of the bishop of christian education
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OF THE BISHOP OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
BISHOP MICHAEL D. JOHNSON D.DIV.
Study Guide on the
“Episcopacy of the Permanent Diaconate”
The restoration of the diaconate as a permanent ministry in the
Church at large following the decline and egregious changes in
there ministry is seen as “a great and visible sign of the working
of the Holy Spirit.” Over the years, much has been written about
the essential identity, role and ministry of the permanent deacon
in the life of the Church. There is no doubt that the restoration of
the permanent diaconate has been a source of tremendous grace
and blessings for the Church. Alongside such blessings,
however, there have been some misunderstandings and
misinterpretations of the essential identity of the permanent
deacon that have led to some confusion regarding his ministerial
role in the life and mission of the Church.
The Episcopal Academy seeks to restore this essential teaching
and understanding back to the church so that the Ecclesia will be
the grateful beneficiary of the restoration of this ministry. Since
the time of the Apostles to the Apostolic Fathers, the church has
always had Permanent Deacons. We give thanks to God for
them and their ministry. Our churches, however, has not been
spared some of the same misunderstandings, misinterpretations
and confusion that have been evident in the catholic church.
To help study and address some of these important issues
surrounding the life and ministry of the permanent deacon, a
Diaconate Study began in January of 2018 to lay out a vision for
the future teaching of the permanent diaconate in the Church of
God. The principal task of this Study was to address the
following issues and questions:
The biblical historical foundation of the permanent deacon
The essential identity of the permanent deacon in the life of
the catholic church.
The essential role of the permanent deacon in the local
church, dioceses and within the National and International
Reformation.
The qualifications and qualities needed in those men and
women recruited for the permanent diaconate.
The formation process for the permanent diaconate.
Particular issues and concerns that have been encountered
in light of the experience of the permanent diaconate.
The Episcopal Academies work evolved and resulted in
thoughtful and meaningful discussions and conclusions
regarding this important ministry in the life of the Church. The
fruit of the Episcopal Academies year long work is presented
here. These reflections and conclusions should in no way be
seen as a criticism of the history of the diaconate in the local
church. Rather, they should be seen as a maturing of our
understanding of the diaconate in light of that history and
experience.
First Things First
Because leadership is always so determinative on the well being
and spiritual growth of the body of Christ, one of the first things
the Apostle Paul saw to was the appointment of elders and
deacons to assist them, in every church as under-shepherds of
God’s people (Act 14:23; Tit. 1).
Two key New Testament passages (1 Tim. 3:1-13 and Tit. 1:5-9)
provide us with the essential qualifications that such men must
demonstrate in order to be qualified to serve the local church.
Rather than a detailed exegesis of all the qualifications of these
two passages, the purpose of this study is to provide a brief
overview of the qualifications for study and reflection in coming
to grips with the main concepts in preparation for evaluating
possible candidates for the offices of elders and deacons.
In addition, there are a number of crucial principles that I have
found very important for understanding and applying these
biblical texts which set forth these qualifications. These are
concepts that are pertinent to the passages in view because they
have their roots in the New Testament as a whole and bear
directly on what the Bible says about leadership.
Understanding and Applying the Qualifications of Elders
and Deacons
The Nature of the Qualifications
An important question that needs to be asked and answered
pertains to the exact nature of these qualifications. What exactly
are these qualifications?
(1) They are moral qualities or qualities of high moral character.
But they are more.
(2) They are the marks of leadership, marks which demonstrate
a man’s capacity to lead others in the Christian life.
(3) As those qualities that mark a man for leadership, they are
primarily the marks of spiritual maturity, the marks of one who
has grown in Christ and has experienced the life-changing
power of the Lord through the ministry of the Spirit of God and
the Word of God.
Primarily they are marks of maturity. This certainly fits the
context which warns against choosing a “new convert”;
1 Timothy 3:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the
condemnation of the devil.
But by way of further definition there are three more things
about these qualifications as marks of maturity that are
important in grasping the nature of these qualifications.
What It Means to Aspire to the Office of Overseer
1 Timothy 3:1 New International Version (NIV)
3 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an
overseer desires a noble task.
Paul’s statement about aspiring to the office of overseer may
sound strange to many. The Office of the Overseer, although
distinct and separate from the Deacon, work out of the same
premise of the word of God. They both serve at the request of
their episcopal leaders. In plain and simple terms this involves a
form of ambition, an aspiration, a drive, a target to shoot at. But
what exactly does this mean?
“Aspire” is a very strong word. In the Greek text, it’s the middle
voice of “orego” which means “to stretch yourself out, to
personally reach out for,” and so it came to mean “to aspire.” In
plain and simple terms, it refers to ambition, to that which drives
or motivates a person. Ambition comes from a Latin
“wormeaning” “canvassing for promotion.”
In our day, ambition is usually connected with some form of
self-seeking motivated by selfish desires. It generally refers to a
person with some very self-centered, hidden agendas. Such
ambition in leaders and in any Christian is a curse to be avoided
because servants with such agendas will always end up
manipulating and using others for selfish ends.
Aspiring deacons must follow the warning the prophet Jeremiah
gave to Baruch in Jeremiah 45:5, “Are you seeking great things
for yourself? Do not seek them.”
But there is a biblical and sanctified ambition and one that is
essential to good leadership, one that is a mark of maturity, a
mark that should be a part of each of our lives. So, what is
biblical ambition?
(1) It is an ambition that has been cleansed of self-seeking, one
that seeks only the glory of God and the well being of others.
(2) It is an ambition that seeks not position, praise, power,
prestige, or popularity, but service to God and ministry to men.
(3) It is an ambition that has at its center the three important Es
which define the purpose of the church: the Exaltation of God,
the Edification of the body of Christ, and the Evangelization of
the lost.
Why? How? Because if we are truly maturing in Christ, we
should be learning to seek our security, significance, and
satisfaction from the Lord rather than from people, position,
power, and praise, etc. For a beautiful commentary on this study
read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20.
1 Thessalonians 2 New International Version (NIV)
2 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not
without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated
outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our
God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong
opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from
error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On
the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be
entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people
but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used
flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is
our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not
from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we
could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like
young children[a] among you. Just as a nursing mother cares
for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you
so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the
gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember,
brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night
and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we
preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and
so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were
among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with
each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12
encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of
God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 13 And we also
thank God continually because, when you received the word of
God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human
word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at
work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters,
became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in
Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same
things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the
Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They
displease God and are hostile to everyone 16 in their effort to
keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be
saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit.
The wrath of God has come upon them at last. 17 But,
brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being
separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought),
out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18
For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again
and again—but Satan blocked our way. 19 For what is our
hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the
presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20
Indeed, you are our glory and joy.
With all this in mind, let’s note two things about 1 Tim. 3. First,
notice that Paul does not use the term elder in this passage, and
that is significant. Acts 20 clearly shows that the words elder
and overseer refer to the same office. Elders are the overseers,
for Acts 20 elders are defined as overseers (cf. Acts 20:17 with
vs. 28).
What’s the difference between the two terms?
(1) The term elder, stresses the dignity and position of this
ministry in the church.
(2) On the other hand, overseer stresses the function and work of
an elder.
In 1 Tim. 3:1, Paul carefully chose to use episkope, the “office
or charge of oversight.” But why? Because this word stresses the
ministry function and nature of this office as a charge from God
and not the element of position.
God is not looking for men who are aspiring for position. Jesus
made this clear to the disciples. The church needs men who want
to serve the body for the glory of God and the blessing of others.
Second, note the next statement of verse one. “It is a fine work
he desires to do.” Underline the word work. Work is the Greek
ergon which means “work, deed, action, task, enterprise,
undertaking.”
The emphasis is clearly not on aspiring to a position or a place
of prestige, but on the function and work of overseeing, an
aspiration which is to have its root in godly and pastoral love for
the well-being of God’s people rather than personal and selfish
agendas. It is this that Paul asserts as trustworthy or honorable.
It should be our prayer that we all would set our sights on
spiritual maturity, but as we do, let’s be careful of our motives.
The purpose of maturity is not to make us more comfortable and
secure, or land us with a position in the church. Its purpose is to
make us more like the Lord Jesus and effective as servants in a
lost and dying world.
Oswald Sanders, in his classic book on leadership entitled
Spiritual Leadership, has some fitting remarks:
“The true spiritual leader is concerned infinitely more with the
service he can render God and his fellowmen than with the
benefits and pleasures he can extract from life. He aims to put
more into life than he takes out of it.”
The greatest need is not for leaders, but for saints and servants.
Unless that is held in the foreground of our thinking, the whole
idea of leadership and leadership training becomes dangerous.
The Principle of the Relative Nature of the Marks of
Maturity
If a man is honest about his life on the inside, when he reads
these qualifications his response may be, “who can ever truly be
qualified? Who can completely fulfill all these qualifications?”
And these kinds of feelings will often cause a man to shrink
back from what could be God’s will when he very well may be
qualified.
The principle is simply this: No one is perfect. No one, other
than the Lord Jesus, ever hits the direct center of the bull’s eye.
In fact, I am convinced no one ever really gets close enough to
hit the bull’s eye.
You see, one of the most fundamental principles of Scripture is
that we all fall short of God’s glory and perfection. While godly
maturity and Christlikeness should be the goal or target of every
believer and while one of the goals of every ministry and its
leadership should be to bring its people into higher and higher
stages of godly maturity Colossians 1:28 New International
Version (NIV)
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching
everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone
fully mature in Christ., still, no matter how mature or how
godly one becomes, none of us even comes close to perfection.
Do you remember David’s plea in Psalm 143:3? David, a man
after God’s own heart and a leader of God’s people, when
praying for God’s help said: “And do not enter into judgment
with Thy servant, For in Thy sight no man living is righteous.”
Paul also brought out this truth in Philippians 3:10-16 New
International Version (NIV)
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his
resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like
him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the
resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained
all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to
take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken
hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of
things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God
will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have
already attained..
The goal, indeed, the mark we are all to pursue as did Paul is
spiritual maturity, being conformed to the character of the Lord
Jesus, but no matter how much we have attained that goal, there
will always be plenty of room and need for more growth and
change. No person has ever attained full maturity except the
Lord Jesus Himself!
So, what does this truth and fact mean—the fact that no man is
perfect or fully measures up all the time?
