1. I Timothy 3:8-13 Acts 6:1-7

2.  Evangelists—proclaimers; and the ones who set the church in order  Elders—shepherds who instruct, protect, and direct the affairs of the flock  Deacons—assemble the nuts & bolts through acts of service

3. Deacon = diakonous  Servant; or one who serves; attendant; minister; one who executes the commands of another  I Timothy 3:8-13  Philippians 1:1, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.”  Acts 6:1-7

4.  “Choose seven men, of good reputations, full of the Spirit, and full of wisdom.”— Acts 6:3  Full of the Spirit—the Greek plereis means, in respect to the soul, to be permeated with the Spirit.  Wisdom—The proper application of knowledge; can analyze a situation from all sides; not driven by emotions  Good reputation

5. We are all servants, but we cannot all be deacons.  Ministers, Civil servants, Jesus, and the apostles are all referred to as diakonous or servants in the scriptures.  But, they were not deacons  Evangelist=Preacher=Minister  Elder=Biship=Pastor=Shepherd=Overseer

6.  Must be of good report; men worthy of respect; men of dignity  Not double-tongued  Not given to much wine  Not greedy of filthy lucre; Not pursuing dishonest gain; not fond of sordid gain  He must hold the faith in pure conscience; must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience; holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience  He must first be proved; they must first be tested  The husband of one wife  He must rule his own children well; must manage his children well; be good managers of their children

7.  Their wives must meet qualifications as well.  women worthy of respect; be dignified  not malicious talkers; not malicious gossips  temperate—sober judgment; someone who thinks things through; doesn’t react on raw emotions.  faithful in all things; trustworthy in everything

8.  Deacons are set apart for acts of service.  These are not spelled out for us.  In Acts 6 their duties were concerned with the daily distribution of food to the Grecian widows.  Christ gives us liberty when it comes to the duties of our deacons.  He knew that the needs of each congregation would be different.

9.  Each eldership in each congregation should determine the needs of the church in which they can set apart deacons to serve as administrators or caretakers of.  Therefore, the eldership needs to direct the deacons to the areas of service that they can perform so that the church can function efficiently as it carries out the will of Christ.

10.  Elder and/or deacon of worship  Elder and/or deacon of treasury  Elder and/or deacon of media  Elder and/or deacon of youth, Sunday School  Elder and/or deacon of the grounds  Elder and/or deacon of the widows  Elder and/or deacon of transportation  Elder and/or deacon of the food ministry

11. Deacons are needed for the church to function properly. “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” —I Timothy 3:13