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Drive The following qualifications give guidance to the selection of our deacons. The 11 Qualifications Of Deacons 1. MUST BE A MAN OF DIGNITY. (1 Tim. 3:8) A deacon must be well-behaved, well-organized, a man whose life is in order. This often affects such areas of life as responsibility and honorable use of language. If the deacon is not respectable, he would never have the credibility needed to feed, lead, protect, and love the flock. 2. NOT DOUBLE TONGUED. (1 Tim. 3:8) This characteristic plainly prohibits any kind of manipulative, insincere, or deceitful speech. Behind a deceitful tongue is a deceitful mind. Positively, the term emphasizes integrity of speech, sincerity, and truthfulness. A deacon must be a man of his word. 3. NOT ADDICTED TO MUCH WINE. (1 Tim. 3:8) This characteristic sets down the absolute prohibition of drunkenness in a deacon's life. We must also remember what the Scripture teaches in Romans 14:21 and 1 Corinthians 10:31. There are many reasons why a deacon would do well to totally abstain from alcohol. As the King James Version translates it, "not given to much wine." What is translated, "given to," is the Greek verb, prosecho, "to set one’s attention toward." It means to care for something in such an absorbing manner that other duties are neglected. One who sets importance on having as much wine as possible should not be a deacon. 4. NOT FOND OF SORDID GAIN. (1 Tim. 3:8) The Bible teaches us a great deal about the appropriate and inappropriate use of, and desire for, money. An excellent example of this is found in Deuteronomy 8:17. Here, Moses explains that we tend to equate material possessions with our significance. In Revelation 3:17, we are told of a human tendency to link money with security. Both of these inclinations ignore Matthew 5:33 and Hebrews 13:5, which say our security and significance come from the depth of our own intimacy with the Lord. A man meets this qualification for being a deacon if he has an obvious understanding of the evil money can cause and then rejects the temptations money brings. Read 1 Timothy 6 for more information on this subject. 5. HOLDING TO THE MYSTERY OF THE FAITH WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE. (1 Tim. 3:9) A deacon's life must be consistent with Christian doctrine. The New Testament never allows people to separate life and doctrine. Whenever we knowingly act in a way that is contrary to God’s Word and do not seek His forgiveness, we defile our conscience. Every time we violate our conscience, we weaken its convicting power and make sin and hypocrisy easier to commit. Therefore, a Christian whose inconsistent, hypocritical life belies biblical truth can’t be a deacon. 6. LET THESE ALSO FIRST BE TESTED. (1 Tim. 3:10) The deacon cannot be a new convert. Spiritual maturity is of greatest importance, due to the spiritual responsibilities deacons face. 7. BEYOND REPROACH. (1 Tim. 3:8) Beyond reproach literally means "not able to be taken hold of." It relates to having a good reputation. In a way, this is a summary statement of the rest of the qualifications. When a Christian applies the principles of God’s Word, and desires to deepen his relationship with Christ, the result will be a lifestyle that could be described as being beyond reproach. Character flows from values and faith. When we establish a sincere faith in Christ, godly values blossom and character deepens. Obviously, a deacon must have an excellent reputation, if he is to have credibility with the flock of God. 8. "WIVES" OR "WOMEN". (1 Tim. 3:11) There is some debate among conservative Christians about the meaning of "wife," or "woman" in this verse. For example, the NASB translates the word as "women," and the NIV translates it as "wife." It is difficult to know which is the better translation. More consideration should be given to this subject. Paul lays down four requirements. This woman must be dignified, not a malicious gossip, temperate, and faithful in all things. She is to be dignified, a woman worthy of respect. Rather than being a gossip, she must be a woman who controls her tongue and speaks wisely and lovingly. She must be temperate, possessing stable character, a woman who has balanced judgment and self-control. She must be faithful in all things, a faithful Christian woman who can be relied on to fulfill her Christian duty in every area of life. 9. HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE. (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6) The Greek words, which we translate as "the husband of one wife," speak to the subject of fidelity in marriage, not marital status. Directly rendered, the Greek phrase says "a one woman man." If married, the elder must be absolutely committed to his wife. Famed Southern Baptist Seminary professor and linguist A. T. Robertson, John MacArthur, J. Vernon McGee and Charles Swindoll, agree this phrase addresses the issues of polygamy or fidelity in marriage, not divorce. Among the other biblical experts