(1) It means there will always be room for improvement and
growth in the qualities mentioned in these passages. Being
“above reproach” is not a demand for perfection before
selection. If that were so, no man would ever be qualified.
(2) However, it teaches us that being above reproach in relation
to these qualities means that a man’s life-style is such that,
generally speaking, no one can legitimately accuse him of
conduct which is unbefitting a mature believer.
(3) It means that these qualities should exist in a man’s life to
such a degree that they stand out as prominent and consistent
characteristics. They are clearly distinguishable, but there will
be room for growth and times when he may fall short.
(4) It means that, because none of us is perfect, we should not
expect our leaders to walk on water. They all have feet of clay.
(5) However, being above reproach does mean we should look
for those men who are mature and examples of Christlikeness,
and we should expect them to continue to grow.
The Principle of Emergent Leadership
An important question is this. How do we go about selecting the
right men for the ministries of elders or deacons? This is an
important question because it involves motivating the flock to
understand and act on key biblical concepts which lead to the
flock’s ability to do two things: (a) select the right men, and (b)
respect and respond to the leadership and ministries of those
men who are chosen to serve as spiritual leaders of a
congregation.
Though Scripture gives clear guidelines concerning the spiritual
qualifications of elders and deacons and concerning the
functions of the elders, we find no clearly stated instruction for
the process of selecting elders or deacons.
(1) Acts 6:1-7 is often used as an example and does provide
us with some important insight, but those selected at that
time were never given an official title like deacon. Acts
6:1-7 New International Version (NIV)
6 In those days when the number of disciples was
increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained
against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being
overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve
gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be
right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in
order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven
men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit
and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4
and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the
word.”5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also
Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas
from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these
men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on
them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples
in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of
priests became obedient to the faith.
It was undoubtedly a temporary ministry but it still provides
us with a biblical example of selecting people for important
ministries through the guidance of the leadership, but also
through involving the congregation in the selection process
according to certain spiritual qualifications.
(2) Acts 14:23 is another passage dealing with the appointment
of elders. Acts 14:23 New International Version (NIV)
23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[a] for them in each
church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the
Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Scholars are divided, however, down the middle on the precise
meaning of “appoint” (ceirotonew, “to vote by stretching out the
hand”). Some emphasize its literal meaning while others its
derived meaning. Being divided on the meaning, they are also
divided on the procedure used by Paul and Barnabas. But
probably, they used a procedure similar to that of Acts 6 which
involved the recognition of spiritually mature and growing men
through input and involvement of the congregation in the
process because it was the people who knew them and had seen
them in action (cf. Acts 16:1-3 where Paul seems to have chosen
Timothy based on the report of the people). Acts 16:1-3 New
International Version (NIV)
16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple
named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer
but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and
Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along
on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews
who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a
Greek.
In this regard, there is an important principle that we need to
keep in mind. Acts 20:28 clearly teaches that it is really God
who makes or appoints and qualifies men for ministry by
maturing them, by gifting them, and by giving them a burden for
such a ministry. Acts 20:28 New International Version (NIV)
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the
church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood. In Acts
20:28, the word “made” in “made you overseers” is the Greek
tithemi, “to place, set.” But it often carries the idea of “appoint”
and is so translated six times in the NASB (cf. John 15:16; 1
Cor. 12:28; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 2:11; Heb. 1:2; 1 Pet. 2:8).
Since God is the one who appoints men to the ministry of elders
(and this would apply to deacons also), what exactly is the
responsibility of the church? What is it that the church does in
the selection process?
It is the responsibility of the church to recognize the emergence
of those men whom the Holy Spirit has prepared and appointed
by the qualities of their lives from the standpoint of (a) their
character, (b) their giftedness, and (c) their burden and concern
for the body of Christ.
Thus, while the local flock is asked to participate in the selection
process, its job is not so much to elect or select such men as it is
to confirm the Spirit’s work and thus His appointment and gift
of certain men to serve either as elders or deacons. How? By
recognizing God’s work in their lives through growth in Christ-
like qualities. These qualifications then simply demonstrate
God’s work and His appointment (cf. Acts 16:1-3).
What then is an emergent leadership?
It is a leadership that gradually emerges or develops like fruit
growing on a tree. Selecting an emergent leadership is
tremendously crucial. Listen to what Oswald Sanders says:
The Holy Spirit does not take control of any man or body of
men against their will. When He sees elected to positions of
leadership men who lack spiritual fitness to cooperate with
Him, He quietly withdraws and leaves them to implement their
own policy according to their own standards, but without His
aid. The inevitable issue is an unspiritual administration.
So according to the New Testament, leadership is to be an
emergent leadership, a leadership that emerges as a product of
God’s work within the flock of God’s people. As an emergent
leadership, men are not simply elected or appointed by men, but
recognized by the qualities of these passages in 1 Timothy 3 and
Titus 1. This is why evaluation according to the criteria of these
passages is so important. This is why finding men who meet the
qualifications is so much more important than selecting a certain
number to meet a quota even though that number of qualified
men are not ready or prepared by the Spirit of God.
The Principle of Balance
As I have sought to demonstrate in the summary of the
qualifications of elders and deacons that follows, you will note
that these qualities may also be seen from the standpoint of all of
a man’s fundamental relationships in life—to God, to His Word,
to self, family, others (including the outside world), and things.
Why do I call this to your attention? Because it is a way to stress
that these requirements, as marks of maturity, encompass every
area of a man’s life. A truly mature man is a well-rounded and
balanced man who has allowed Jesus Christ to invade, take
charge, and change every sphere of his life (cf. Col. 1:9f ; Josh.
3:13-14).
The point is simply this: Biblical Christianity knows nothing
about compartmentalized living. There are to be no areas of the
life where the Lord is not allowed to invade and take charge. In
other words, there are to be no spiritual “junk closets” or areas
we reserve for ourselves. We are to be His lock, stock, and
barrel.
The Principle of Two Sides of the Coin
As churches consider these passages and consider men in their
light, I believe it is tremendously important to recognize their
primary focus so that can become our focus as well. What then
is the focus?
(1) Christian character
(2) Spiritual maturity
(3) Well-rounded godliness.
The interesting point is that there is no direct, clearly-defined
reference to spiritual gifts in these verses. Indirectly we
undoubtedly find a reference to the gift of teaching in “able to
teach” in 1 Timothy 3:2, and since one of the gifts given to the
body of Christ is the gift of “leadership,” we probably have an
indirect reference to the gift of leadership in the analogy
between managing his family and the church in 1 Timothy 3:5.
1 Timothy 3:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family,
how can he take care of God’s church?)
The word “manage” in verses 4-5 is proistemi, “ to lead, go
before.” It is used of the spiritual gift of “leading” in Romans
12:8, and of the responsibilities of elders in 1 Timothy 5:17 and
in 1 Thessalonians 5:12.
There is a principle here. Clearly such gifts are necessary to
some degree if an elder is going to be able to fulfill the functions
and responsibilities of an elder. Without these he would be
working in areas of his weaknesses rather than in areas of his
strengths as gifted by the Lord. Giftedness is important to every
believer’s ministry, and especially to the ministry of church
leaders. In other words, what God has called you to do, He has
gifted you to do, and what He has gifted you to do, He has called
you to do (1 Pet. 4:10). 1 Peter 4:10 New International Version
(NIV)
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to
serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various
forms.
But the important point is this: The Apostle does not tell us to
look for men who have the gift of teaching or leading or
exhortation. Further, he does not tell us to look for men with
dynamic personalities, or who are regarded by people as great
pulpiteers or men of oratory, or for men who are successful
businessmen. God’s emphasis in this passage is not on
giftedness, or on dynamic personalities because such things in
themselves never qualify a man for leadership in the church. The
emphasis is on godly character. The body of Christ needs men
who are first and foremost men of God.
How far removed this is from our day and age and from,
unfortunately, the thinking of the average believer or church
goer. When most people think of a church leader, they think of
such things as pulpit ability, a dynamic and glowing personality,
or of someone who looks good in a blue suit and is a leader in
the community. We tend to focus on the outside and we give
little emphasis to spiritual character.
There needs to be balance. Ability, skill, and a man’s outward
impression are not unimportant nor are they completely
neglected in these verses, BUT THEY ARE NOT GIVEN OR
HIGHLIGHTED AS THE PRIMARY CONSIDERATION.
Instead, God is telling us in no uncertain terms that the key to a
man’s success in leading the church is not his skills, methods,
personality, nor even his gifts. Instead, the key is in his
emotional, mental, and spiritual maturity.
The ministry of Deacons in the local church is like a coin with
two sides and both must be included. But you know what we
do? We tend to ignore or depreciate one side or the other. Both
sides are important and neither should be neglected, but the side
of the coin God has turned up for us to see, the side needed the
most by the emphasis of these qualification passages, is the side
I am calling spiritual maturity for no matter how gifted a man is,
if he is spiritually immature, he will be a poor leader and the
church will be in trouble.
Hebrews 13:7 teaches us the same lesson. Hebrews 13:7 New
International Version (NIV)
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their
faith.
The readers are told to remember those who had taught them the
word of God, but it was not their giftedness or skill in preaching
that they were told to consider or imitate. Instead, it was their
conduct and their faith.
The coin principle does not stop here. Giftedness is important,
and for truly qualified elders a number of gifts undoubtedly
come together to enable men to shepherd the flock of God—
gifts such as teaching, exhortation, showing mercy, leading, and
administration. In other words, there are (a) communication
skills and abilities, and (b) shepherding, leading skills and
abilities. We tend to over emphasize one to the exclusion of the
other, or we find a board of elders functioning primarily on
administrative matters rather than on other aspects of ministry.
On any board of elders, some will be more skilled and gifted in
one area and others in another. One of the needs of the board
and the flock is to allow men to work in their areas of giftedness
so that the men on the board are able to complement or integrate
their gifts together for the benefit of the church.
Since these qualities provide us with a target we should all aim
for, let me bring up another principle.
(1) They are goals and they provide us with a target, something
we should all set our sights on. Since all believers should grow
and mature in the Lord, these qualifications should be the goal
of every believer, not just elders and deacons. These are goals
we will all strive for if we mean business with Jesus Christ. In
essence this should be our aim because as these marks are
realized, we will also be accomplishing the other goals God has
for our lives Philippians 3:12-15 New International Version
(NIV)
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already
arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God
has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus
In a context concerned with having the right goals in ministry,
Paul warns Timothy about those men who wanted to be
teachers, but who had strayed from the goal of 1 Timothy 1:5-6
New International Version (NIV)
5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure
heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have
departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.
