Thinking About Deacons (Part Four)

[Our friend and frequent contributor, Thomas Overmiller, is working through a series of studies on the office of deacon. He is posting these as short studies, we are combining several posts into this post. We hope it is profitable for you. See part one, part two, part three. – Editor.]

Deacons in the Church: Benevolent Care

The need for deacons initially arose to ensure that widows received proper care in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 6:1). This benevolent activity for those in need is at the heart of Christian duty and devotion (Jam 1:27). For a church to do this in a biblical way requires proper attention and oversight, which deacons can facilitate.

• First, they should determine which widows require church assistance. A widow having close family members, especially believing ones, does not require church benevolence; deacons should encourage their close family to care for her instead (1 Tim 5:4, 8, 16).
• Second, she should be past the age of marriage and unable to provide income for herself (1 Tim 5:9, 11-12, 14).
• Third, she should demonstrate exemplary Christian character (1 Tim 5:3). An exemplary widow should manage her finances in a frugal, sacrificial, faith- based manner, being a good steward of the resources God provides for her (Luke 21:2- 3). In contrast, she should not spend her resources frivolously on pleasure (1 Tim 5:6).
• Furthermore, she should engage in regular prayer as a habit of life, using discretionary time to intercede for her needs and the needs of the church (Luke 2:36-38; 1 Tim 5:5). She should not gossip, but she should participate in whatever church ministry venues and good works she able to perform (1 Tim 5:1-10).

Widows who meet these qualifications should be on the church’s care list. (1 Tim 5:9). The biblical phrase “taken into the number” means “to enroll, or to put on a list.” Who should manage this list and care for the widows on it? Ideally, the deacons will perform this function.

This benevolent care ministry requires financial allocation and disbursement in responsible ways. It also requires visits to the homes and hospitals to maintain contact with these widows. These visits should include prayer, Bible study, patient listening, assessing needs, and providing help beyond money, such as necessary transportation, house projects, and other helpful errands.

Beyond this ministry to the godly widows in a church, deacons should also oversee other needs for benevolent care that may diminish the ability of the pastors to focus on prayer and Bible teaching. This breadth of responsibility overlaps with another aspect of deacon ministry.

Questions to Discuss

1. What was the first circumstance that caused a need for deacons?
2. Describe the kind of widow(s) that should and should not receive care from the church (based upon 1 Timothy 5)?
3. What does it mean for widows to be “taken into the number” by the deacons?
4. What are some other needs like widow care that deacons may help to meet?

Deacons in the Church: Financial Stewardship

A Ministry of Financial Stewardship

As widow-care ministry demonstrates, deacons play a vital role in managing church finances. As God’s people follow biblical principles of financial stewardship and give money to support the ministry of the church, deacons should take responsibility to ensure that these funds are managed and distributed properly. Biblical examples of assessing financial needs and meeting them with church funds extends to a variety of objectives.

• Churches should provide well-serving pastors with necessary financial support (Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18). Paul teaches this by alluding to how a farmer provides food and housing for the animals that plow his fields and the way that Temple proceeds provided for the material and financial needs of the priests (1 Cor. 9:7-14).
• Churches should receive, set aside, and distribute offerings to meet one-time, occasional needs of other members, faithful church servants, missionaries, and churches in need (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; 11:29-30; Rom 15:25; 1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 9:1-15; 11:7-9; Phil 4:16-19).
• Furthermore, churches should ensure proper compliance to taxation and employment laws which do not violate God’s commands (Rom 13:1-7; cf. Acts 5:29).

By logical extension, the stewardship of church resources extends beyond finances to other categories of stewardship as well, such as building and property maintenance, mail and correspondence, and legal engagement.

Questions to Discuss

1. How do we know that deacons play a vital role in managing church finances?
2. On what basis do churches provide for the financial and material needs of pastors?
3. Describe at least three examples from Scripture of a church meeting one-time, occasional needs of other believers.
4. Why is it important for churches to comply with taxation and employment laws?
5. What are some other kinds of stewardship and material resource needs and functions which deacons should help to meet?

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Thomas Overmiller is the pastor of Brookdale Baptist Church in Moorhead, MN and blogs at Shepherd Thoughts. This article first appeared at Shepherd Thoughts, used here with permission. This version is edited for length, the full version is here.