“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering.” • Acts of the Apostles chapter six, verses one and following
The deacons are an office we see very early on in history of the church, and in this short narrative we see their formation. It may seem almost indelicate or distasteful in our eyes to read the response of the Twelve upon hearing the charge of prejudiced neglect, “it is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God to serve tables.” This might even seem arrogant in our ears that the Twelve would not deign to serve tables, yet what we should see in this is not arrogance. In the life of the budding church, there was much to tend to. God had immensely blessed the church in Jerusalem, and this meant that there was much work to be done. The early church was not only tending to the spiritual needs of the church, but also the physical and financial needs of her as well, tending to the widowed and orphaned. And yet, such tasks, though good and right, took much effort and time for the apostles. For the Twelve, it was simply too much for them to handle on their own.
And so, in order that the Hellenists, Greek converts, might not feel neglected, the apostles set up this office of “deacon” (deacon is the Greek word for servant), and believed that such tasks could be better tended to with the care and attention they deserved if overseen by those who could devote their full efforts to it. The comment that the Twelve could not “serve tables” says less about their willingness to do it, but more about their recognition of the importance of such work. The ministry of the Word and the service of the earthly needs of God’s people are both monumental tasks and need devoted men to oversee them. Thus, the Twelve began to focus their efforts on the ministry God had placed before them while at the same time finding seven qualified men to pursue this newly appointed office.
Today, it is unfortunate that many churches have neglected this office. Many times this is not because churches lack a heart for service, but they lack a biblical understanding of the distinction between the offices in the church. Subsequently, the result is that one of the duties of the church is neglected, whether it be the ministry of the Word or tending to the earthly needs of the flock. If deacons are not present, often times the elders and ministers pick up the slack. This means that, while most elders and ministers are happy to do so, in doing both jobs they overwhelm themselves, and do one or both jobs to a lesser degree of excellence, and ultimately the church suffers.
The Scriptures have always spoken highly of a multiplicity of leadership. Jethro warned Moses of taking too much responsibility to himself. When we try to do too much, we cannot do what we are called to do well, and those under us suffer for it. But when we rightly discern and delegate, burdens are lifted, and men can focus on the task at hand. Businesses have known this for centuries. Even monarchies weren’t without their courts. And so too, the Lord knew this was the way His church must be run. Paul tells the Corinthian church that there are many parts of the body, and those part of the body work best when they love and respect one another and use the gifts God has given them to the best of their ability. This is what the Twelve meant by seeking out deacons, and chief among them, Stephen, would become the first martyr of the church.
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