At the present time churches around the world are naming deacons. My question is: in situations where there may be hostility or lack of trust in leadership how should deacons be chosen/named? The Bible teaches that the person leading the congregation named the deacons. Should it be done the same way now or should it be done by the Board of Directors? -- Renzo Minaya
I am not sure there is a right / wrong way to go about naming deacons. In Acts 6, a passage I think is relevant, the section of the church who would be served directly by the deacons put forward the names which were then ratified by the apostles. But notice the nearly complete lack of detail in the N.T. on how deacons--and elders for that matter--are to be selected. We have character criteria, rough job descriptions, and many scriptures about church leadership. But as to the precise mechanism of selection, we wish we had more!
I would like to recommend two books by Alexander Strauch:
1. Biblical Eldership, which I believe will at least indirectly address your query.
2. The New Testament Deacon. His view is not mainstream, but he does make an excellent case for the actual work of the deacon in the first century.
If you have further questions about deacons, search the website (click SEARCH) and you will find a few items that may speak to this question.
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