Deacon Ministry Team Responsibilities

The Deacon Ministry Team of Northside Baptist Church shall assume the following responsibilities:

1. The deacon shall be an example of service and ministry by leading and serving on one or more of the deacon-led ministry teams.
2. The Deacon Ministry Team shall lead the congregation in observing the Lord’s Supper.
3. The Deacon Ministry Team shall serve as a council of advice and as a prayer partner to the Senior Pastor and other members of the Pastoral Leadership Team.
4. The Deacon Ministry Team and their wives shall maintain a prayer chain ministry.
5. The Deacon Ministry Team shall assign one deacon each Sunday to serve as Deacon of the Week. The Deacon of the Week shall have the following responsibilities:
   

   >>>  He shall lead the offertory prayer during the Sunday morning worship service(s).

   >>>  He and his wife shall assist the Senior Pastor and his wife in greeting guests.

   >>>  He shall follow up with the chairman of the Deacon Led Evangelism [Outreach/Visitation]           Ministry Team to see if his assistance is needed.

6. The deacon shall serve for a term of three (3) years (unless filling an unexpired term).
7. The deacon shall be fully supportive of all deacons’ meetings and other deacon-sponsored events in the Church.
8. The deacon, as a spiritual leader, shall be a model for interaction and fellowship with others by greeting people in the lobby and worship center before and after each service. He shall be especially alert to introduce himself to visitors and those members with whom he is unfamiliar.

Biblical Requirements of a Deacon

The primary purpose of every deacon should be to serve “The Body of Christ” in accordance with the intention and practice of this ministry in the New Testament. Models for deacon service are found in the following passages.

Acts 6:1-6 (NKJV) records that:

“Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.”

In I Timothy 3:8-13 (NKJV), Paul gives the following instructions:

“Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

A closer examination of these two passages reveals that a deacon should meet the following qualifications:

1. “Good reputation” (Acts 6:3) — A deacon’s integrity must be beyond reproach in the Church as well as in daily conduct so as to inspire respect and confidence in the Gospel. His Christian witness should be reinforced by his trustworthy character.
2. “Full of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:3) — A deacon’s life is daily permeated with the Spirit of God who brings holiness to his life and power to do through him what he cannot do on his own.
3. “Wisdom” (Acts 6:3) — A deacon should be wise enough to control his temper and disposition. Furthermore, wisdom must be attained as deacons immerse themselves in the Word of God so that God might pour out His mind in them.
4. “Full of faith” (Acts 6:5) — A deacon needs to have an immovable faith in God that will dare to lead the Church forward in the work of the Kingdom, in spite of obstacles that may dishearten many others.
5. “Reverent” (I Tim. 3:8) — A deacon must be firm in his faith, stable in his convictions, sound in his beliefs, and correct in his Church loyalty. This word “reverent” signifies weight. In this sense, it speaks of one who carries weight, or one who counts for right influences.
6. “Not double-tongued” (I Tim. 3:8) — A deacon’s word should be truthful and sincere. A deacon is a man of his word and consistent in his speech. He never gives rise to misunderstandings and differences.
7. “Not given to much wine” (I Tim. 3:8) — A deacon, in his role as a spiritual mentor, should abstain from a beverage which has the ability to intoxicate.
8. “Not greedy for money” (I Tim. 3:8) — A deacon must not be covetous in the manner in which he earns, spends, and saves his money, in his management of Church funds, or in bringing his tithes and offerings to his local Church.
9. “Holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience” (I Tim. 3:9) — A deacon should be sound and stable in the teachings of the Bible and genuinely committed to believing and living out the revealed truths of the Christian faith.
10. “First be tested . . . being found blameless” (I Tim. 3:10) — A deacon should not be a new convert, but tested and proven to be a growing and maturing Christian who is above reproach and fully devoted to God.
11. “Husbands of one wife” (I Tim. 3:12) — A deacon is to be totally devoted to his wife, maintaining singular devotion, affection, and sexual purity in both thought and deed. The biblical exception that would allow for a Christian to divorce his spouse is sexual immorality (marital unfaithfulness) on the part of his spouse (Matthew 19:9). The Bible also takes into account the life of a deacon’s wife in determining his qualifications to serve (Matthew 5:32;   I Corinthians 7:10-11). Therefore, a man married to a divorced woman should not serve as a deacon unless the grounds for her divorce meet the biblical exception of sexual immorality (marital unfaithfulness) on the part of her former spouse. Under no circumstances should a divorce prior to a man’s or woman’s conversion experience necessarily prohibit a deacon from service (II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:7). The Bible also teaches that under certain circumstances it is better for a man not to marry. Therefore, an unmarried man may serve as a deacon (Matthew 19:11-12).
12. “Ruling their children and their own houses well” (I Tim. 3:12) — A deacon should manage his home and exercise control over his children to the best of his ability. He should be respected as the spiritual head of his household.