In verse 6, the Greek word for “straying,” astocheo, means “to
fail to aim carefully, and thus to miss the mark.” They were
disqualified because they were aiming at the wrong goals.
(2) Next, these qualifications are marks of identification and
confirmation. They make the person who possesses these
qualities a marked person with the brand of Jesus Christ
emblazoned across their lives. Today, the church has lost its
distinctiveness because, far too often, you can’t tell believers
from unbelievers—and I am not talking about manner of dress.
Rather, I am referring to values, priorities, pursuits, and godly
character.
(3) Finally, as marks of identification and confirmation, they
also make the possessors of these qualities examples, patterns to
follow. They demonstrate the reality of Christ in our lives which
enables us to be influential in the right way.
Qualifications for Deacons
In General
Tested . . . beyond reproach (1 Tim. 3:10). Before a man is
asked to serve as a deacon, he is to be observed over a period of
time to see if he is qualified for that ministry. If he is found to be
beyond reproach (if there are no violations in the qualities
needed to serve), he may then be chosen to serve as a deacon.
This is a warning against hastily choosing men for ministry for
whatever reason (the pressure of needs, to fill a quota, etc.).
Time is needed so his qualifications can become clearly
apparent.
This principle also applies to the selection of elders (see 1 Tim.
5:22). 1 Timothy 5:22 New International Version (NIV)
22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share
in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
Because of context, some think 1 Timothy 5:22 deals with
church discipline, but the only record we have of the laying on
of hands in the New Testament and in early church history
(before the third century) is associated with the selection and
ordination of men for ministry (cf. Acts 6:6; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim.
1:6). Because of this, it is better to take this passage as a
warning against hasty selection and ordination of elders.
As to God and His Word
Holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience (1
Tim. 3:8). “The mystery of the faith” refers to the body of
Christian doctrine to which we hold (believe and live by)
through faith. “With a clear conscience” means he seeks to
honestly live by the truths of Scripture. He keeps short accounts
with God.
As to Self
(1) Men of dignity (1 Tim. 3:8). He is one who takes his life and
work seriously as a part of his devotion to the Lord. He has a
vision for his life’s purpose.
(2) Not double tongued (1 Tim. 3:8). He is not a hypocrite who
says one thing to one person and something contradictory to
another. He speaks the truth, is honest. He does not destroy his
credibility by words that are contradictory.
As to Things
(1) Not addicted to much wine (1 Tim. 3:8).
(2) Not fond of sordid gain (1 Tim. 3:8). As with an elder, he
must not use the office for personal gain, or be controlled by the
desire for material wealth. Wrong motives kill a man’s ability to
serve the Lord and love others. He cannot serve God and
mammon or self-seeking goals.
As to Family
(1) A husband of one wife (Literally, a one-woman man) (1
Tim. 3:12).
(2) Good managers of their children and their own households (1
Tim. 3:12).
There is one word which truly summarizes these qualifications.
It’s the word SERVANT. A deacon, as with an elder, is to be a
servant of God and a servant of men Mark 10:43-45 New
International Version (NIV)
43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be
first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many.”
Conclusion
One of the designed results of these marks of maturity is that
such men become examples of the Christian life and of the
power of God that is available in the person and work of Jesus
Christ. The responsibility of the church is to select those men
who are models, examples for the flock to follow as we see in
Hebrews 13:7 and 1 Peter 5:3.
I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “Don’t follow me, I’m
lost too,” That’s the state of the world and, unfortunately, of
many well meaning Christians and leaders. They are like the
commercial pilot who told his passengers, “I have some good
news and some bad news. The bad news is we are lost, but the
good news is that we are making good time.”
Motion in itself never means direction just as activity in itself
never means effectiveness. We can be like the cowboy who
rushed into the corral, bridled and saddled his horse and rode off
in all directions. We need quality lives with quality motion
aimed in the right direction with specific, biblical objectives.
Effective ministry to others is often equated with dynamic
personalities, with talent, giftedness, with training, with
enthusiasm, and with charisma. But these things alone are
inadequate. Much, much more is needed.
Howard Hendricks, in his unique style, tells the story of a
student who came to him with a problem.
“Hey prof., I have a problem.” Hendricks, “Yea, What’s your
problem?” Student, “Why did the Lord choose Judas?”
Hendricks, “Ah, that’s no problem. I have a bigger problem than
that.” Student, “Yea, what’s that?” Hendricks, “Why did the
Lord choose you?” And I think he also added, “ Why did the
Lord choose me?”
His point was, look at the disciples. How would you like to
launch a world wide campaign with the likes of Peter and his
companions? Yet, with these common, average, uneducated
men, the Lord launched a campaign that has reached the world
and turned it upside down. Why? Because of their methodology?
No! Because of their dynamic personalities or programs? No!
Because these common men intimately knew the Lord and
began to experience His life and character in theirs by the Spirit
of God. He took common men and made them into great men
who became spiritual leaders because they were experiencing
Him. Our need? The selection of godly men!
If we must choose between giftedness and godliness, let us
choose godliness. If we can choose both, that’s great and that’s
the ideal, but let’s keep the emphasis where God puts it!
I.
INTRODUCTION IN THE DIOCONATE
Denominational Beliefs About Ordination
Most denominations believe ordination does not endow a
person with any special powers or authority. It is a means of
indicating to churches and to the world in general that a
person has been accredited as worthy to be a pastor or
deacon. In recent years, denominations have extended
ordination to include other persons in ministry, such as
chaplains, missionaries and church staff members.
Not all denominations agree that ordination is necessary or
even appropriate. However, ordination is practiced by most
churches and is considered valid for a lifetime. Thus, when a
person moves from one church to another as pastor or
deacon, there is no need to be re-ordained.
For most churches, ordination is a function of an individual
church, not of the denomination. Although other churches
or denominational entities may be asked to participate, a
church is the body that actually ordains.
In the case of pastors and deacons, ordination is usually
preceded by licensing the person to the gospel ministry or
“setting a person aside” to become a deacon. Licensing and
setting aside, ushers in a period when the church and the
individual can evaluate whether the person is indeed suitable
for pastoral ministry or servanthood. If the person testifies
to an internal calling by God through the Holy Spirit to the
gospel ministry or service, evidences the biblical
qualifications for the office and demonstrates the gifts
necessary for effective pastoral or deacon ministry, the
church proceeds with ordination.
By way of introduction, some things need to be said as a
foundation for our common understanding of this ordained
ministry in the Church. It is essential to understand that the
diaconate is first and foremost completely about service –
diakonia. We often hear that description, but we need to
understand it on a more profound level.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders has two degrees: diaconate, and
Eldership. The ordination of an Elder imparts a sacred character
and grants ministerial participation in the priesthood of Jesus
Christ, our Eternal High Priest.
The ordination of a deacon, on the other hand, is not an
ordination unto priesthood, but unto service. Many people most
closely identify the ministry of the deacon with his role in the
sacred liturgy or what we call devotion, but this is not his
essential identity and role. His service in the liturgy is only a
reflection of his true identity brought into the public worship of
the Church. His essential identity is as one who serves. That is
why there are special ministries that are particularly suited to the
deacon as servant. These include ministry and service to the
poor, to the imprisoned, to the sick and to those who are
abandoned and lonely, the modern day “widows and orphans.”
(Read Acts 6)
But questions naturally arise: Why does one need to be a deacon
to do these things? Should not all the disciples of Jesus Christ be
engaged in such apostolates of service? In other words, what is
“new” that is brought about by sacred ordination as a deacon?
What we must understand is “The Sacrament of Holy Orders
marks deacons ‘with an imprint (character) which cannot be
removed and which configures them to Christ, who made
himself the “deacon” or servant of all.’ For this level of Holy
Orders, Christ calls and the Church asks the Elders (Priest) to
ordain deacons to be consecrated witnesses to service.
Consecrated, witness, service – all three words are important in
this understanding. The permanent deacon is set aside and
consecrated in the midst of the Church as a witness to the
service of God and neighbor to which all the disciples of Jesus
Christ are called. By his ordination, the deacon is configured to
Christ, the Servant and Son of God, who came “not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
This understanding serves as a constant reminder that Christian
discipleship for the ordained, laity and religious alike is not
about oneself. Ordination to the permanent diaconate is not
about achieving some special status or recognition in the
Church. The deacon is ordained to be a servant of Christ to his
people, and a humble aid to the ministry of Elder (Priest) and the
Bishops.
The call to diaconate ordination, though a personal one, is
authenticated by the Holy Spirit through the Pastor or bishop to
meet a specific “need and desire of the Christian community for
service in the local church and diocese. Just as the first deacons
were chosen and ordained by the Apostles to meet a specific
identified need of the early Christian community, so it is in the
Church today. Where a need has been identified that particularly
suits the ministry of a deacon, a man may be called forward and
ordained to minister to that need by the bishop, successor to the
Apostles.
The diaconal witness is lived in the midst of the world. The
permanent deacon is often said to have a “foot in both worlds”,
i.e. he is an ordained minister of the Church, but usually also has
secular employment and other responsibilities in the secular
order.
The deacon’s tasks include that of ‘promoting and sustaining the
apostolic activities of the laity.’ To the extent that he is more
present and more involved than the Elder (priest) in secular
environments and structures, he should feel encouraged to foster
closeness between the ordained ministry and lay activities, in
common service to the kingdom of God.
Finally, all that has been said about the permanent deacon as
servant in the image of Jesus Christ is reflected in the deacon’s
liturgical function at the altar, where he is often more visible.
His true service at the altar brings into the sacred liturgy a
powerful and important reminder to all of us that the Church has
an essential diaconal character and identity – to serve the world
in witness to the kingdom of God.
