A Deacon On Purpose: Four Biblical Essentials

A healthy deacon body is critical to the overall health of the church. When deacons serve biblically, they advance the cause of Christ; when they do not, they hinder it. A Deacon On Purpose outlines four essential commitments every deacon must make to serve Jesus’s church well, in concert with biblical teaching. 1) Lead by Example. The deacon is the lead servant in the local church. He should strategically leverage relational influence to model faithful Christian living and service in the body of Christ. 2) Serve the People. A deacon who is above the people is below the office. The primary function of the office is to serve Christ’s people with an open heart and open hands. 3) Support the Pastor and Staff. Deacons are an extension of the pastor’s long arm of ministry. The two offices must work in concert with one another if either is to be effective. 4) Protect the Peace. Other than the gospel itself, unity is the most precious thing a church can possess. Deacons must cultivate and guard peace with careful intentionality. These four purposes are primarily derived from Acts 6:1-7, a passage widely understood to have laid the foundation for the office of deacon in the local New Testament church. The four purposes may take different forms in different contexts, but contextualized application of each is vitally important to the overall health of the local church. 

Some deacon training resources major on the minors, and their attention to detail and concentrated practicality is helpful. But the four purposes in this resource are clear and simple, easily translatable into the deacon body of any church, regardless of size or culture. Discussion questions and reflection points at the end of each chapter are aimed at cultivating an environment conducive to self-assessed, self-driven, contextualized application. Because no two churches and no two communities are the the same, A Deacon On Purpose delivers basic biblical essentials with clarity while allowing deacons to be experts in their own contexts when it comes to application of these four overarching biblical purposes. 

With a writing style that directly addresses the reader, the book represents a healthy blend of biblical foundation, practical application, and personal illustration. Biblical texts are given first priority to the convictional positions taken by the author. Then those biblical truths are worked out in practical ways, always deferring to the reader as the resident expert in his own ministry context. Personal stories and illustrations contribute to the flow and relatability of the chapters. Wolfe’s heart for the local church is evident on every page, and his desire for deacons to thrive in their biblical office is obvious.   

When churches recapture the biblical design for the office of deacon, the Holy Spirit will work with refreshing power in and through the congregation. Christ’s people will have contextualized models of everyday Christian living. The church will begin to see more acts of selfless servitude as the people follow the example of their official servant leaders. The membership will feel more connected and more loved than ever before. Pastors and church staff will become more efficient in their time management and more encouraged in their calling. Conflict will be turned into opportunity as deacons carefully, biblically and graciously protect the peace and redirect problems toward healing and growth. That’s what God did in the Jerusalem church in Acts 6:1-7, and it is what He has done in countless churches since. When deacons lead well, serve well, love well, and relate well, churches thrive. If you are looking for a resource to help cultivate this biblical model and stimulate creative, contextual application in your church, look no further than Wolfe’s A Deacon On Purpose.