“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17). This is the key verse for the two orders of elder in the PCA, ruling and teaching. Consider for a moment the title of Ruling Elder. The word “rule” in 1 Timothy 5:17 literally means “to stand before” in the original Greek. It also can be translated “to care for, to give aid, and to lead” (Thayer’s Lexicon). The duty of elders is to be out front leading the flock of God, which is a part of shepherding. Shepherds with a plan can better lead a congregation.

A synonym for “elder” in the New Testament is the word “overseer” which means one who is charged to see that things are done right. It also has a meaning of looking after, and caring for. It is interesting that both root words for rule and oversee include the concept of caring and looking after the affairs of others. The spiritual oversight of the members of the church is the elders’ responsibility. Shepherds who have planned well will know what they are called to oversee.

In thinking about the phrase “rule well” and what that means for the elders serving as a Session, it would seem they need to have a strategic plan that would describe how ruling well would look. As leaders in the church, they need to be integrally involved in planning the course and direction of the church’s ministry. This will involve following the instruction of Paul to the Corinthians regarding worship that “all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

The question is, “How do they rule well?” One has to turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:12 where Paul instructs the believers, “to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” The honor comes as the elders “labor among” the people. They are to be loved “because of their work.” The Session of the church must not act as a board of directors, which simply makes decisions and pronouncements regarding the programs of the church. To do so puts them in danger of ruling in a hierarchical and dictatorial manner. This also leads to power struggles in churches, and sets groups against one another. They can only rule well as they live and labor among people, by getting to know them and their needs, and by getting involved in their lives.

If you look at Chapter 12 of the BOCO you will find a description of the duties of the Session, the first being “to inquire into the knowledge, principles and Christian conduct of the church members under its care.” Session members cannot fulfill this duty unless they have a plan to effectively accomplish this inquiry. Notice that the word “care” is used to describe the relationship of the Session to the members.

As you read the remaining list of duties you will quickly see that the Session will need to plan how they are going to fulfill each of these duties. The Session must plan how to divide among themselves the labors for which they are responsible. They must also delegate and appoint others to assist in the ministry. This helps in the development of the Body by utilizing their spiritual gifts. In order for Session members to make right decisions about the ministry of their church they will need to know the spiritual gifts and graces of their people. Elders can know these things only as they personally interact with the members of the congregation. The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian elders how he ministered not only publicly, but also from house to house while he was with them. Such household ministry almost seems a thing of the past in many churches today. One reason may be that Sessions fail to plan for such ministry.

Whenever the Session involves itself in the process of planning, they should model the teaching of James 4:13-15: “Those who say that tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make profit-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'” This puts planning in the proper perspective of God’s will and allows Him to dispose of our plans and their results Proverbs 16: 1,9. This doesn’t mean that leaders should not plan, but they should be open to the Lord’s leading them through his Spirit and Word, and through prayer. Read Acts 16:6-10 for another example of being open to the Lord’s leading in the planning process.

The elders must remember that they are members of the congregation and as such they and their family must be actively participating in the various ministries. This is another aspect of “ruling well.” If the programs of the church have no value to the Session and their families, why would you expect it to have value to the other members of the Body? Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:12; it is only as leaders work hard among the people that the people will show honor and respect. When Sessions often think they are delegating they are really dictating, and not willing to show a servant’s heart.

Planning becomes a must for them to be effective and efficient in their ministry of leadership. In planning, the Session must practice and model the process then they must include others in the congregation to join them by exercising their spiritual gifts. If the Session is a good model, it will encourage the ministry committees of the church to listen and follow their example in planning the various programs of the church. This allows for shared leadership and also servant leadership. To grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ means that each part of the Body, each ligament, must do its part, Ephesians 4:16.

Whenever the Session sets out to make plans for the future, they must take great care to give themselves to earnest and fervent prayer that the Lord would grant wisdom and power to carry out their plan for His glory. I think you will find that in many non-growing churches the Session does not have a sense of purpose nor a plan for ministry. The church carries on the same activities year after year without knowing why they do what they are doing, and no one ever evaluates the activities because there is no strategic plan to measure results. Moses led, ruled, and cared for the nation of Israel, because he knew God’s plan and followed it. The Lord left a plan for his disciples when he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:8).

