DEACONS

        The Greek word diakonous is the word from which we get our English word "deacon." The word simply denotes the idea of "servant."

        Diakonous is used in two ways in the New Testament: (1) General, (2) Specific. It is used generally to apply to any faithful child of God in Matthew 20:26-28. It is used in a specific sense to denote an officer in the Lord's church (Philippians 1:1). Deacons are selected based on the qualifications found recorded in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

        While elders are charged with the responsibility of overseeing the work of the church, deacons are to work under the direction of the elders in carrying out assigned tasks. Deacons are not "little elders." Only the elders are spoken of as being shepherds of the flock(See Elders page).

        As with elders, the term deacon is not meant to be a fancy title for men to have the honor of wearing (Matthew 23:8-11). It is a term to denote the fact that they are special workers (servants) within the Lord's church (1 Timothy 3:13).