Hello Church Family,

You do not have to nominate anyone, but if you truly believe that there is someone who is functioning in a deacon capacity, but does not currently hold the title “Deacon,” please prayerfully consider submitting their name for the nomination process.

Please remember you are looking for people already functioning in a deacon “shock absorber” capacity and who meet the character qualifications of the office.

Also, keep in mind, our bylaws state that our deacons do not have a “term length.” They are not deacons for a year, and they are not deacons for life. But instead, our deacons hold the title of “deacon” as long as they are functioning in that capacity. So if any of our current deacons express that they are no longer fulfilling their role as “shock absorbers” for a specific ministry, then they will voluntarily be removed from the deacon list. We will ask each of the current deacons individually. So there is no need for you to affirm our current deacons, but your duty will be to nominate new ones.

 

Who is a Deacon?
  • Deacons are servants by definition. The Greek word diakonos, from which we get our English word deacon, means “servant.” For example, Jesus came to deacon (serve) (Mark 10:45; Rom. 15:8). So did Paul, Apollos, and Tychicus (1 Cor. 3:5, 6; Eph. 3:7; 6:21; Col. 4:7). It sounds like a pretty good label to wear.
  • While all Christians are called to serve the church, some are particularly good at it, and their service rises to the level that recognizing them formally becomes appropriate. 1 Timothy 3 contains a specific discussion of the formal office of deacon.
  • Whereas the Bible charges elders with the tasks of teaching, praying, and leading the church. The deacons’ role is more service-oriented. That is, they attend to the practical details of church life—administration, maintenance, the care of church members with physical needs, and preparation for the services, among other things.
  • By handling such matters, deacons free up the elders to focus on shepherding the spiritual needs of the congregation. Thus deacons are a great blessing to the church not only in the particular work that they do but for how they free up the elders to devote their time and energy to prayer and the Word.
  • This may be a helpful description: “Elders lead ministry, deacons facilitate ministry, the congregation does ministry.”
  • The qualifications for deacons are given in 1 Timothy 3:8-12, and are similar to those of elders. There are, however, two clear differences. Unlike elders, deacons can be women as well as men. And second, unlike elders, deacons are not required to be able to teach.
  • For us to be a healthy church, we need to be training people, testing people, and recognizing those who serve exceptionally well as deacons. And our desire is to begin to recognize and nominate deacons & deaconesses at CBC continually.

Here is the list of our current Deacon's: Click Here

 

Here are the steps of the whole process:
  • Review the resources provided to ensure you remember what to look for in a deacon (listed below)
  • Nominate a deacon (The deadline will be February 28th).
  • The admin leaders and the community group leaders will gather to review the nominations.
  • The church body will get a list of proposed deacons that have been reviewed and affirmed by the leaders.
  • The church will have a few weeks to express concerns about the proposed list (first speaking to the person individually, and then escalating the discussion if needed).

 

Resources:
  • 2 Part Sermon Series on Deacons: Click Here
  • Passages to Consider:
    ◦ Acts 6:1-7
    ◦ 1 Timothy 3:8-13
    ◦ Philippians 1:1
    ◦ Romans 16:1
  • Resources to Consider:
    ◦ 9Marks Articles & Free PDF Journal Click Here “Deacons Are Shock Absorbers.” We encourage all CBC members to read the free PDF Journal, we promise it’s short :)
  • Other Helpful Resources:
    ◦ Alexander Strauch, “The New Testament Deacon” (Lewis & Roth, 2016)
    ◦ Thabiti M. Anyabwile, “Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons” (9Marks, 2012)
    ◦ John MacArthur, “The Master’s Plan for the Church” (Moody, 2008) Gregg Allison, “Sojourners & Strangers” (Crossway, 2012)
  • Helpful blog post on recognizing women as deacons: Click Here

 

The deadline for submission is February 28th, 2023

 

NOMINATE A MEMBER 

If you have any questions or if something is unclear, please feel free to contact The Elders.