Finally, the Session must remember the words of Hebrews 13:17. There the writer commands believers to obey leaders and submit to them, because they (leaders) will have to give an account for watching over the souls of believers. That accountability should highly motivate elders to be careful to plan and to fulfill their duties as set forth in BOCO chapter 8, and 12. These two chapters should be read on a regular basis at Session meetings.

Do churches really need leadership? In principle you will answer yes, of course. But in practice, that principle may be challenged. Every church has positional leadership, those who fill the form of leadership, but not every church has functional leadership. Because of our understanding of the priesthood of all believers, we believe there are general and special offices in the church. Those who fill the special offices, elder and deacon, are chosen from the general offices, members of the church.

That automatically reminds us that leadership involves both formal and informal leaders. As we see in the Scriptures, the church is made up of both. Hence, the challenge is twofold: for both categories to function with a unity of spirit and purpose and for both to do what God intends within those roles.

For the past two years, the Presbyterian Church in America has had a group of people involved in a “strategic planning process.” It was intended to encourage and assist local churches, presbyteries, and denominational agencies towards planning within a generally agreed on framework. The results of that effort have been represented, discussed, and now commended to churches and presbyteries by the last two general assemblies.

Officers’ Threefold Responsibility

Formal church leadership has three particular responsibilities and opportunities. First, ordained leaders have the responsibility of “keeping the purity of the faith.” The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus that the leaders must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Failure to exercise that responsibility creates what the late Martin-Lloyd Jones calls “a church that ceases to make a difference.”

Knowing and contending for the faith is a prime responsibility of church leadership, especially the eldership (see the book of Jude). If this is not done, the church not only flounders in its mission, but the people are not properly discipled and the foundations are shaky. That is why one requirement for church officers is that they be sound in the faith.

A second responsibility and privilege focuses on shepherding God’s flock. In 1 Peter 5 elders are referred to as shepherds. “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you“(1 Pet. 5:2, ESV). Shepherding requires personal contact. The PCA Book of Church Order says officers are to know the people, pray with and for them, and visit in their homes, primarily to inquire into their spiritual growth, needs, and development.

Recent TV reporters polled people in the street as to their knowledge of the leaders. They could name the president of the United States but for many, which was as far as they could go. Knowing the pastor of the church is fine and good, but knowing the collective leadership is also important in order to cultivate a willing following. The Bible teaches that sheep know their shepherd and shepherds, their sheep.

A third responsibility and privilege of the ordained leadership is to oversee the planning process. In the same passage, 1 Peter 5, elders are instructed to have “oversight” of the flock. Oversight requires many things, such as leading the flock in the right direction, seeing that the people are trained and equipped for service, and following the right shepherd.

The Planning Process

This article singles out the third responsibility of overseeing the planning process. Some have said that planning is not for the church because it is a management model and the church should not follow that model. Our understanding of leadership, however, is determined by our theology-our understanding of who God is. We learn from the Bible that God himself was a master planner. Before the foundation of the world, God developed a plan, and with creation began implementing that plan. Planning is a very godlike process. Christians could even say that planning is one of the most godlike things that we can do because planning is simply seeking by faith to discern God’s direction for our church. It is asking and answering in faith several strategic questions:

Who are we as a church?

Why do we exist?

What are we supposed to be doing?

Where are we in that process?

Where do we believe God wants us to go?

What do we have to do in order to focus own our part?

How can we know that we are doing the above?

Once you begin to get an overall picture of what you believe God would have you be and do as a church, then you can ask essential questions such as: what should be our key result areas for ministry? How should we organize or structure ourselves to facilitate effectiveness in those areas? How do we train, mobilize, and organize our people to be involved in our church’s ministry? How can a clear plan enable us to make better decisions and choices?

