Barnabas File

My friend is chair of the Deacon body in her Baptist church in a neighboring state.  She shared with me the struggle they were experiencing over clarifying the role of deacons in the church.  Is it one of administration and authority or service and spiritual guidance?  I recommended that she obtain a copy of Exemplars:  Deacons as Servants and Spiritual Leaders .   I think she will find it a valuable resource for illumination and discussion. Although described in the introductory chapter as a “workbook,” I would call this book a resource for personal and group development.  The content is rich in information and each chapter includes questions for individual reflection and group conversation. The book is built upon three pillars.  First, who do deacons need to be?  Deacons—like all believers--are unique creations of God, recipients of God’s grace, and spiritually gifted servants.  These...

My friend is chair of the Deacon body in her Baptist church in a neighboring state.  She shared with me the struggle they were experiencing over clarifying the role of deacons in the church.  Is it one of administration and authority or service and spiritual guidance?  I recommended that she obtain a copy of Exemplars:  Deacons as Servants and Spiritual Leaders .  I think she will find it a valuable resource for illumination and discussion. Although described in the introductory chapter as a “workbook,” I would rather call this book a resource for personal and group development.  The content is rich in information and each chapter includes questions for individual reflection and group conversation. The book is built upon three pillars.  First, who do deacons need to be?  Deacons—like all believers--are unique creations of God, recipients of God’s grace, and spiritually gifted servants.  These chapters are a reminder of one’s iden...

I was recently invited to lead a session with our church’s Deacon Body on “The Deacon as Servant Leader.”   The time was limited, but I tried to deal with the concept from three perspectives—biblical, historical, and contemporary—before turning to the “servant leader” aspect. From the biblical perspective, the main idea we take away from the New Testament is that the role of the deacon or “servant of the church” (Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:8-13; Romans 16:10) was to do just that—serve the church.   The passage that we usually turn to as the earliest expression of the role (Acts 16:1-6) does not use the term, but the Seven were appointed to “serve tables” or “wait on tables.” I reminded the group that Paul and other leaders of the early church did not operate out of a church manual with detailed job descriptions.   They were more concerned that the function of service be carried out.   Those selected as deacons were not people who exercised authority but ...