II.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PERMANENT DIACONATE
A foreshadowing of the office of deacon in the Church predates
the New Testament. In the Prayer of Ordination for deacons the
“sons of Levi” are recalled. Moses, instructed by God,
established an order of men, the Levites, who represented the
people in service to the priests and to minister in the former
tabernacle of the old covenant. (See especially the Book of
Numbers, chapters 1 and 8)
As referenced above, the institution of the Order of Deacons by
the Apostles arose from an early necessity of service in the
Church that was too demanding for the Apostles to manage
alone. The solution was to appoint seven men of good repute to
assist them in the daily ministry. Through prayer and the laying
on of hands, they entrusted to those chosen men the ministry of
serving at table. (See Acts 6:1-6). Paul describes the particular
qualifications needed for a man to be appointed to the office of
deacon (1 Timothy 3:8-13). We can ascertain from other texts of
the New Testament that deacons in the early Church preached
(Stephen and Philip) (Acts 7 and Acts 8:4-13), baptized
(Philip) 12 (Acts 8:36-38), and served the early Church
community (Acts 6:1-6). With the spread of the Faith in the
early Church, deacons began to have a liturgical function. (St.
Ignatius of Antioch joins episkopoi, presbyteroi and diakonoi to
the Eucharist, indicating a liturgical function.
Emphasized throughout the Gospels, the Greek word that
became the designation for the office of deacon, diakonia, was
grounded in Jesus Christ himself. Jesus offered himself in total
service to the Father:
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but
the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)
“But I am among you as one who serves (diakonia)”16 (Luke
22:27)
In conformity to Jesus the Servant, an essential character of the
Church is to be servant of God and his people. The deacon is an
icon of this servanthood in the midst of the Church.
In the early second century, St. Ignatius of Antioch, in many
references to deacons, considered a Church without the Orders
of Elders (Priests) and Deacons unthinkable.
As the order of deacon became more prominent throughout the
early centuries of the Church, the deacon became the functional
arm of the local bishop. He assisted the bishop during the sacred
liturgy, exercised responsibility for the temporal affairs and
goods of the Church, and distributed alms to the poor. As the
bishop’s advisor, legal representative and confidant, he was
often the logical choice to succeed the bishop upon his death,
after receiving priestly and episcopal ordination.
By 400 A.D. abuses of power and conflict with the order of
priests, often over monetary compensation, are cited as factors
that contributed to the decline of the diaconate as a permanent
order within the Church. Social changes within the Church led
to the development of monasteries and religious orders that
assumed responsibility for charitable institutions, further
contributing to a reduction in the need for deacons who had
formerly ministered to these needs. Over the centuries that
followed, many factors contributed to a chain of events that, by
800 A.D., resulted in the diaconate being reduced to a
transitional step toward the priesthood in the Church. Since the
Order of Deacon had apostolic roots going back to the New
Testament, it could not simply be abolished in the Church. The
solution at the time was to make it a step toward the fuller Order
of the Priesthood. In the Churches of the East, the diaconate
remained a permanent ministry and order.
In Germany during the 1950’s, a proposal was stirring to restore
the diaconate as a permanent order within the Church. In the
1960’s, the fathers of the Second Vatican Council proposed to
the universal Church that the ministry of the deacon came from
the Apostles, and as such, should be restored as a permanent
order in the Church:
“It will be possible in the future to restore the diaconate as a
proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy.”
Assigned once again to the deacon were his traditional
ministries of administering baptism, ordinary minister of Holy
Communion, witnessing of marriages, bringing viaticum to the
dying, proclaiming the Sacred Scriptures, exhorting and
instructing the people, officiating at funeral rites, and being
dedicated to charitable works.
With regard to the Church’s missionary activity, it was believed
that catechists (bible study) and those governing remote
communities of faith would be strengthened for their apostolate
through the sacramental grace of diaconal ordination resulting in
a more fruitful ministry. This was in response to a concrete
reality in the life of the Church in certain developing countries
where many communities of faith were in remote areas that very
seldom had the opportunity to receive the ministry of Elders
(priests). Lay catechists took care of those communities and
helped foster the life of the Church there. It was thought that if
some of these lay catechists could be ordained as deacons, their
ministry would be enhanced and they also would be able to
celebrate certain of the sacraments in the absence of Elders
(priests) (baptisms and weddings) as well as preside at funeral
rites and serve as ordinary ministers of Holy Communion.
III.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE PERMANENT
DIACONATE
New Testament Deacons serve the Lord by conducting the
caring ministry of the church — doing the benevolence work,
visiting the sick, being alert to the spiritual needs of the
congregation — for the purposes of freeing the pastoral staff to
focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word, promoting unity
within the church, and facilitating the spread of the gospel.
1. Deacons and Elders Are the Two Distinct Offices in a New
Testament Church “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus
Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with
the bishops and deacons” Philippians 1:1
There are two offices of the New Testament Church mentioned
together in Philippians 1:1 and in 1st Timothy 3 — bishops
(Elders) and deacons. In 1st Timothy 3 the qualifications are
spelled out for the two offices, bishops in verses 1-7, and
deacons in verse 8-13. The qualifications are similar, but not
identical. For example, the bishop is required to be “able to
teach” whereas the deacon does not have that expectation. The
differences in title and qualifications mean that the offices are
distinct.
The term “bishop” is translated overseer in some translations. It
is the word from which we get our word “episcopal.” Translated
from the original language, it means, “to look upon, inspect,
oversee, look after, care for” and refers to “the care of the
church which rested upon the elders.” The term “bishop” is used
interchangeably with “elder” and “shepherd” (i.e. pastor) in Acts
20 and 1st Peter 5.
One can see how the words in these passages (in bold for your
reference) are used in an interchangeable manner:
“From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the
church.... And when they had come to him, he said to them:
...take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of
God which He purchased with His own blood” Acts 20:17, 18,
28 NKJV
“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow
elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of
God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by
compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor
as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to
the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will
receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” 1st Peter
5:1-4 NKJV
It was the elders who were charged with the general oversight of
the church with the emphasis being on the spiritual building up
of the body of Christ:
“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double
honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine” 1st
Timothy 5:17 NKJV
One gets the impression from this passage that there were those
elders whose duties were more administrative in nature and
those who had more of a teaching role, the latter being the most
emphasized.
The churches were commanded to be supportive of the elder’s
ministry and to accept leadership:
“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they
watch out for your souls [a shepherding function], as those who
must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief,
for that would be unprofitable for you” Hebrews 13:17 NKJV
Therefore:
1. Deacons and Elders are the offices in the church. The offices
are distinct. Elders are not deacons. Deacons are not elders.
2. The terms, Elder, Pastor (shepherd), and Overseer (bishop)
are used synonymously in the New Testament but can be
explained as thus:
The Greek term, presbýteros, meaning "older" is used in the
New Testament. From its earliest days, the Christian church
followed the Jewish tradition of appointing spiritual authority in
the church to older, more mature men of wisdom. In the book of
Acts, the Apostle Paul established and the office and appointed
men (elders) in the early church, and in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and
Titus 1:6–9, the office of elder was instituted by ordination (The
Laying on of hands).
3. In the New Testament, elders had the role of the general
oversight of the church. One elder was usually recognized as a
Presiding Elder. In 1 Peter "the elders ... are a college entrusted
with the guidance of the church, that is, that they are office-
bearers."
Those who were ordained into the office of the Elder where
gifted with the gift of the Pastor or one of the fivefold Ministry
Gifts of Ephesians 4. Poimēn in Ephesians 4 is a Gifting not an
office. Pastor or poimainō means "to serve as a tender of sheep,
herd, tend, (lead to) pasture," then extended figuratively to mean
"to watch out for other people, to shepherd, of activity that
protects, rules, governs, fosters." In Greek the verb is used more
commonly to describe the function of the gift of the (Noun)
pastor (poimēn). The word "pastor" (Greek poimēn) occurs only
once as a noun that refers to one of the five gifting given by
Christ (Ephesians 4:11). The noun means "one who shepherds,"
and "one who serves as guardian or leader." It does not describe
the Office it describe the gifting needed to operate in the office.
4. "Serving as overseers" (NIV) "taking/exercising the
oversight" (KJV, NRSV), is the Greek verb episkopeō, from
which we get our word "Episcopal." The basic meaning is "to
give attention to, look at, take care of, see to it." Here it has a
figurative meaning, "to accept responsibility for the care of
someone, oversee, care for." In Paul's address to the Ephesian
elders at Miletus, it is used of church officers, "overseer or
supervisor" (Acts 20:28), used synonymously with elders in 1
Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:7; and the subscriptions to both 2 Timothy
and Titus. Elders are Overseers, one who has oversight or
supervises. Just like the office of the Elder, Overseer is an
Office. He is one who is a supervisor of Elders. It is very
important that we understand that an Overseer or supervisor is
not an owner. What an Overseer supervises is not his own. He is
a Steward over another man’s work. The Visionary, The
Presiding Elder or Bishop. The one who is “chief among us” is
the vison bearer. A half century later the word is used of those
who supervise presbyters, Elders and Overseers, ("Bishop"), as a
church hierarchy begins to emerge. But at the time 1 Peter was
written, the word isn't used in this later, specific sense. Beyer
observes:
"The evidence of the New Testament is clearly to the effect that
originally several episkopoi took charge of the communities in
brotherly comity. It is also plain that the point of the office was
service, and service alone."
The Deacon and the Sacramental Church
The Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation
(Ordination) and the Holy Eucharist (The Lords Supper) ground
the common vocation of all Christ’s disciples, a vocation to
holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world. From
these the Holy Spirit calls through the Church some men or
women to ordained service. Though the Catechism of the
Church differentiates two degrees of ministerial participation in
the priesthood of Christ (the presbyterate (Elders) and the
episcopacy (Bishops) and the diaconate is not among them, yet
both orders are conferred by sacramental ordination that is by
the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The diaconate is intended to
serve the other two orders.
Repeated here is what was cited above in the preface:
“The Sacrament of Holy Orders marks deacons ‘with an imprint
(character) which cannot be removed and which configures them
to Christ, who made himself the “deacon” or servant of all.’ For
this level of Holy Orders, Christ calls and the Church asks the
bishop to ordain deacons to be consecrated witnesses to
service.”
Ordination to the diaconate confers an outpouring of the Holy
Spirit configuring the deacon to Christ’s consecration and
mission. The deacon is therefore “a cleric who is ordained to
diakonia, namely a service to God’s People in communion with
the bishop and the body of priests (Elders).”
The Deacon and the Word: Evangelizer and Teacher
Because the deacon sacramentalizes service, by virtue of
ordination he will proclaim the Gospel and preach in such a way
that he first witnesses its empowerment in his own life. By his
own faithful practice of the spiritual and corporal works of
mercy, the permanent deacon “by word and example…should
work so that all the faithful, in imitation of Christ, may place
themselves at the constant service of their brothers and sisters.”
