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Day 50: Choose Seven (Acts 6:1-4)
As the early church grew in numbers, a problem arose which threatened church unity and future growth. The Hellenistic Jewish widows were not receiving assistance in the form of daily food distribution while the Hebraic Jewish widows were. This may have been caused by language and cultural differences or the distance that the Hellenistic widows lived from the rest of the congregation. Whatever the cause of the issue, and it was probably not deliberate, widows were extremely vulnerable because they could not, in most cases, support themselves and relied on external help to survive.
The Twelve instructed the congregation to choose seven men to take over this responsibility, while the Twelve would concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the word. These seven needed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom (6:3). The decision-making process reflects important values for church order. The process was open and transparent as all the congregation were invited and attended the gathering. It was participatory, the congregation chose the seven while the Twelve would authorise them to minister, giving distinct roles for leaders and congregation. The proposed solution reveals the values that guided the decision: commitment to unity, to a holistic ministry and to growth by means of preaching and teaching. Unity is maintained by ensuring that all widows were treated equally. Luke stresses that this social ministry has equal validity with the apostles' ministry of prayer and teaching, for he uses diakonia to describe both. The church must exercise both, and neither to the exclusion of the other.
We are reminded of the importance of pastoral care, prayer and the teaching of God’s word for the health, unity and growth of our congregation, and that these tasks may be shared amongst us so that no ministry is neglected. DR
QuestionsHow does St Bart’s care for the vulnerable and empower its leaders?
Why is prayer and the ministry of the Word so important for church growth?
Lord of all, as we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ, make us mindful of the needs of the vulnerable in our midst. Help our leaders to ground the ministry of St Bart’s in prayer, and to be faithful in the teaching of your Word. Amen.
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By St Bart's Anglican ChurchAs the early church grew in numbers, a problem arose which threatened church unity and future growth. The Hellenistic Jewish widows were not receiving assistance in the form of daily food distribution while the Hebraic Jewish widows were. This may have been caused by language and cultural differences or the distance that the Hellenistic widows lived from the rest of the congregation. Whatever the cause of the issue, and it was probably not deliberate, widows were extremely vulnerable because they could not, in most cases, support themselves and relied on external help to survive.
The Twelve instructed the congregation to choose seven men to take over this responsibility, while the Twelve would concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the word. These seven needed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom (6:3). The decision-making process reflects important values for church order. The process was open and transparent as all the congregation were invited and attended the gathering. It was participatory, the congregation chose the seven while the Twelve would authorise them to minister, giving distinct roles for leaders and congregation. The proposed solution reveals the values that guided the decision: commitment to unity, to a holistic ministry and to growth by means of preaching and teaching. Unity is maintained by ensuring that all widows were treated equally. Luke stresses that this social ministry has equal validity with the apostles' ministry of prayer and teaching, for he uses diakonia to describe both. The church must exercise both, and neither to the exclusion of the other.
We are reminded of the importance of pastoral care, prayer and the teaching of God’s word for the health, unity and growth of our congregation, and that these tasks may be shared amongst us so that no ministry is neglected. DR
QuestionsHow does St Bart’s care for the vulnerable and empower its leaders?
Why is prayer and the ministry of the Word so important for church growth?
Lord of all, as we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ, make us mindful of the needs of the vulnerable in our midst. Help our leaders to ground the ministry of St Bart’s in prayer, and to be faithful in the teaching of your Word. Amen.