In 1 Timothy 3:8–13, Paul describes the qualities expected of deacons, emphasizing character, faithfulness, integrity, and service. Today we explore the role of deacons across several Christian traditions and reflect on the deeper question behind the passage: If Christ calls us to serve, how are we serving? Church leaders should be tested and held to high standards, but none of us should expect perfection from them. At the same time, every Christian has a responsibility to use their gifts in service to God, the church, and the world. So the question for today is simple: How am I serving?
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Good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Monday morning. I hope you’re well. I hope all is good for you.
And, just a little inside baseball: I always record these early, so I’m actually recording this on Friday. That means I have absolutely no idea what happened in the football games this weekend.
So, congratulations!
Or, I’m really sorry.
Depending on how things went.
And also, much like Punxsutawney Phil tells us what weather is coming on Groundhog Day—and Groundhog Day is one of the greatest movies ever made—today is the first sighting of Andy’s coat.
It is Friday morning, and I am cold.
So I am now wearing my coat.
I hope you enjoy your summer, because apparently mine is over.
As I told the folks here in Starkville in Bible study the other night, everybody who is just getting to know me here in Starkville and North Mississippi needs to prepare themselves for the amount of whining I am going to do during the winter.
Just get ready.
It’s going to be bad.
Because if I’m already wearing a coat and it’s not even October yet, guys, it is not going to be good.
So just get ready.
Pray for me.
Pray for my church, because they’re going to have to hear my whining.
And pray for my wife, because she’s really going to have to hear my whining.
Anyway, I hope you had a great weekend, and I hope all is well as we begin this Monday together.
Today we’re going to continue in 1 Timothy 3.
On Friday, we talked about the qualifications for an overseer or bishop.
Today, we’re going to talk about deacons.
Paul says that deacons likewise should be serious, not double-tongued, not controlled by alcohol, not greedy for money. They should hold firmly to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience. And then he says something I think is really important:
They should first be tested.
They should prove themselves.
Then they can serve as deacons.
The word “deacon” comes from the Greek diakonos, and it is a word associated with service and ministry.
And I think that’s really important when we talk about the role of a deacon.
As we talked about Friday, every church has a different form of church government—what we call church polity.
But one thing you see across many Christian traditions is that when churches have deacons, the role is often closely connected with service.
I’ve seen that in Baptist churches.
I remember serving Concord Baptist out in Philadelphia and having experience with Baptist deacons. I’ve also known deacons in Presbyterian churches, where the deacons have a particular calling to service while elders have more of the responsibility for governance and teaching.
And I really appreciate that model.
In those traditions, deacons are laypeople who have a particular ministry of service within the church.
In the United Methodist tradition, it’s different.
Our deacons are clergy who are ordained to a particular ministry of Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice.
They generally do not serve in the same role as elders who are appointed to lead congregations, but their calling is very much connected to helping the church serve the world.
And I’ll be honest with you: I haven’t shared this very often.
When I was going through the ordination process, I spent some time praying about whether I might actually be called to the Order of Deacons.
At that point in my life, I was thinking maybe my calling was more toward the academic world. I was considering getting a doctorate and perhaps teaching in a seminary or college setting.
But I kept feeling this tug toward the local church.
I felt called to preaching and teaching, to the sacraments, and to the ordering of the church.
So I discerned that the Order of Elders was where I was called.
But I have tremendous respect for my brothers and sisters who are called to the Order of Deacons.
And I have tremendous respect for anyone, in any Christian tradition, who feels called to a ministry of service.
Because ultimately, that’s what we’re talking about here.
Service.
And I think verse 10 is especially important.
Paul says, essentially, let them first be tested. Let them prove themselves.
I think that is an important principle for church leadership across the board.
In my tradition, it takes a long time to become ordained.
And I think that’s a good thing.
It should take time.
It’s good for people’s doctrine to be tested.
It’s good for their character to be tested.
It’s good for their virtues to be tested.
It’s good for their calling to be tested.
I always think about something Bishop Swanson said to us when I was younger in ministry.
He said that anytime somebody questions your calling, that’s an opportunity for you to explain your call story.
And I think that’s true.
We should know why we’re doing this.
We should know why we’re serving.
We should be able to talk about how God called us.
And I think that’s important not just for clergy but for all of us.
Now, I don’t think we should hold our leaders to a standard of perfection.
Our leaders are not perfect.
They’re not Jesus.
They didn’t die for your sins.
And we shouldn’t expect them to be perfect.
I certainly don’t claim to be perfect.
And I’m not above criticism. Trust me, people can criticize me all they want. That comes with being in public ministry.
But we should have high expectations of our leaders.
We should have high expectations of our clergy.
We should have high expectations of our lay leaders.
We should have high expectations of our bishops.
That’s a good thing.
And we should expect our leaders to be people of character, integrity, humility, and service.
We see some of those same themes here in the qualifications for deacons.
They’re not supposed to be greedy for money.
They’re supposed to manage their households well.
They’re supposed to be people of integrity.
And ultimately, they’re called to serve.
That is really the heart of the word.
Serve.
And I think that gives us a question that applies to every one of us.
If the deacon is called to serve, and if the deacon is called to help lead the church into service, then what does that mean for me?
How am I serving?
How am I serving?
Because if the model that Christ has given us is one of service, then all of us ought to be asking that question.
How am I serving?
How am I using the gifts God has given me?
How am I helping my church?
How am I helping my community?
How am I helping my neighbor?
How am I serving the people around me?
As the great theologian Bob Dylan once said, “You gotta serve somebody.”
So who are you serving today?
If you’re a deacon in your church, whatever tradition you’re part of, thank you.
Thank you for serving.
And if you’re a layperson in the church, how can you serve?
How can you support your leaders?
How can you hold your leaders to high expectations while also recognizing that you have a responsibility to serve?
Because we can expect things from our leaders—and we should.
But we also have to ask what we are doing.
How am I serving?
There is a world in need of service.
And I believe the Lord has sent us here to do exactly that.
So let’s go serve somebody today.
Thanks for being with me.
I hope you have a great rest of your day, and we’ll see you tomorrow morning.
Thanks!