The Deacon and the Liturgy of the Altar
The diaconal ministry of charity cannot be separated from the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and Christ’s mandate on essential care
for the poor is linked to the Eucharistic sacrifice (The Lords
Supper). All ministries in the Church, including that of the
permanent deacon, are incomplete without the Holy Eucharist
and in fact draw their life from the same Eucharistic mystery.
“For the Church gathered at worship, moreover, the ministry of
the deacon is a visible, grace-filled sign of the integral
connection between sharing at the Lord’s Eucharistic table and
serving the many human hungers felt so keenly by all God’s
children. In the deacon’s liturgical ministry, as in a mirror, the
Church sees a reflection of her own diaconal character and is
reminded of her mission to serve as Jesus did.”
This sign of the deacon’s liturgical ministry is especially
manifest when he is assisting the bishop in the celebration of the
Eucharistic ministry. The heart of diaconal ministry is the
inseparable link between the deacon’s liturgical service at the
altar and his service to the poor in the community. “In his formal
liturgical roles, the deacon brings the poor to the Church and the
Church to the poor.”
The Deacon in the World of Work
Because he stands with a foot in two worlds, the permanent
deacon’s ministry and witness is distinctively in the world of
work and society. Therefore, the theological principles of social
doctrine developed over time by the Church must be formative
for an effective diaconate. Human work, especially that of the
permanent deacon, is to be imbued with “a spiritual and moral
character that gives work its genuine value and workers their
specific dignity.” Too often the transforming Christian message
in the area of human labor is obscured and the deformities of
society distort the divine image in men and women. The deacon
is to witness in his own life and labor the truth of the dignity of
the human person and human work.
The Deacon and Charitable Work
Of his threefold ministries of the Word, the liturgy and charity,
the deacon’s distinctive call is to charity. “In a world hungry and
thirsty for convincing signs of the compassion and liberating
love of God, the deacon sacramentalizes the mission of the
Church in his words and deeds, responding to the Master’s
command of service and providing real-life examples of how to
carry it out.”
IV.
TOWARD A DIACONAL SPIRITUALITY
The primary sources of a deacon’s spirituality are his
participation in the sacraments of Christian initiation, as well as
his sacramental identity and participation in ordained ministry.
For a deacon who is married, his spirituality is nurtured further
in the Sacrament of Matrimony, which sanctifies conjugal love
and constitutes it as a sign of the love with which Christ gives
himself to the Church. For the celibate deacon, loving God and
serving his neighbor roots his whole person in total and
undivided consecration to Christ. For each deacon, his model
par excellence is Jesus Christ, the Servant, who lived totally in
service of his Father, for the good of every person. To live their
ministry to the fullest, ‘deacons must know Christ intimately so
that He may shoulder the burdens of their ministry.”
“Deacons are obliged to give priority to the spiritual life and to
live their diakonia with generosity. They should integrate their
family obligations, professional life, and ministerial
responsibilities so as to grow in their commitment to the person
and mission of Christ, the Servant. Clerics have a special
obligation to seek holiness in their lives ‘because they are
consecrated to God by a new title in the reception of orders as
dispensers of God’s mysteries in the service of His people.”
“Every single baptized believer, by virtue of being a Christian,
by virtue of being baptized, is called to the fullness of holiness.”
The primary foundational principle of the call to diaconal
ministry begins with this call to holiness. A man who presumes
to hear a call from God to the diaconate must answer first to
God’s call to personal holiness. Has the prospective permanent
deacon set as his life’s goal steady growth in the Holy Spirit
toward oneness with God in Christ Jesus and His Church? If
married, does his wife share with him this heart’s desire? These
are the first and most important questions that will frame all
further steps toward acceptance in diaconal formation, and to
final ordination to the Order of Deacon. The discernment
process begins and ends with the evidence of the growth in
holiness in a man’s (and his wife’s) life.
The permanent deacon will “re-propose wholeheartedly to
everyone this high standard of Christian living.” He will
courageously help those in his community, together with the
pastor and the staff of his dioceses, to rediscover, reawaken, and
appropriate the call to holiness. With this goal held before him,
the deacon will center his efforts to fulfill what the blessed
church of God desired, that the “Church of the new millennium
becomes a training place for holiness and a school for prayer.”
Central to this rule of growth in holiness is the permanent
deacon’s adherence to the Divine Office of the Church (the
Liturgy of Prayer). Upon acceptance into the diaconal formation,
the Laity, and later the permanent deacon, is required to pray. In
essence, the deacon should pray as much as possible, depending
on the circumstances of his life. Especially recommended to the
permanent deacon is the Office of Readings, which is a constant
immersion in the Sacred Scriptures and the spiritual and
theological writings of great authors of the Church, which will
constitute part of his ongoing education and formation.
The requirement of diaconal candidates to pray the Liturgy as
outlined above becomes a grave obligation he accepts through
the promise he makes to the bishop on the day of his ordination.
It is further recommended, when possible, as a profound aid
toward a permanent deacon’s and his wife’s spiritual unity, that
the deacon and his wife pray together.
The permanent deacon’s family in the heart of the church will
model what a Christian family is, as outlined above. Only God’s
help through family prayer, undertaken steadily and daily, can
support such a difficult task in a culture that is corrosive to
Christian family values. The permanent diaconate formation and
the deacon community will enlist its prayer and energy to work
with the deacon’s family to clear hurdles to a true Christian
family life, but the prospective deacon and his wife must realize,
from the outset, how entrance into the Order of Deacon will lay
a holy expectation of spiritual growth on the whole family.
Inherent to the call to holiness and the spirituality of the
permanent deacon, it must be kept in mind that the charitable
and service ministry done by the deacon flows supernaturally
from his sacramental identity as one who is configured to Christ
the Servant.
THE ROLE OF THE PERMANENT DEACON’S SPOUSE
AND FAMILY
“The majority of permanent deacons in the United States are
married. These men bring to the Sacrament of Holy Orders the
gifts already received and still being nurtured through their
participation in the Sacrament of Matrimony. This latter
sacrament sanctifies the love of husbands and wives, making
that love an efficacious sign of the love of Christ for the Church.
Marriage requires an ‘interpersonal giving of self, a mutual
fidelity, a source of [and openness to] new life, [and] a support
in times of joy and sorrow.’ Lived in faith, this ministry within
the domestic Church is a sign to the entire Church of the love of
Christ. It forms the basis of the married deacon’s unique gift
within the Church.”
“A married deacon, with his wife and family, gives witness to
the sanctity of marriage. The more they grow in mutual love,
conforming their lives to the Church’s teaching on marriage and
sexuality, the more they give to the Christian community a
model of Christ-like love, compassion and self-sacrifice.”
In the aftermath of the sexual revolution and no-fault divorce,
when discord and confusion reign in many Church families, it is
to reaffirm the sublime truth of marriage that the deacon, his
wife, and his family must exemplify the eternal principles that
are the foundation of the marital covenant. These eternal
principles include the affirmation that marriage is a permanent
covenant between one man and one woman for the whole of life,
rooted in fidelity to one another and always with openness to the
procreation and education of children.
“The married deacon must always remember that through his
sacramental participation in both vocational sacraments, first in
Matrimony and again in Holy Orders, he is challenged to be
faithful to both. With integrity, he must live out both sacraments
in harmony and balance. The wife of a deacon should be
included with her husband, when appropriate, in diocesan clergy
and parochial staff gatherings. A deacon and his wife, both as a
spiritual man and woman and as a couple, have much to share
with the bishop and his priests about the Sacrament of
Matrimony. A diaconal family also brings a unique presence and
understanding of the domestic family. ‘By facing in a spirit of
faith the challenges of married life and the demands of daily
living, [the married deacon and his family] strengthen the family
life not only of the Church community but of the whole of
society’.”
The family is the primary community accompanying a diaconal
candidate on the formative journey. For married candidates, the
communion of life and love, established by the marriage
covenant and consecrated by the Sacrament of Matrimony,
offers a singular contribution to the [diaconal] formation
process. The single candidate’s family also contributes to his
formation; those responsible for implementing the formation
process should consult with the candidate to ascertain the
strength of his support from his family and friends to ensure that
his vocation is also encouraged and fostered.”
VI.
PARTICULAR ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE
Recognition of permanent deacons as clergy and the
relationship with the pastor.
Through the reception of the Sacrament of Holy Orders at the
hands of the Bishop, a permanent deacon becomes a cleric (a
member of the clergy) and is incardinated into the Leadership of
the Church. He is no longer a member of the laity of the Church,
and so the often heard reference to him as a “lay deacon” does
not apply.
As a cleric, the permanent deacon enjoys all the rights afforded
him in the Churh By-Law and is also subject to all of the
obligations required of him under the same law.
Also, “through the imposition of hands and the prayer of
consecration [in the Rite of Ordination], [the deacon] is
constituted a sacred minister and a member of the hierarchy.
This condition determines his theological and juridical status in
the Church.”
In this light it is important to recognize the permanent deacon’s
new status in the Church as a result of his ordination. Although
recognizing that his primary ministry as a deacon is to be one
who serves in the image of Christ the Servant, due respect
should be afforded him as a sacred minister of the Church.
The permanent deacon has a special relationship with the bishop
and the elders of the diocese. “[Deacons], sustained by the grace
of the Sacrament [of Holy Orders] in the ministry of the liturgy,
of the word and of charity, are at the service of the People of
God, in communion with the Bishop and his Elders. The
diaconate is intended to help and serve the orders of the
episcopacy and priesthood. “The principal function of the
deacon, therefore, is to collaborate with the bishop and the
elders in the exercise of a ministry which is not of their own
wisdom, but of the word of God, calling all to conversion and
holiness.”
Particular attention must be paid to the relationship between the
permanent deacon and his pastor, especially when he is assigned
to parochial ministry or has faculties to be exercised in a
particular Dioceses or mission. The pastor and all elders serving
in the church or mission must recognize the deacon as a
collaborator in ministry and as one who shares with them in the
Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Even though the permanent deacon is there to help and serve the
pastor, his dignity as a brother in Christ and as a sacred minister
of the Church must be respected. The deacon, for his part, must
remember that the pastor is the one whom he helps and serves
under the authority of the bishop. Mutual respect and charity
should govern this relationship.
