Deacon Profiles

 The New Testament uses three primary words that refer to deacons: diakonos, which means "servant"; diakonia, which means "service"; and diakoneõ, which means "to serve." The original use of this group of words might have been specific, meaning the service of waiting on tables or serving people food. But it broadened beyond that and came to mean any kind of service.While all believers are to be characterized by service, some have been specially gifted by the Spirit of God to serve (cf. Romans 12:7). Only in 1 Timothy 3 is there a specific discussion of the office of deacon (vv. 8– 10, 12).

Deacons are equally qualified with elders in terms of character and spiritual life. The one difference between their qualifications is that an elder must be able to teach, but the deacon doesn't have to be. The elders oversee the work of those who serve the Lord, and they are assisted in their work by deacons. The qualifications for deacons can be divided into two categories: personal character and spiritual character.