Deacons: Understanding the Office

• Deacons: Shock-Absorbers and Servants

  By Jamie DunlopBeing a deacon isn’t just about getting things done, it’s about building unity in the church. How? By being a shock-absorber and a servant. Read more >

• The Biblical Qualifications and Responsibilities of Deacons

  By Benjamin MerkleWho should be a deacon? What does the Bible say deacons should do? In this article, a New Testament professor combs through the slim but significant biblical teaching on deacons’ qualifications and responsibilities. Read more >

• What Makes Good Diaconal Ministry?

  By Jeremy SmithWhat makes good diaconal ministry? Good deacons, right priorities, teamwork, a human touch, and more. Read more >

• Do We Need To Use the Titles “Elder” and “Deacon”?

  By Benjamin MerkleDoes it matter what we call our churches’ leaders? Yes it does, if we want the leaders to be accountable, the congregation to know what to expect, and God’s wisdom, not ours, to determine how we run the church. Read more >

Deacons: Putting It into Practice

• The Committee-Free, Task-Specific Deacon

  By Matt SchmuckerHere’s one way to get deacons out of meetings and straight to work in our churches. Read more >

• Moving from a Deacon-Led to an Elder-Led Church

  By Phil NewtonWhat do you do when your church is led by deacons and you become convinced that elders should lead the church? How should you make the transition? Read more >

• How to Separate Deacon Work from Elder Work

  By Matt SchmuckerSatan loves to divide, especially along lines of authority. How do you keep the church from dividing over who does what? Read more >

• A Deacon on a Deacon’s Reward

  By John IngoldA deacon speaks! And he tells the story of how he was “blessed to serve.” Read more >

• Book Reviews

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  Book Review: The New Testament Deacon: The Church’s Minister of Mercy, by Alexander Strauch

  Reviewed by Bobby JamiesonWhat are deacons supposed to do? Are they to serve as the church’s executive board to whom the Pastor-CEO reports? Are they to be the church’s spiritual leaders? Who should be a deacon? Is a deacon simply a long-serving member whom the church honors with a title, like a politician receiving an honorary doctorate? Read more >

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  Book Review: Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, by Kent and Barbara Hughes

  Reviewed by Ken BarbicBiblical, practical, and anecdotal. That’s not a bad combination of characteristics for a book on ministry. Yet Kent and Barbara Hughes’ book Liberating Ministry from Success Syndrome is all three. In it, this faithful biblical expositor calls on a lifetime of ministry experience to reorient his readers’ understanding of success in ministry. Read more >