To be avoided at all cost is any sense of rivalry or competition
between elders and deacons. All must remember that they are
there to serve Christ and the Church. A sense of selfless service
to Christ and the People of God should animate the ministry of
bishops, elders and deacons. The permanent deacon must
remember that the pastor possesses the ultimate authority in the
church or mission, always under the authority of the diocesan
bishop.
When a pastor has a permanent deacon serving in the church or
mission entrusted to his care, he should show particular
solicitude toward the deacon and assist him in the development
of his diaconal life and ministry. The pastor should mentor the
deacon, guiding him and teaching him how to be the best
minister of Christ that he can be, seeking to realize his full
potential. The deacon should be humble and open to the
direction and guidance of his pastor.
Regular and open communication should exist between a pastor
and the permanent deacon. This will help build a strong
relationship as the pastor and deacon collaborate in ministry for
the good of the people entrusted to their care.
The permanent deacon’s pastoral assignment
In the Introduction to this teaching, it was pointed out that, in the
Acts of the Apostles, the first deacons were called forth and
ordained to meet a specific need in the early Church. This will
also should be the case as we move forward with the formation
of a Deacon for the permanent diaconate in the local church and
Diocese. A man will not be ordained to simply “be the deacon”
at a particular church or mission. There must be a specifically
identified need in the community, authenticated by the Bishop in
consultation with the local pastor, for which a man will be called
forth to minister as a permanent deacon. In other words, the
deacon will need to have a particular service ministry or
diakonia for which he will be ordained. This new direction will
be reflective of the fact that the deacon’s primary ministry is not
in the sanctuary but in the service of charity.
This should be reflected in the letter of assignment once a man
is ordained to the permanent diaconate. The assignment letter
may read that the deacon is assigned to a particular church or
mission to minister in a particular area of need (e.g. to the poor
of the community, to the sick, to the elderly, to the imprisoned,
to the youth, as a catechist, etc…). The deacon could also be
assigned to some broader diocesan or regional ministry with
diaconal faculties in a particular church or mission.
This does not mean that the permanent deacon could never
engage in some other area of ministry as his diaconal ministry
matures. It does mean that he must always have some particular
focus of his diaconal ministry on specific needs in the
community.
Permanent deacons are not ordained for any particular church,
even their own. They are ordained for service to the Church, a
service exercised in the Diocese under the authority of the
Bishop. Deacons must therefore be prepared for the fact that
their assignment could change as the needs of another church or
the diocese arises.
The permanent deacon and preaching
Preaching, taken in its strictly liturgical sense, involves much
more than simply the sermon at church. The permanent deacon
has the opportunity to preach in various liturgical and ecclesial
contexts. These include, but are not limited to: wake services,
the funeral liturgy outside of church, baptisms, wedding
celebrations outside of church, liturgies of the Word outside of
church, Sunday celebrations in the absence of a pastor or elders,
and other prayer and liturgical services.
As regards the preaching of the sermon at church, one must
begin with a basic principle. The liturgical norms presume that
the one who presides at a liturgical service, or who is the
principal celebrant at church, is also to give the sermon. This
should be the ordinary practice.
“When the deacon presides at a liturgical celebration, in
accordance with the relevant norms, he shall give due
importance to the sermon.
The sermon [at church] should ordinarily be given by the Pastor
the celebrant himself…
Now it is true that the permanent deacon may give the sermon at
church, but a closer look at the liturgical norms is necessary to
understand the circumstances under which this would be the
case:
The sermon should ordinarily be given by the celebrant himself.
He may entrust it to a concelebrant or occasionally, according to
circumstances, to the deacon.
The key words and phrases here are “occasionally” and
“according to circumstances.
The sum effect of the two phrases taken together is this: From
time to time, if common sense suggests that it is a good idea in
this particular concrete instance, the deacon may be entrusted
with the sermon by the celebrant. The other effect of these two
phrases taken together is to rule out the notion of the deacon
preaching the sermon at church on a routine or scheduled basis.
He may preach the sermon at church for some identifiable
advantage for the faithful in the congregation, but not on a
regular basis.
In this context, it should be noted that it is the primary
obligation of the celebrant, especially the pastor, to ensure that
the Word of God is proclaimed in its entirety to those living in
the community. It is his special obligation, therefore, to
regularly preach the sermon at church. On the day of his
ordination, the Elder makes this solemn promise to preach the
Gospel. The permanent deacon is ordained to assist the bishop
and elders in the role of teaching the faith, but the primary
responsibility for this in the church setting rests with the pastor.
It should also be noted that the Pastor has the authority to restrict
or remove the faculty to preach, but not to expand it beyond that
which is envisioned, and the liturgical norms.
In conclusion, then, two norms for permanent deacons preaching
the sermons at church are to be observed:
1. The permanent deacon may be entrusted with the message or
homily in the service on certain occasions, in other words from
time to time, as circumstances suggest. This should not occur,
however, on a routine or regularly scheduled basis
2. It is for the celebrant of the church to make the determination
as to when the permanent deacon may be entrusted with the
sermon. This determination should be made under the direction
of the pastor of the church where the sermon is delivered.
The pastor and the permanent deacon assigned to the church
should have a discussion and come to an understanding as to
when it is opportune that the permanent deacon be entrusted
with the sermon at church.
The permanent deacon should pay careful attention to the other
opportunities he has to preach at liturgical services and in the
course of his daily living in witness to Christ and the teachings
of the Church.
HOLY ORDERS (ORDINATION): ELDERS (BISHOP), &
(DEACONS).
Let me begin by saying that Holy Orders or Ordination, is not
just for the Catholic Church but for the catholic Church at large.
The Church adopted the term order from its use in the Roman
Empire, where it referred to a governing group. In the Sacrament
of Holy Orders, there are two degrees or "orders": Elders, and
Deacon “ Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all
the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops
and deacons.” Philippians 1:1
The rite of ordination is the sacramental act that makes this
possible. Ordination "confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that
permits the exercise of a 'sacred power' . . . which can come only
from Christ himself through the Church".
The first priest figure to appear in the Old Testament is
Melchizedek, who offered a sacrifice of bread and wine on
behalf of the patriarch Abraham (Gn 14:18-20). He symbolized
the permanence of priesthood: "Like Melchizedek you are a
priest forever" (Ps 110:4). God also chose Aaron and his sons to
be priests (Ex 28:1ff.) and designated the tribe of Levi for
liturgical service. They acted on behalf of the people and offered
gifts and sacrifices for sins. They proclaimed God's Word and
led people to communion with him through sacrifices and
prayers.
or definitive sanctification for the people. Only the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ could bring this about. The priesthood of
Melchizedek, Aaron, and the Levites prefigured the priesthood
of Christ, as is seen in consecration prayers for the ordination of
Elders, and deacons.
The priesthood of the Old Testament found its perfect
fulfillment in the priesthood of Jesus Christ, who is the one
mediator between God and us. Jesus' sacrifice of himself on the
Cross was a priestly act of perfect self-offering accepted by the
Father and culminating in his Resurrection from the dead so
that, as Risen Lord and High Priest, he continues to offer
salvation to all.
By Baptism, all the members of the Church share in Christ's
holy priesthood. It is called "the common priesthood of the
faithful" because the entire Church shares in it 1 Peter 2:5. To
build up this priesthood, Christ gives to his Church the ordained
ministries of Elders and deacons through the Sacrament of Holy
Orders or Ordination. Only the ordained Elders may be ministers
of Confirmation (or Chrismation), the ordaining of deacons, and
elders". The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the
common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred
power for the service of the faithful. The ordained ministers
exercise their service for the People of God by teaching (munus
docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral
governance (munus regendi)". Deacons in the Latin Church can
baptize and witness the Sacrament of Marriage, as do elders.
The ordained Elder serve the Church in the person of Christ as
head of the Body. "Through the ordained ministry, especially
that of Bishops and Elders, the presence of Christ as head of the
Church is made visible and the Deacons reveal Jesus as our
Chief Servant or “The Servant of All”, in the midst of the
community of believers".
The Sacrament or ministry does not preserve the ordained from
weakness and sin, but the Holy Spirit guarantees that the
minister's sin does not impede the effectiveness of the
Sacrament and its graces. The ordained are called to a holiness
of life and an attitude of humility that conforms them to Christ
whose priesthood they share. The Elders acts not only in the
person of Christ, the Head of the Church, but also in the name of
the Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church,
especially in the Eucharist.
Deacons receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders from a Elder and
are ordained not to the ministerial priesthood but to the ministry
of service. Through ordination the deacon is conformed to
Christ, who came to serve, not to be served. In the Latin Church,
deacons may baptize, proclaim the Gospel, preach the homily,
assist the bishop or elders in -the celebration of the Lords
Supper, assist at and bless marriages, and preside at funerals.
They dedicate themselves to charitable endeavors, which was
their ministerial role in New Testament times. Whether they are
involved in the Church's liturgical or pastoral life or in her social
and charitable endeavors, deacons are "strengthened by the
imposition of hands that has come down from the apostles. They
would be more closely bound to the altar and their ministry
would be made more fruitful through the sacramental grace of
the diaconate".
The only valid minister of ordination is an ordained Elder. Now
ascended to the Father, Christ continues to guide the Church
through the bishops & Elders, who confer this Sacrament of
apostolic ministry and hand on the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This Sacrament configures the bishop and elder to Christ as the
Head of the Church in Christ's three office of priest, prophet,
and king. This Sacrament configures the deacon to Christ as
servant.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders, like that of Baptism and
Confirmation, confers an indelible or permanent character on the
recipient. This means that this Sacrament of ordination cannot
be received again. You are only ordained once. The indelible
character is a reminder to the bishop, elder, or deacon that the
vocation and mission he received on the day of his ordination
marks him permanently. Like Baptism and Confirmation, which
also confer a permanent character, Holy Orders is never
repeated.
A bishop is given the grace to teach in the name of Christ; to
sanctify the Church through the celebration of the Sacraments;
to guide, govern, and defend the Church; and to be a sign of the
unity of the Church.
A priest is given the grace to proclaim the Gospel and preach, to
celebrate the Sacraments and to shepherd the people entrusted to
him.
A deacon in the Church is ordained to proclaim the Gospel and
preach, to baptize, to assist the bishop or elders in the
celebration of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages, to
preside at funerals, and to serve the community through works
of charity.
