Why churches should recognize women as deacons

Oh, I don’t mind answering here Crystal. I was just being playful.

We formed a group called Women Mentoring Women about a dozen years back in response to some local Titus 2 style ministries that had some good elements, but didn’t seem to have the proper relationship to good doctrine or elder oversight. Our WMW ladies are a ministry team, but do a lot of individual counseling and discipleship. These are spiritually mature sisters who meet “elder” qualifications.

As I’ve said above, we have an Elder Board, Deacon Board and Deaconess Board…all elected. The WMW ladies are not elected, but chosen by the elders and are directly accountable to the elder board. One of their primary guiding principles is that they are completely under the elder’s authority…not just in a formal sense, but it’s a key aspect of the heart they want in the women who serve with them.

It has been convenient to have them meet at the same time the elders are meeting. They pray together, study the word, discuss any problems, and encourage each other. They are ladies we can point women to who need a fiend, counselor, or just want to grow.

Their focus is entirely on spiritual matters related to the women in the church. I think there are eight or so ladies currently serving. They plan women’s retreats, studies, etc. but their main focus is one-on-one discipleship. Some of them have taken courses (a couple have moved pretty far along) in formal training in biblical counseling, but that is not essential. They are mentors and disciple women who are struggling, or just want to grow. They do such a good job I really don’t counsel women anymore, though on occasion I will counsel jointly with one of the WMW ladies on a short term basis.

Each of the ladies is to have at least one person they are meeting with and encouraging on a regular basis. That’s not a hard rule, as people’s circumstances do not always allow for that level of commitment in every season of the year. But that’s what they aim for. They recently added a single gal to the group which was new, and helpful.

I believe it’s one of the most effective ministries of our small church, and we have seen real fruit from it in terms of growth and stability among the ladies. Most of the group are elder’s wives (my wife is one), and one is a deacon’s wife.

Wayne, it’s always encouraging to see churches utilize the gifts of all its members. I think women are often left out of ministry opportunities because of their gender. I find this troubling and squelching and don’t think God would be pleased.

[Julie Anne]

Wayne, it’s always encouraging to see churches utilize the gifts of all its members. I think women are often left out of ministry opportunities because of their gender. I find this troubling and squelching and don’t think God would be pleased.

Well, it certainly doesn’t make sense to not use all that giftedness, talent, experience, and energy for the Lord’s work. Half the world is made up of women. That’s a substantial field for ministry. And, frankly, women understand each other more than we fellas do.

In our church we have a budget and finance committee to come together to “prepare” a budget for the congregation to vote approval. If your church allows women members to “vote” that church has a problem not allowing women to serve in preparation of the budget. A budget is usually driven by a “vision” of ruling Bishops…filled by elders. I believe the “vision” is given to male leadership as teacher/exhorters, the mechanics of the budget to finance that vision has no authority until authorized by the congregation at large by a corporate vote that allows gender participation as there is no opportunity for the “type” of the woman usurping authority over a man that is clearly not allowed by scripture by that practice.

I also agree that women in the church( here is where I lose some of you) all are gifted as men in all the spiritual gifts including Teaching , Exhortation and Administration. The burden on church leadership is to utilize these assets without allowing for the “image” of a women usurping authority over the man which outside of the Genisis direction also distorts the “Type” of Christ and his church as husband and wife.

Let me now really shake your boat : the original sin was not the eating of the fruit but Adam submitting to the authority of his mate.

Jim, keep in mind that there was one sin to be committed at the time;eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. You’re arguing that Adam and Eve were guilty of violating a command that they had never received. I cannot go there.

Regarding the duty of the church to utilize assets—really earthly abilities—I don’t see any justification for that in Scripture. Whatever one’s position on gender qualifications for church office, one ought to concede that most of the other qualifications are not rooted in ability, but are moral qualifications. The only exception as far as I see it is that an elder/overseer ought to be “apt to teach.”

We might infer that the spiritual gifts spoken of in 1 Cor. 12 might very often be exercised without an official church office.

We are beginning to implement our new constitution. (Pleural Eldership)

We saw a Biblical call for diakonoi to be men and women. But with this, we noted that diakonoi wasn’t an office with authority in the Word. And we observed that many in our congregation equated “Deacon” with Church Leader. Therefore, we chose to use the term “Servant” for diakonoi.

Also, as a transition to pleural elders, we specified that the “Deacons” elected under the previous constitution would finish their terms on the Elder Board.

Our intention, after a few years of Elders and Servants is to rename the diakonoi “Deacons.”

Also, we believe that a budget (and many other things) ought to be an expression of Biblical values. The input Servants/Deacons have is to be in submission to the Elder Board.

Dan, we clearly see the believers together with different spiritual gifts serving together. Agreed oversight and leadership gifts are directed to Elders in the office of Bishops, but to deny the service gifts that are distributed to all including Elders out of office, would definitely reflect a different picture. Unless of course one limits the royal priesthood to a flock of mindless impotent sheeple with one gifted Preacher/teacher with a big stick (staff). It is clear that that was not the model until Rome wanted more structure (control) in the second century.

As for original sin I agree with the party line of the one instruction but to ignore the obvious inference of the subjective position of eve to Adam would indeed be neglect of the obvious.

I do not deny the service gifts are distributed to all.