agreeing with view are, Drs. Ed Glasscock, Fritz Rienecker, Albert Barnes and Eric Titus.1 However, we should not assume from this that divorce is inconsequential or insignificant. Jesus sternly warned His followers to avoid divorce. When selecting an elder or deacon, a divorce should be seen as a "red flag" in the candidate’s past. Since an elder must be a good steward of his family, a recent divorce disqualifies a man from serving as an elder. However, divorce is not the unpardonable sin. For example, a man may have divorced many years ago. Since then, he may have remarried and lived an exemplary and mature Christian life. This man may now enjoy a godly marriage, raising children who love the Lord. When we take this man’s total life experience into consideration, the divorce should not disqualify him from consideration as an elder or deacon. However, if the divorce was recent, or if there is any question about his relationship with his wife or leadership of his family, the man must not be considered for appointment. 10. GOOD MANAGERS OF THEIR CHILDREN. (1 Tim. 3:12) The deacon's children must bring honor to their parents. This demonstrates that the deacon, and his wife, have encouraged order and loving discipline in their home. However, these principles do not suggest that the deacon must raise "perfect" children. To require such a standard would render no father qualified to be a deacon. A man who has raised, or is raising, children who love the Lord, will also have the ability to encourage holiness among the rest of God’s children. 11. GOOD MANAGERS OF THEIR HOUSEHOLDS. (1 Tim. 3:12) It is possible for a man to be morally qualified to be a deacon, but disqualified by his lack of leadership in his home. We must remember that there are two issues at work in each home. First, there is the quality of leadership that is offered. Secondly, there is the willingness to follow the leadership that is given. The deacon must be committed to the task of being a good steward of his household. Household leadership is an important qualification for deacons because the church is more of a family than a business.
John MacArthur, Church Leadership, John MacArthur's Bible Studies, page 51. "Paul was not referring to an elder's marital status, because that is not a moral qualification for spiritual leadership. However, if the elder is married, he is to be a one- woman man. Unfortunately, it's possible to be married to one woman yet not to be a one-woman man. Jesus said, 'Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.' (Matt 5:28) A married-or unmarried-man who lusts after a women is unfit for the ministry. An elder must love, desire, and think only of the wife God has given him." J. Vernon McGee makes the following interpretation of "husband of one wife", in his Thru The Bible Commentary, volume 5, "'The husband of one wife.'…I think that the primary meaning here is that the bishop or elder should not have two wives. Polygamy was common in Paul's day, and bigamy was certainly prevalent. The officer in the church should be the husband of one wife." Charles Swindoll, in Excellence in Ministry, page 41, writes, "So what does "husband of one wife" mean? Taken in its most basic sense, it means that an overseer, if married, must be married to only one woman (which excludes bigamy, polygamy, and homosexuality) and must be devoted to his wife (which excludes promiscuity and an unhealthy marriage.) Dr. Ed Glasscock, writing in the Dallas Theological Seminary Theological Journal, Bibliotheca Sacra, July-September 1983, says, "One may assume Paul meant to prohibit divorce and remarried men from serving as elders, but one should honestly admit that Paul did not say 'he cannot have been previously married' or 'he cannot have been divorced.' What he did say is that he must be a one-wife husband or a one-woman man. Paul was clearly concerned with one's character when a man is being considered for this high office; Paul was not calling into review such a person's preconversion life." We should consider the same to be true of deacons. Dr. Fritz Rienecker, the renowned German expert on the Greek New Testament writes, in his work A Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament,"'…a husband of one wife,' 'one woman man.' The difficult phrase probably means that he is to have only one wife at a time." Dr. Albert Barnes, in his widely accepted commentaries, Barnes On The New Testament, Thessalonians-Philippians, writes, "It is the most obvious meaning of the language, and it would doubtless be thus understood by those to whom it was addressed. At a time when polygamy was not uncommon, to say that a man should 'have but one wife' would be naturally understood as prohibiting polygamy." Eric Titus,
in The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary On The Bible says, "The
import is plain: the bishop must be free of any suspicion of loose sexual
relationships; he must be above reproach as the exemplar of family integrity." |
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