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What Is a Deacon or Deaconess and Their Role in the Local Church?
Ask most churchgoers what a deacon or deaconess does, and you’ll get all kinds of answers, some accurate, some just tradition. But here at The Crossings we are about to initiate our very first diaconate and ordain our first class of Deacons/Deaconesses so we want to make sure that everyone is on the same page as to their role in our local body.
The very word “deacon” comes from the Greek diakonos, simply meaning “servant”. But don’t let the simplicity fool you; in God’s design, deacons have a noble calling. In Acts 6, we encounter the early church overwhelmed by practical needs, food distribution to widows was causing division. The apostles, responsible for preaching and prayer, needed help. The solution? Set apart “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” to handle the task (Acts 6:3, ESV). These first deacons freed the apostles to focus on the ministry of the Word, while ensuring no one fell through the cracks.
Today, a deacon’s ministry may look different, organizing meal trains, caring for widows, overseeing benevolence, teaching a small group, leading a ministry, managing church facilities, or leading outreach projects, but the heartbeat is the same: practical service, done in love, so that no one is left out or left behind.
What about deaconesses? In our church we believe, and teach, that is biblical for women to serve as deaconesses, coming alongside the men to expand the touch of compassionate ministry. The New Testament mentions a woman named Phoebe as a “deacon” or “servant” of the church (Romans 16:1) and her example reminds us this service isn’t limited by gender, but by gifting and calling.
Both men and women serving as deacons must model godly character, humility, and integrity. Paul lays out requirements in 1 Timothy 3:8-13: dignified, not double-tongued, sober, honest, tested, and holding “the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.”
But deacons are not “junior elders” or a spiritual board of directors. Their mandate isn’t to govern, but to serve! Biblically speaking, elders (pastors) provide spiritual oversight, teaching, and vision; deacons make ministry happen, handling logistics, support, and care. Picture the church as a body: elders, the shepherd-leaders; deacons, the strong arms lifting practical burdens.
Here’s why this matters, when deacons do their job, the whole church is blessed. Needs get met. People encounter Jesus in practical love. The spiritual leaders are freed to teach, pray, and equip the saints. It’s no surprise that after deacons were appointed in Acts 6, “the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem” (Acts 6:7, ESV). You could make the argument that a church without active, Spirit-filled, servant-hearted deacons is a church running on half its horsepower!
At The Crossings, we want our deacons and deaconesses visible, not for applause, but because their example calls the whole church to sacrificial, Christlike service. So even now before we have officially set up our diaconate you will see a folks quietly setting up chairs, passing the plate, delivering groceries, visiting the sick, or praying with the hurting, those are our future Deacons/Deaconesses and it’s a holy calling, and it’s the kind of ministry Jesus Himself dignified when He said, “The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11, ESV).
So be in prayer for those whom God has called and is currently calling to The Crossings Community Church to serve in that office.
Pastor Justin |
