We have quite a few deacons at Bridgeport Christian Church. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what deacons in a Disciples of Christ church are supposed to be doing. Here are some ideas:
Deacons are, literally, “servants.” They serve Christ’s church and the world beyond.
Service of any kind to Christ’s church and the world he came to save is a spiritual calling. Too often we separate the “spiritual” and “secular” functions of the church, but the church has no secular function. Everything the church does is somehow spiritual and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. We know this because Jesus Christ himself said that he “came not to be served but to serve.” (Mark 10:45) The service of the Son of God was undoubtedly spiritual in nature, since it was entirely directed to fulfilling the will of his Father and done by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The fact that God used flesh and blood to accomplish the divine will shows us that no service done in the Spirit of Christ is too menial to be called “spiritual.”
Any Christian can engage in this kind of service to the church, which seems to imply that any Christian can be a deacon. (This makes them unlike elders, who are leaders, and not all Christians have gifts for leadership.)
But there is something special about taking on the title “deacon.”
A title is not a “promotion.” A title does not necessarily authorize one to do certain kinds of work. Indeed, many people would continue to work for the church whether or not they have the title.
Taking on a title rather commits you to doing the work. People who are called to claim the title “deacon” are people who are committed to Christian service. This makes them unlike other Christians, who may not wish to publicly embrace that level of commitment.
Not publicly committing oneself to the service of deaconhood doesn’t make one less of a Christian. People are called by God to different things. For instance, one person may hear the call to motherhood or fatherhood (which is service to one’s immediate blood family) louder than the call to service to the congregation and the world beyond. This person is no less of a Christian for not being a “deacon.” They simply have a different God-given call to which they must be obedient.
Since deacons, therefore, are people who wish to wholeheartedly answer their call to service to their church and world, it is acceptable for people to put themselves forward for deaconhood.Only I can know if I really wish to answer the call. Therefore, I am fully qualified to present myself as a candidate for deacon.
Deacons really only need to answer one question (as far as I can see): “How will you (or do you) fulfill your call to deaconhood, that is, service in the Spirit of Christ to your congregation and the world beyond?” It seems appropriate that the question be asked either by the elders, the pastor, or by the deacon team leaders.
Deacons necessarily will be serving all over the place in the church congregation. For instance, some with administrative gifts will be board chairs. Some with other gifts will do other things. Each person is free to operate within their gifts, understanding that there are a diversity of gifts, but one Spirit who gives them. (1 Cor 12:4)
Since deacons have diverse gifts, the “deacons” as a group will not be doing things as other groups in the church do. It seems advisable that the deacons should meet from time to time (perhaps twice a year?) to share and discuss what they have learned from the various kinds of service they have performed in the context of our congregation. Deacons should support one another in service, and challenge one another to “run the race with perseverance.” They should populate the committees of the church and encourage one another to imitate Christ, the greatest servant of all, more fully. (It seems appropriate that people who are “committing” themselves to Christian service should serve on “committees.”)
Finally, we are reminded that the service performed by deacons is spiritual in nature when we witness them serve in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The act of carrying trays of bread and wine (or the act of preparing them) is a liturgical reflection of the service that they have committed to by taking on the office of “deacon.”
