“Deaconess”

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

I know the Bible speaks of deacons; does it speak of deaconesses (women) in the church?

Sincerely,
Servant’s Heart

Dear Servant’s Heart,

The Bible does speak about deaconesses – but not as an official job title.  The word ‘deacon’ simply means ‘servant’.  In most places of your Bible, the Greek word is simply translated as ‘servant’.  Only in a few places is it translated ‘deacon’… which can be a little confusing.  In 1 Tim 3:8-13, it gives the qualifications for deacons (servants) who will serve the eldership in an official capacity.  These qualifications clearly state that deacons of this sort must be married men (1 Tim 3:12).  These types of deacons are part of the official church leadership, and they fall into a very specific category of servant.

However, the New Testament is full of other types of servants.  Phoebe was a servant of the church in Cenchrea and is described as “a helper to all” (Rom 16:1-2).  This type of deacon isn’t an official job title but is simply a person with a kind and magnanimous servant’s heart who helps others.  In today’s vernacular, we associate the word ‘deacon’ with an official title in the church, and this would only include those who meet the qualifications of 1 Tim 3:8-13 and have been appointed by the church to that position.  However, when we remember that ‘deacon’ means ‘servant’ – we see that, unofficially, the church is full of servants of every shape, size, age, and gender.

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