Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/what-does-the-bible-say-about-deacons/ 

This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org

The word “deacon” (diakonos in Greek) is a broad word which means “servant” or “minister” or “administrator.” Deacons typically are appointed by the church to be in charge of programs and ministries.

In Acts 6:1-7, we seem to be given background for the type of ministry deacons provide. In this period, the early church in Jerusalem had a large number of widows who were being helped with the distribution of food through the church. The apostles in Jerusalem were trying to do this work, which, coupled with their other responsibilities, was too much. The Grecian widows, who were not originally from that area, were being neglected and many in the community were upset.

The apostles met with the church and asked the church to appoint seven men, “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” The apostles wanted this administrative help because they needed to focus upon “prayer” and the “ministry of the word,” rather than passing out food. So the church recommended seven men, who were then appointed to “serve” (using a verb form of the Greek word for “deacon,” although they are not specifically called “deacons”)— to take care of the distribution of food and make sure no widows were being overlooked. The apostles prayed for these men and appointed them through the laying on of hands. From that point on, these men took responsibility for this particular ministry, which seems to serve as the background for the deacon position described throughout the New Testament epistles.

There is an important summary statement in Acts following this story. After this effective delegation of responsibility and priorities, Acts 6:7 (NIV) shows how the church had significant impact on the community: “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests [Jewish] became obedient to the faith.”

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