EPISCOPAL CONCLUSION & STATEMENTS
- Through Baptism all the members of the Church share in the
priesthood of Christ. This is known as the "common priesthood
of the faithful."
- Through Holy Orders there is another participation in Christ's
priesthood, the ministerial priesthood of bishop and elders. This
differs in essence from the common priesthood because it
confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful.
- The ordained ministry occurs in two degrees or orders: elders,
and deacon. These ministries are essential for the life of the
Church.
- Bishops receive the fullness of the Sacrament or ministry of
Holy Orders. They are the chief teachers, sanctifiers, and
shepherds in their dioceses.
- "Elders are united with the bishops in priestly dignity and at
the same time depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral
functions; they are called to be the bishops' prudent co-workers".
With the bishop, elders form a presbyteral (priestly) community
and assume with him the pastoral mission for a particular
church.
- Deacons receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, but not the
ministerial priesthood. Through ordination, the deacon is
conformed to Christ, who came to serve, not to be served.
Deacons in the Latin Church may baptize, read the Gospel,
preach the homily, assist the bishop or priest in the celebration
of the Eucharist, assist at and bless marriages, and preside at
funerals. They dedicate themselves to charitable endeavors,
which was their ministerial role in New Testament times.
- "The essential rite of the Sacrament of Holy Orders for both
degrees consists in the elders imposition of hands on the head of
the ordained [man or woman to be ordained] and in the elders
specific consecratory prayer". Ordination confers a permanent
sacramental character.
- Men or Women may be ordained.
- Only three bishops may confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders
to another bishop.
- One bishop or elder may confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders
to another elder or deacon.
………………………Nothing Added………………………….
DEACONS VOCABULARY
Define the following:
Week 1
Episcopal
Apostolic
Bishop
Presbytery
Catholic
Catholic
Alms
Armorbearer
Overseer
Catechism
Celebrant
Liturgy
Clergy
Week 2
Cathedral
Church
Apostolic Fathers
Church Fathers
Consecration
Convocation
Communion
Ecumenical
Eucharist
Ecclesia
Week 3
Magisterium
Mission
Ordain
Protocols
Denomination
Protestants
Deacon-Elect
Deacon-Designee
Concelebrant
Deacon
Elder
Laity
Week 4
Moderator
Officiant
Presiding Bishop
Superintendent
The Reverend
The Right Reverend
Most Reverend
Reformation
Reverend Doctor
Clothing & Vestments
The term vestments is from the Latin vestis or garment. Today’s
vestments have their origins in the ordinary clothes of the later Greco-
Roman world. Between the sixth and ninth century, secular fashion
began to reflect the occupation of person, it was possible to tell what one
did by what he or she wore. The Church reflected this change by not
changing the style of their garments.
Alb
Cassock
Chimere
Cincture
Clerical Collar
Civic Attire
Zucchetto
Celebration Vestments
Rochet
Stole
Surplice
Tippet
-------------------------------WEEK 1------------------------------------
The biblical historical foundation of the permanent deacon
1. Because leadership is always so determinative on the well being
and spiritual growth of the body of Christ, one of the first things
the Apostle Paul saw to was the appointment of
2. A good C.E.O.
3. Deacons & Deaconess
4. Elders & Deacons
5. None of the above.
2. The restoration of the diaconate as a permanent ministry in the
Church at large following the decline and egregious changes in there
ministry is seen as
1. The Church at its worst.
2. “a great and visible sign of the working of the Holy Spirit.”
3. No unity in the Church.
4. All of the above.
3. There is no doubt that the restoration of the permanent diaconate
has been a source
1. of great disappointment.
2. of arguments and discourse.
3. of tremendous grace and blessings for the Church.
4. All of the above.
4.How long has the Church had Permanent Deacons?
1. Since the Days of the Apostles
2. Since the Days of Joshua
3. Since the time of the Apostles to the Apostolic Fathers
4. Since the time of the Apostolic Fathers
5.Elders and deacons assist Pastors and Bishops, in every church
as under-shepherds of God’s people. What does this mean?
1. That elders and deacon actually Pastor the church
2. That elders and deacons don’t have to follow the vision of
the senior Pastor.
3. That elders and deacons work under and assist the senior
shepherds and Bishops in the Lord Church.
4. None of the above.
6.Two key New Testament passages (1 Tim. 3:1-13 and Tit. 1:5-
9) provide us with the essential qualifications that such men
must demonstrate in order to be qualified to serve the local
church. What are they?
7.What does it mean when we say that the Nature of the
qualifications are moral qualities or qualities of high moral
character?
8.If primarily the qualifications are marks of maturity, why then
does the bible warns against choosing a “new convert” in 1
Timothy 3:6 King James Version (KJV)?
True or False
9.The office of the Overseer and the Deacon are the same?_____
10.The episcopal premise for aspiring for the office of overseer
is the same for overseers and deacon out of the word of
God._____
11.Both Overseers and Deacons serve at the request of their
episcopal leaders._____
12.In plain and simple terms becoming a overseer or deacon
involves a form of greed, an aspiration for titles, a drive, and a
target to shoot at._____
13.“Aspire” is a very strong word. In the Greek text, it’s the
middle voice of orego which means “to stretch yourself out, to
personally reach out for,” and so it came to mean “to aspire.” In
plain and simple terms, it refers to ambition, to that which drives
or motivates a person._____
14.What is the warning the prophet Jeremiah he gave to Baruch
in Jeremiah 45:5 that aspiring deacons must follow:
1. “Are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek
them.”
2. “Are you seeking out a wife for yourself? Do not seek
one.”
3. Are you seeking out a title for yourself? Do not seek them/”
4. All of the above.
15.What is biblical ambition?
It is an ambition that has at its center the three important Es
which define the purpose of the church: What are the 3 Es?
16.In 3 paragraphs explain what Paul was sharing in
1Thessalonians 2 verses 1-20.
True or False
17.Elders are not Oversees._______
18.Acts 20 clearly shows that the words elder and overseer refer
to the same office.______
19.The term Overseer, stresses the dignity and position of this
ministry in the church._____
20.Elder stresses the function and work of an Overseer._____
21.In 1 Tim. 3:1, Paul carefully chose to use episkope, which
means the “office or charge of oversight.”_____
22.Episkope mean “office”_____
23.God is looking for men who are aspiring for position._____
24.The church needs men who want to serve the body for the
glory of God and the blessing of others._____
25.The word “work” in 1 Timothy 3:1, emphasis is clearly not
on aspiring to a position or a place of prestige, but on the
function and work of overseeing_____
26.In your own words explain what Oswald Sanders, in his
classic book on leadership entitled Spiritual Leadership, meant
when he said…
27.“The true spiritual leader is concerned infinitely more with
the service he can render God and his fellowmen than with the
benefits and pleasures he can extract from life. He aims to put
more into life than he takes out of it.”
True or Fales
28.One of the most fundamental principles of Scripture is that
we all fall short of God’s glory and perfection._____
29.Maturity and Christlikeness should be the goal or target of
every believer._____
30.Explain in one paragraph Colossians 1:28
Colossians 1:28 New International Version (NIV)
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching
everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone
fully mature in Christ., still, no matter how mature or how
godly one becomes, none of us even comes close to perfection.
True or False
31.The goal, and the mark we are all to pursue as did Paul is
spiritual immaturity._____
32.No person has ever attained full maturity _____
33.So, what does this truth and fact mean—the fact that no man
is perfect or fully measures up all the time?
1. It means there will always be room for improvement and
growth in the qualities mentioned in these passages. Being
“above reproach” is not a demand for perfection before
selection. If that were so, no man would ever be qualified.
2. It means that, because none of us is perfect, we should not
expect our leaders to walk on water. They all have feet of
clay.
3. It means that these qualities should exist in a man’s life to
such a degree that they stand out as prominent and
consistent characteristics. They are clearly distinguishable,
but there will be room for growth and times when he may
fall short.
4. All of the above.
True or False
34.Being above reproach does mean we should look for those
men who are mature and examples of Christlikeness, and we
should expect them to continue to grow._____
35.The Principle of Emergent Leadership is an important
question concept because it involves motivating the flock to
understand and act on key biblical concepts which lead to the
flock’s ability to do two things: (a) select the right men, and (b)
respect and respond to the leadership and ministries of those
men who are chosen to serve as spiritual leaders of a
congregation._____
36.Though Scripture gives clear guidelines concerning the
spiritual qualifications of elders and deacons and concerning the
functions of the elders, we find no clearly stated instruction for
the process of selecting elders or deacons._____
37.Acts 6:1-7 is often used as an example and does provide us
with some important insight, those selected at that time were
given an official title like deacon._____
-------------------------------WEEK 2-----------------------------------
38.Acts 6:1-7 was undoubtedly a temporary ministry but it still
provides us with a biblical example of selecting people for
important ministries through the guidance of the leadership, but
also through involving the congregation in the selection process
according to certain spiritual qualifications._____
39.Acts 20:28 clearly teaches that it is really Man who makes or
appoints and qualifies men for ministry by maturing them, by
gifting them, and by giving them a burden for such a
ministry._____
40.It is the responsibility of the church to recognize the
emergence of those men whom the Holy Spirit has prepared and
appointed by the qualities of their lives from the standpoint of
1. Their character,
2. Their giftedness,
3. Their burden and concern for the body of Christ.
4. All of the above.
41.When Oswald Sanders says:
“The Holy Spirit does not take control of any man or body of
men against their will. When He sees elected to positions of
leadership men who lack spiritual fitness to cooperate with Him,
He quietly withdraws and leaves them to implement their own
policy according to their own standards, but without His aid.
The inevitable issue is an unspiritual administration.” What did
he mean?
True or False
42.According to the New Testament, leadership is to be an
emergent leadership, a leadership that emerges as a product of
Man’s work within the flock of God’s people._____
43.As an emergent leadership, men are not simply elected or
appointed by men, but recognized by the qualities of these
passages in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1._____
44.A truly mature man is a well-rounded and balanced man who
has allowed Jesus Christ to invade, take charge, and change
every sphere of his life._____
45.What is Christian character?
46.What is Spiritual maturity?
47.What is Well-rounded godliness?
48.In 1 Timothy 3:5 New International Version (NIV) it says:
5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family,
how can he take care of God’s church?) What does this mean?
