in a recent Leadership Link on deacon training, I asked readers to share some of their thoughts about basic training for deacons. Cliff Hudgins of the Pittsylvania Baptist Association believes only about 15 percent of newly-elected deacons receive training. As your thoughts came in I began to compile them in a file until at length an outline emerged around the theme, “What should new deacons be asking themselves.” Here are your thoughts.
Questons to ask your deacon leadership
What do deacons do in our church? Obviously, anyone chosen to serve as a deacon will have some idea of how deacon ministry is done already. Still, deacon ministry takes different shapes in different churches.
Some churches divide the membership roll and assign a number of families to each deacon. Generally, this approach is called the Deacon Family Ministry Plan.
Other churches have found a team approach to deacon ministry to be better for them. Tom Stocks, a field strategist with the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, champions this approach citing the use of deacons’ specific spiritual gifts as the greatest advantage.
Although almost all churches have moved away from deacons functioning as an administrative board, a few still have these expectations.
What is expected of me as a deacon? Your church will expect you to take an active part in the over-all deacon ministry, of course, but it will also expect you to model the spiritual graces and the practical wisdom of a mature Christian.
Questions to ask yourself
What do I bring to deacon ministry? What mix of gifts, personality, skills and awareness of needs exists in me that makes me unique as a deacon minister? Rick Warren, noted pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life, has said every Christian has a unique SHAPE for ministry. He says SHAPE stands for Spiritual gifts, Heart (passions), Abilities, Personality and Experiences. You are a unique person and your ministry as a deacon will reflect some of that individuality.
How do I keep myself spiritually connected to Christ so I can be an example to the congregation? Many readers responded by pointing out how essential individual Bible study is to keeping a spiritual focus. First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Va., has produced material on spiritual practices they used in a churchwide study. The discipleship pastor, Bryan Jones, has eagerly agreed to make these available on request for a modest cost-recovery fee. Books such as Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline are very helpful. Although many of you suggested prayer, Mark Dixon suggested centering prayer as a means of maintaining a spiritual connection with Christ. Centering prayer moves beyond conversation with Christ to emphasize communion with him.
How do I develop the skills I need to minister effectively as a deacon? The need for training was consistently mentioned, but Katie McKown, associate pastor of Memorial Baptist in Arlington, Va., suggested, “One resource I recommend for deacon training is Kenneth Haugk’s Don’t Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart: How to Relate to Those Who are Suffering. It is a helpful reminder of things to say and not to say when ministering to those who are suffering. Even if deacons don’t read the book, many of the chapters can provide an outline for ministry which is sensitive to those who are grieving.”
Questions to ask the congregation
How can I serve you? Serving is the very heart of deacon ministry, but Hudgins believes this ministry question, though simple, must be earned. Much of the serving will be decided by the expectations of the church (DFMP or Tasks). But Gordon Ragland, mission coordinator for the James River Baptist Association, believes one of the best ways deacons can serve their congregations is to learn to fight fair. He writes, “If a training curriculum can teach deacons, and indeed all congregation members, that two different sides of a controversy are not a matter of who’s right and who’s wrong, but rather a matter of two different views that may both be right, then it will be a fine curriculum indeed.” Service is multi-faceted.
Where are our hurts? A physician has a good idea what the body needs by paying attention to its pain. Likewise, the needs of the body of Christ are often known by discovering its pain. The trouble is, church people often conceal rather than reveal their pain. Knowing where your people hurt is a great first step in serving them well.
Questions to ask your pastor
How can I be a faithful partner to you in ministering to the people of our church? In an earlier time, when deacons were thought to be a board of directors, pastors and deacons often battled over church resources and direction of ministries. But the biblical model places pastors and deacons in ministry partnership. Partnership implies give and take with both sides contributing and receiving.
How can I minister to you as my pastor? Sometimes the most neglected person in the church is the pastor. In most churches, by default the pastor is the great need-meeter in the congregation. But who meets the needs of the need-meeter? Likewise, sometimes the most neglected family is the pastor’s.
Questions to ask the community
What are we missing as a church? Most communities have hidden needs that are real but out of the mainstream of community life. Sometimes a visit with people in health and human services in your area will reveal hidden needs. As congregational leaders, deacons can help their churches catch new visions for ministries and set new goals for their churches.
How may I (we) earn the right to tell you about Jesus? At heart, your service as a deacon strengthens your church. And at heart, your church exists to transform lives. In the power of the Spirit, it transforms Christ-followers into Christ-likeness; and it transforms those who have no relationship with God into Christ-followers. The world has had enough of the shouting, authoritative, condemning church. What it is desperate to see, however, is the transformational church; Christ’s love demonstrated in action. When it earns the right to be heard, people will listen with eagerness.
As a new deacon, you have assumed an ancient role in the life of the church. You stand in a long and honorable tradition of church servants who have the potential to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ among the people you serve. It is an awesome responsibility and, truth be told, not all are equal to it. But as God has called you, he will also equip you. You will sometimes serve alongside deacons who have lost their transforming vision—if they ever had one. But don’t become discouraged. Keep yourself spiritually focused.
Jim White ([email protected]) is executive editor of the Religious Herald.