What Is A Deacon In Todays Church?

The word deacon is derived from the Greek diakoneo or diakonos meaning servant or one who serves. In the mainstream orthodox churches today the role of deacon evolved from its original intent in the early church at Jerusalem into one of the oldest offices in the ordained ministry. Three New Testament passages in the King James Version that are used to rationalize the appointment of deacons are found in the texts of Philippians 1:1, and 1 Timothy 3:8, 12. The deacon position is in close association with that of bishops in the Orthodox Church. In the fundamentalist (i.e. born-again) Christian churches the function and office of deacon differs somewhat from the orthodox churches in that deacon boards have come to be recognized as a group of men that assist the senior pastor in the management of church finances. This role and function of the deacon here is no more scriptural than is that of the traditional orthodox Christendom (a watered down title for churches that are typically Christian ... more