In the penultimate article of this series, I would like to recap some of the key points we have discussed. The first article highlighted why church leaders in Africa can amass immense power. Because of the inevitable dangers of unchecked power, that article stressed the need to get back to the Bible to determine who should lead the church and how they ought to lead.
In the second article we determined that churches are to be led by elders, a ubiquitous phenomenon in both the Old and New Testaments. Having established who should lead the church, the third article explored the work of elders. While elders have authority over God’s church, they are to provide oversight as servants, with meekness and tender loving care.
The preaching of God’s word should remain in the hands of the elders.
The fourth article delineated the role of elders in teaching and preaching. Notably, there is reciprocal accountability between the elders who preach and teach and those who do not. The fifth article described three distinct biblical qualifications for an elder in the church: personal godliness, domestic management, and teaching competence.
As we conclude this series we shall discuss the role of deacons in the church, as those who assist the church elders.
The Assisting Work of Deacons
The Lord blessed the early church with thousands of new converts. Soon it had grown so large that the elders were drowning under their workload. It became impossible for them to cope. They met together and decided that they should recommend a new office, which later came to be called the diaconate. The story of how this came about is found in Acts 6.
Elders should not give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1–4).
These men were later given the name deacons, as we shall see when we come to consider the qualifications for that office.
When the Church Grows, Add Deacons (Not Elders)
We learn from this passage that, as a church grows larger, they should not necessarily increase the number of elders; rather, they should consider appointing deacons as well. We also notice from this passage that the responsibilities that elders passed on to the deacons were those to do with mundane matters, such as caring for the financially needy.
The responsibilities that elders passed on were those to do with mundane matters.
This today can include handling the church’s finances, caring for the orphans and widows (and any other needy individuals) in the church, taking care of the church’s properties, and so on. However, the teaching and preaching of the word of God should remain in the hands of the elders.
This article was adapted from God’s Design for the Church: A Guide for African Pastors and Ministry Leaders, by Conrad Mbewe, Copyright © 2020, pp. 105-106. It is used with the permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, based in Wheaton, IL. Purchase a copy at Christian Book Discounters. You can read a review of it here, as well two series of articles adapted from the book dealing with: (1) The Church and Money; and (2) Church Discipline.
