A deacon body has responsibilities of ministry that are inherent in the servant-leadership role to which they have been called. The designation of deacon (diakonos) implies ministry. This word from the New Testament indicates a table waiter, a servant of a master, a church official. In essence, a deacon is a servant or minister.

 

Some churches are discovering that a single-emphasis-approach such as the Deacon Family Ministry Plan does not include the variety of responsibilities required for effective deacon ministry. Individual differences of gifts, personalities, talents and skills often are not considered. It is grossly unfair to expect all persons to respond equally well to the same demand. These churches have developed a system assigning deacons to ministry teams to perform the tasks needed from deacons.

 

Team ministry aims toward a diversified responsibility of deacons. The biblical concept of spiritual gifts is the basis for assignment of deacons to specific ministries. God has given each deacon spiritual gifts that equip him for a specific ministry. Organizing deacon ministry around spiritual gifts recognizes the diversity and uniqueness of the ministry that God has called each deacon to perform. Instead of approaching deacon ministry from a “cookie-cutter” mentality, deacon ministry for each deacon and each church will be tailored specifically to the gifts that God has given to each deacon and church.

 

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