Submission

 ^“Listen to your leaders and submit to their authority over the community, for they are on constant watch to protect your souls and someday they must give account. Give them reason to be joyful and not to regret their duty, for that will be of no good to you.” (Hebrews 13:17, VOICE)

Many church attendees don’t know that an elder and a deacon are two different persons in the church. Many assume that they are the same or that the difference between them is not that significant. It must be recognized that these two offices were specifically designated by God because His church is to be managed by different individuals with different abilities.

DEACONS/DEACONNESSES

Our English word deacon comes from the Greek diakonos meaning “servant,” The qualifications for a deacon is given in 1Timothy 3:8–13. Some of the duties that deacons might be responsible for in the church today include:

·        Benevolence: Similar to what took place in Acts 6:1–6 with the daily distribution to the widows; the deacons may be involved in administrating funds or other assistance to the needy.

·        Facilities: The deacons could be responsible for managing the church property. This would include making sure the place of worship is prepared for the worship service, cleaning up, or running the sound system.

·        Finances: While the elders should probably oversee the financial business of the church (Acts 11:30), it may be best left to the deacons to handle the day-to-day matters. This would include collecting and counting the offering, and keeping records.

·        Logistics: Deacons should be available to help in variety of ways so that the elders are able to concentrate on teaching and shepherding the church.

·        Ushers: The deacons could be responsible for distributing bulletins, seating the congregation, or preparing the elements for communion.

ELDERS

 Shepherding God’s Flock (Like Jesus Did) by:

·        Leading- Courageous leadership might involve reaching out to a frustrated member who’s stopped attending, or confronting an unrepentant member through church discipline. Or it could mean wrestling through staffing strategies, budget challenges, or important policies that affect the spiritual identity of the congregation. (Hebrews 13:17)

·        Modeling- The mandate to model maturity carries two critical implications. First, modeling means you must guard your godliness: Open your life to the loving accountability of the other elders. This leads to a second implication. Modeling requires elders to be among the people. It only works if people see you up close. So open your life to church members. Invite them into your home, your hobbies, and your ministry. People need a firsthand experience of how you handle stress, relate to your wife, respond to difficult people, and humbly admit when you blow it. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

·        Praying- Strive to be a man of prayer. Build regular prayer into your daily rhythms. Pray over your church’s membership rolls during the commute or while you’re walking the dog. Carve out time as an elder board for concerted prayer. And when you’re talking to a church member, be sure to stop and pray for her right then and there. “So we can maintain our focus on praying and serving (not meals) but the message. “(Acts 6:4, VOICE)

·        Teaching- If you’re an elder, find venues for teaching the Bible regularly. Teach a Sunday school class, lead a home group, give a lesson to the youth group, or study Scripture with a member over coffee. And if you’re offered a chance to preach, take it. (“This is a trustworthy saying: The one who would an elder be, a noble task desires he. ² Therefore, an elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife,^[b] stable, sensible, respectable, hospitable to strangers, and teachable.^{[c] 3} He must not drink excessively or be a violent person, but instead be gentle. He must not be argumentative or love money.” (1 Timothy 3:1-3, ISV)

 

⁸ The same standards apply to deacons: they should be dignified. Double-talking hypocrites, heavy drinkers, and those greedy for ill-gotten gain should not be considered. ⁹ They should be people who hold tight to the great mystery of faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ Put these deacon-candidates to the test first; and if they come through without stumbling, then send them out to serve. ¹¹ Again the same applies to women in key positions; they should also be dignified, not backstabbing gossips but self-controlled and faithful to the core. ¹² Now deacons should live faithfully as the husband of one wife and be in control of their households, including their children. ¹³ Those deacons who serve well will achieve a good standing for themselves in the community and have great confidence to walk in the faith that is in Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. (1Timothy 3:8-13, VOICE)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “A Job Description for Lay Elders” by Jeramie Rinne

·        “Difference between Deacons and Elders” by Difference Between.net

·        “Is there a difference in the qualifications of elders and deacons?” by Bible.org

·        “The Biblical Qualifications and Responsibilities of Deacons” by Benjamin Merkle

·        “What Is the Difference between Elders and Deacons?” by Jack Wellman

 

This post is dedicated to all the elders, deacons, and deaconesses that keep all our churches running smoothly.