also improve the pastor’s family life. Here are some interesting statistics that were compiled from a survey of active ministers.
- 90% of pastors work more than 60 hours a week
- 80% believed that pastoral ministry affected their families negatively
- 33% said that being in ministry was an outright hazard to their family
- 75% reported a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry
- 50% felt unable to meet the needs of the job
- 90% felt they were inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands
- 70% say they have a lower self-esteem now than when they started out
- 40% reported a serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month
- 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
1991 Survey of Pastors, Fuller Institute of Church Growth,
H. B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman, Pastors at Risk, Victor Books, 1993, p. 22
With deacons working together with the pastors many of these perceived problems could be eliminated. The pastor is God’s appointed leader (overseer) of the church, and the deacon is appointed as the servant of the church. Both pastor and deacon are servants of God and the congregation that he has entrusted to them. The Biblical principle at work is one of serving together.
One thing we must make clear this evening that there are no “Deacon Boards” in the body of Christ. Deacons are not a board of directors that govern the actions of the church. This concept, though popular in many Baptist Churches, is not Biblical.
The deacon is part of the body of Christ. An essential part, but not a governing part. Christ is the head of the body, and he alone is responsible for giving the orders. A deacon is, as we have mentioned, a servant.
The Bible doesn’t make clear the job description of the deacon. What it does make clear is that the deacon must be a man of great character. This is what I think is the nature of the service of a deacon. Character. Doing God’s work, following His will, and doing it with a exceptional witness for the Lord.
What happens when deacon’s don’t “deac”? What happens when the leadership of the church becomes confused about the proper roles it has? I think the answer to that lies in the fact that the average Baptist pastor serves 18 months. Burn out is a grave danger and forced terminations rise.
More importantly, the lay leaders of the congregation never have the opportunity to serve according to God’s gifts.
NEVER THE SAME
We are ordaining one man to the deacon ministry today, and installing another as an active deacon in our fellowship. This laying on of hands during the ordination service confers no status of authority, but formalizes the ministry of the individual. These two men will never be the same after tonight. Their lives are changed by the mighty power of God and are destined to be in His service by a divine call.
There is nothing supernatural about what we are doing. Laying our hands upon our brother does not give him some sort of mystical power to suddenly become a deacon. It’s part of his journey toward perfection.
Ordination is recognition of a man’s potential to serve. It is a recommendation from the church affirming the man’s service to God and community. It is a request to God that He will bless the ministry of the man we are setting apart. Finally it releases the man to serve.
CHARGE TO THE CHURCH
Being a deacon is a vitally important ministry within the church. Along with the responsibilities that come with being a deacon there are also some responsibilities that are incumbent on the congregation as well.
God has called certain men into the ministry, and we as a church have recognized their gifts. Today you have requested the ordination of one of these called men, and the installation of another into the deacon ministry.
A few moments ago a charge, or encouragement, was made to the candidate for ordination. Now we will look at what the Bible tells us as a church that we should do.
1 Thessalonians 5:12 through 1 Thessalonians 5:13 (KJV)
12And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among
you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13And to esteem
them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among
yourselves.
We have an obligation to heed these words of scripture.
There are some things that we must do as a church to honor our teachers.
If we do these things in honor of God’s Word then we will be at peace among ourselves.
Will you as a church body accept this charge to you? Will you commit to pray for, to esteem, to recognize and follow Bill Cook & Jim Crow as they follow the Lord? Will you commit to submit to their authority and their guidance as you seek the Lord’s will for our congregation? Will you accept this responsibility? If you will, please respond by saying, “I Will.”