Category Archives: Deacons

Church 2.0: Part 10.20: Deacons, Part 5 (Female deacons)

Female deacons I am not very interested in the question of whether women may wear the deacon title, because I’d rather not bother with the title. Granting “deacon” as an honorific title only gets in the way of humble, servant-hearted volunteer … Continue reading

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Church 2.0: Part 10.19: Deacons, Part 4 (A better understanding)

Defining the office: better hermeneutic I remember receiving a call from a candidate for a ministerial position at my church. He asked why we didn’t have the deacons listed on our website. I asked why he cared. He explained that … Continue reading

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Church 2.0: Part 10.18: Deacons, Part 3 (The traditional view of deacons)

Later church history In the early church, we find further support for deacons being teachers. The Didache (100-125 AD) says that deacons “are to be honored, “for they too carry out the ministry of prophets and teachers” (Did. 15.1). Later … Continue reading

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Church 2.0: Part 10.17: Deacons, Part 2 (Re-translating Acts 6:1-6)

Deacon as church office/re-translating Acts 6:1-6 So what does mean with regard to the office of deacon? Well, we should not think of them so much as servants but as representatives, agents, or even attendants. That is, they serve at … Continue reading

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Church 2.0: Part 10.16: Deacons, Part 1 (Redefining “Deacon”)

John N. Collins and the meaning of diakonos A couple of years ago, in a comment, Mike Cope referred me to Diakonia: Re-Interpreting the Ancient Sources (1990) ($38.95 at Amazon) by John N. Collins. In this book, Collins comprehensively surveys secular and … Continue reading

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Deacons: A New Definition

A few weeks ago, in a comment, Mike Cope referred me to Diakonia: Re-Interpreting the Ancient Sources by John N. Collins. In this book, Collins comprehensively surveys secular and Christian Greek literature to find the correct meaning of the terms diakonia … Continue reading

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Deacons: Closing Argument

I’m an elder, but I was a deacon before that, and for quite a long time — although I really can’t remember when I became a deacon. It was that long ago. I don’t disrespect deacons as such. I mean, … Continue reading

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Deacons: Why I Disagree with the Traditional Views, Part 5 (An Honorific Title? Deacons Without Jobs?)

Continuing to consider our traditions with regard to deacons — 7. “Deacon” is an honorific title. By “honorific,” I mean a title that causes one to write home to mom. Or let me put it this way. Imagine an elders … Continue reading

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Deacons: Why I Disagree with the Traditional Views, Part 4 (Should We Have a Board of Deacons?)

Continuing to consider our traditional understanding of the role of deacons … Tradition 6. The deacons should meet as a body. Well, if the deacons as a group oversee a specific ministry of the church, as in Acts 6, of … Continue reading

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Deacons: Why I Disagree with the Traditional Views, Part 3 (What Do Deacons Do?)

We need to dig a little deeper into the text regarding the work of a deacon. Obviously, the work of the seven men in Jerusalem was very important. But it’s a peculiarly Western bias to imagine that important = management. I … Continue reading

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