Other Requirements of a Deacon

Beyond these biblical requirements, the Deacon Ministry Team of Northside Baptist Church believes that our Lord Jesus and every member of this church may expect each deacon, as a spiritual leader, to serve as a model in the following areas:

1. He should support the Senior Pastor and other members of the Pastoral Leadership Team by freeing them to serve in accordance with their calling.
2. He should support all phases of the Church programs to the best of his ability with his attendance, gifts, talents, prayers and substance.
3. He should be a faithful and systematic tither in accordance with Scripture, knowing that the tithe is a minimum requirement. He should pledge to give at least one-tenth of his total income to the support of Northside Baptist Church.
4. He should be evangelistic and missionary in spirit, deeply interested in the salvation of people at home and abroad (see the example of Philip in Acts 8).
5. He should agree to act and speak in Christian love. He should be fully cooperative with his Senior Pastor, Pastoral Leadership Team, and Church. He should be able to refrain from destructive criticism, willing to settle all differences in a quiet and Christian manner.
6. He should keep in secrecy those things that should not be discussed with others, especially sensitive proceedings from all deacons’ meetings.
7. He should zealously guard the spirit of unity within the Church.
8. He should further strive for unity within the deacon body. For example, once a decision has been made at a deacons’ meeting, regardless of how much internal discussion and debate transpire among the deacon body, he should emerge in one accord.
9. He should, as a spiritual leader, understand his position to be one of “ministering servant.” The wishes of the congregation must have priority over his personal wishes. He must be devoted to the spiritual welfare of the Church.
10. He should accept the “Baptist Faith and Message (2000)” as a doctrinal statement of his Christian beliefs.

Qualifications of a Deacon’s Wife

If a deacon is married, the Bible also provides some qualifications for his wife. These, too, need to be weighed in the life of a man who is considered for the ministry of a deacon. They are as follows             (I Timothy 3:11, NKJV):

1. “Reverent” — The wife of a deacon should have a sincere Christian purpose, with a great reverence for spiritual matters. For the fuller meaning of this word, see “reverent” as applied to the deacons.
2. “Not slanderers” — The wife of a deacon should not be known to give a false report concerning someone else.
3. “Temperate” — The wife of a deacon should be well-balanced spiritually, and calm in her dealings with others.
4. “Faithful in all things” — The wife of a deacon must be an exemplary member of the church to which her family belongs. Furthermore, she must be loyal and fully supportive to her husband. Others should see in her a heart of faithfulness in the Kingdom of God, in spite of obstacles that may dishearten many others.

Deacon Ministry Team Overview

There are five primary functions of the Deacon Ministry Team at Northside Baptist Church:

1. Resolve conflicts
2. Serve the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people
3. Relieve the Senior Pastor and Pastoral Leadership Team so that they may offer more attention “to prayer and to the ministry of the Word of God”
4. Provide internal accountability
5. Assist the deacon officers in coordinating pulpit supply and interim pastorate on an as needed basis

You will note that the deacons do not function as the “business managers” of the church because those responsibilities are assigned to the Management Team. This enables our deacons to be free for ministry to people.

We also believe that deacons are primarily spiritual mentors and not just spiritual managers. As such, every deacon is assigned leadership roles to see that the primary functions mentioned above are fulfilled through deacon-led ministry teams which will consist of many others within our congregation. Each of these teams will provide a report at our regularly scheduled deacons’ meetings.

Finally, as the spiritual mentors and servants of our Church, our deacons need to set the example for others in their regular attendance at worship service and Bible study events, ministry, and our evangelistic and missionary efforts in our community and around the world.