True or False
49.Gifts are necessary to some degree if an elder is going to be
able to fulfill the functions and responsibilities of an elder.
Without these he would be working in areas of his weaknesses
rather than in areas of his strengths as gifted by the Lord._____
50.Giftedness is important to every believer’s ministry, and
especially to the ministry of church leaders. In other words, what
God has called you to do, He has gifted you to do, and what He
has gifted you to do, He has called you to do._____
51.The Apostle tell us to look for men who have the gift of
teaching or leading or exhortation._____
52.The Apostle does not tell us to look for men with dynamic
personalities, or who are regarded by people as great pulpiteers
or men of oratory, or for men who are successful
businessmen._____
53.Giftedness, or on dynamic personalities and such things in
themselves never qualify a man for leadership in the
church._____
Fill in the Blank
54.The emphasis must be on godly________. The body of
Christ needs men who are first and foremost men of
__________.
1. Character, God.
2. Intensions, The people
3. Spouse, integrity
4. Praise, worship
True or False
55.Ability, skill, and a man’s outward impression are not
unimportant nor are they completely neglected, BUT THEY
ARE NOT GIVEN OR HIGHLIGHTED AS THE PRIMARY
CONSIDERATION._____
56.The key to a man’s success in leading the church is his skills,
methods, personality, and even his gifts. Instead, the key is not
in his emotional, mental, and spiritual maturity.
No matter how gifted a man is, if he is spiritually immature, he
will be a poor leader and the church will be in trouble._____
57.With Elders and Deacons some will be more skilled and
gifted in one area and others in another. We need to allow Elders
and Deacons to work in the area of their giftedness._____
58.The qualifications of Elders and Deacons are goals and they
provide us with a target, only Elders and Deacons should set
their sights on these qualifications.____
59.The qualification of Deacons are marks of
1. Identification
2. Confirmation
3. None of the above
4. Both Identification & Confirmation
60.The qualifications of Deacons make the possessors of these
qualities
1. Examples
2. Patterns to follow
3. None of the above
4. Both Examples & Patterns to follow
61.What does it mean to be beyond reproach (1 Tim. 3:10)
62.We should be warned against hasty selection and ordination
of elders and deacons. Why?
63.When 1 Tim. 3:8 says that you should “Hold to the mystery of
the faith” What does this mean?
64.What does it mean to be a man of dignity in 1 Tim. 3:8?
65.What does it mean to be double tongued?
66.Does 1 Timothy 3:8 allow Deacons to drink wine?
67.Should greed be apart of a deacons character?
68.What does it mean to be the husband of one wife? (1 Tim.
3:12)
69.Why should a deacon be a good manager of their children and
their own household?
70.The words that summarizes the qualifications of Elders and
Deacon are
1. Gifted
2. Servant of God
3. Servant of Men
4. Booth 2 & 30
71.Effective ministry to others is often equated with
1. Dynamic personalities with talent and giftedness
2. Training and enthusiasm
3. Charisma
4. All of the above
72.If you had to choose between giftedness and godliness, what
would you choose?
True or False
73.Most denominations believe ordinations does not endow a
person with any special powers or authority,_____
74.Most denominations believe that ordination only indicate to
churches and to the world that a person has been accredited as
worthy to be a elder or deacon._____
75.All denomination agree that ordination is necessary or even
appropriate._____
-------------------------------WEEK 3-----------------------------------
76.Ordination is practiced by most churches and is considered
valid as long as you are a working Pastor or Deacon._____
77.When a person moves from one church to another as pastor or
deacon, there is a need to be re-ordained._____
78.Licensing a person to the gospel ministry or “setting a person
aside” to become a deacon is all the church needs to do._____
79.Licensing and setting aside, ushers in a period when the
church and the individual can evaluate whether the person is
suitable for pastoral ministry or servanthood._____
80.If a person can testify and get the church excited about the
Lord then we can set him aside._____
81.A man or women does not need a internal calling by God to
become a deacon or elder._____
82.The biblical qualifications for the office are only suggestions
because no one can be really qualified._____
83.The gifts necessary for effective pastoral or deacon ministry is
the essential thing for a church to proceed with ordination._____
84.The essential understanding is that the deacons state is first and
foremost completely about service._____
85.What is a Sacrament?
86.The Sacrament of Holy Orders has two degrees: diaconate, and
Eldership._____
87.The ordination of an Elder imparts a sacred character and
grants ministerial participation in the priesthood of your
pastor._____
88.The ordination of a deacon, is not an ordination into the
priesthood._____
89.The ordination of a deacon, is into service._____
90.Deacons are only identified by there devotion they perform in
church service._____
91.The essential identity of a deacon is as one who serves._____
92.The ministry and service of the deacon is to the poor, to the
imprisoned, to the sick and to those who are abandoned and
lonely, these are the modern day orphans and widows. (Acts
6)_____
93.The Sacrament of Holy Orders marks deacons with an imprint
of the Character of Christ._____
94.Christ made Himself the “deacon” or servant of all._____
95.For this level of Holy Orders of Deacon
1. Christ calls
2. The Church asks
3. The Elders or Priest ordain
4. All of the above
96.Deacons are consecrated witnesses to service._____
97.Explain why consecrated, witness, and service explains the
essence of the deacon.
98.Christian discipleship for the ordained is all about
oneself._____
99.Ordination to the deacon is all about achieving special status
and recognition in the Church._____
100.The permanent deacon is ordained to be a servant of Christ
to Gods people, and a humble aid to the ministry of Elders and
the Bishops._____
-------------------------------WEEK 4-----------------------------------
101.Diaconate ordination is authenticated by the Holy Spirit
through other deacons._____
102.Only Elders and Bishops can ordain deacons._____
103.Deacons are ordained to meet specific needs and desire of the
Christian community for service in the local church._____
104.What does it mean that Bishops are the successors to the
Apostles?
105.The diaconal witness is lived in the midst of the church._____
Fill in the blank:
106.The permanent deacon is often said to have a foot in the_____
and a foot in the________.
107.The deacon is a ordained minister to the world._____
108.Deacons usually has secular employment and other secular
responsibilities in the secular order._____
109.The permanent deacon serve in the image of Jesus
Christ._____
110.Deacons have a liturgical function in the trustee office._____
111.The deacons service at the altar brings into the sacred liturgy
a powerful and important reminder to all of us that the Church has
an essential diaconal character identity, to serve the world in
witness to the kingdom of God._____
112.A foreshadowing of the office of deacon in the Church
predates the New Testament._____
113.Moses, instructed by God, established an order of men, the
Priest, who represented the people in service to the priests and to
minister in the former tabernacle of the old covenant._____
114.Through friendship and nepotism the Apostles entrusted to
those chosen men the ministry of serving at tables._____
115.Deacons in the early Church
1. Preached, baptized, and served the early Church community.
2. Did devotion, kept the Apostles in their place, and voted the
Apostles and Bishops out of office.
3. Handled the finances, Ran the Church, and made all the
decisions.
4. All of the above.
Explain John 6:38 and Luke 22:27
The deacon is the functional arm of the local bishop._____
116.Deacons assist the bishop by:
1. Distributed alms to the poor.
2. Assisting in the sacred liturgy
3. Exercising responsibility for the temporal affairs and goods
of the Church.
4. All of the above.
True or False
117.The deacon is a advisor to the Bishop._____
118.He is a legal representative and confidant.____
119.The Deacon was the logical choice to succeed the bishop
upon his death after receiving priestly and episcopal
ordination._____
120.By 400 A.D. what factors contributed to the decline of the
diaconate as a permanent order within the Church.
121.Monasteries and monks was created as a result of punishment
for deacons disloyalty to elders and bishops_____
122.Monks and Nuns assumed responsibility for charitable
institution further contributing to a reduction in the need for
deacons who had formerly ministered to these needs._____
123.By 800 A.D. the diaconate was reduced as a transitional step
towards the priesthood in the church._____
124.In America during the 1950’s, a proposal to restore the
diaconate as a permanent order within the church._____
125.By the 1960’s, the Second Vatican Council proposed to the
universal Church that the ministry of the deacon came from the
Apostles, and as such, should be restored as a permanent order in
the Church._____
126.Assigned to the deacons traditional ministries was:
1. Administering baptism, ordinary minister of Holy
Communion, and officiating at funeral rites.
2. Witnessing of marriages and bringing viaticum to the dying
3. Proclaiming the word of God, exhorting and instructing
people, and charitable works.
4. All of the above.
True or False
127.The work of the deacon is done for the purpose of freeing the
pastoral staff to focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word,
promoting unity within the church, and the facilitating the spread
of the gospel,_____
128.Deacons and Elders are Two Distinct Offices in the New
Testament Church._____
129.There are three ordained offices in the church today, Bishops,
Elders and Deacons._____
130.The term bishop is translated overseer._____
131.The word episcopal mean bishop._____
132.The term bishop is used interchangeably with elder and
shepherd._____
133.Deacons are charged with the general oversight of the church
with the emphasis being on the spiritual building up of the body
of Christ._____
134.Some elders duties are more administrative in nature and
some elders have more of a teaching role._____
135.Hebrews 13:17 commands us to be supportive of the elders
ministry and to accept their leadership._____
136.What do we mean when we say that Elders are not deacons
and Deacons are not elders?
137.Some Pastors are gifted with the gift of Eldership witch
makes them apart of the fivefold ministry._____
138.Overseers & Deacons Office manage the work and deeds of
others for the Apostolic leader.____
SHORT ESSAYS: (No less than 2 paragraphs.)
139.Describe the deacon and the sacramental Church.
140.Describe the Deacon and the Word as Evangelizer and
Teacher.
141.14How does the Deacon relate to the Liturgy of the Altar?
142.How should the Deacon relate in the World of Work?
143.How does the Deacon and Charitable Work relate to their
service?
144.Describe: DIACONAL SPIRITUALITY
145.What is the role of the deacons spouse and family?
146.Give your understanding of recognition of permanent
deacons as clergy and the relationship with the pastor.
147.What is the permanent deacon’s pastoral assignment?
148.What is the letter of assignment?
149.What is the view of the permanent deacon and preaching?
Diaconal End of Academy Exam:
150.EXPLAIN: HOLY ORDERS (ORDINATION): ELDERS
(BISHOP), & (DEACONS).
………………………Nothing Added………………………….
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