Biblically based leadership, according to Peter, requires that leaders first set the direction for the church. Failure on the part of leadership causes churches to “wing it,” or “fly by the seat of their pants” in their efforts, causing them to be ineffective. Leaders following a biblical model set the course and insure that all things necessary for that course are put into place.

When we encourage churches to do strategic faith planning, we are simply asking the leadership to ask God what kind of ministry, present and future, that he would have this church to have. That is a simple question that requires much prayer, biblical instruction, and common sense.

We have heard testimony after testimony from church leaders saying, “I have done that type of planning in my business for years but have never thought about doing that in the church.” One of the things I realized during my doctoral studies was how many biblical principles were actually used in “managerial psychology.” Principles were borrowed from Scripture, but with a different objective, namely profit. The world always operates on God’s borrowed principles. The Westminster Divines were bold enough to underscore the sufficiency of Scripture in the Westminster Confession of Faith but they also said:

“…There are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government and government of the Church, common to human action and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.”

Those who understand the concepts of “common grace” and “all truth is God’s truth” understand something of what they were saying. Though oriented to a limited or specific circumstance in the WCF, that principle applies to the whole of life.

Good Planning Facilitates

Good planning actually enables the leaders understanding of how the church is to be God’s salt and light in the world around them. God’s truth is not circumstantial in that it changes from situation to situation. But the context in which we communicate God’s truth does change. We see through the scriptures how God’s people adapted their method of communicating God’s message to their particular circumstance. Had that not been true, there would have been only one of the four Gospel books. Only one of Paul’s epistles would have been necessary.

Good leadership is able to ask and answer numerous strategic questions about their church’s role and mission to the world around them. Two main questions that should constantly challenge leaders are: who are we and what should we or shouldn’t we be doing in serving God’s purpose? How leaders respond to those questions will often determine a church’s effectiveness of ministry and how they communicate that ministry clearly to the people. Effective leaders will always be careful to plan and to communicate to their people their church’s purpose or mission. They will curtail the temptation of the “tyranny of the urgent.” Without a clear plan it is easy to do urgent things at the expense of doing the important things.

Why “strategic faith planning?” Strategy refers to direction. Faith reminds us that we walk by faith and not by sight. Even though in the planning process we are attempting to ask God what he wants us to be and do, we need to follow God’s lead which requires us at times to flex with God’s working. Walking by faith, requires learning that God would sometimes have us alter or correct our present course of action.

We have seen a number of PCA churches and other related organizations make great strides as a result of the planning process. Frank Brock, past president of Covenant College, has said that the process of planning may be as valuable, or more so, than the plan itself. It can encourage a spirit of unity and purpose that Paul speaks of in Ephesians. It can facilitate each part doing its work in the local church’s ministry. It can keep a people humble before the Lord, as they seek to know the role of their church and their place in the church.

What is the difference between a plan and a framework? The framework is the setting in which planning is done. In this case the PCA provides that unifying framework. Being Revived, Bringing Reformation is a booklet written by the General Assembly Steering Committee. Subtitled A Framework for Planning for the Presbyteries and Churches of the Presbyterian Church in America, it lists four strategic priorities. These are: empowering health and growth for new and existing churches, developing leadership for the future, increasing denominational understanding and effectiveness, and engaging the culture.

The framework further states the identity for which the PCA is known. The first characteristic of the PCA is its commitment to biblical inerrancy and authority. That commitment is expressed with our reformed theology. Because of the church’s interdependence, mutual accountability and cooperative ministry are two other distinguishing marks of the PCA. The mission statement of the PCA is expressed in the following manner:

“The mission of the Presbyterian Church in America is to glorify and enjoy God by equipping and enabling the churches of the PCA to work together to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations, so that people will mature as servants of the triune God, will worship God in spirit and in truth, and will have a reforming impact on culture.”

Being Revived, Bringing Reformation will be a helpful tool with both its framework and listing of PCA agencies and individuals who can offer assistance in the planning process.

It is available from our CEP bookstore 1-800-283-1357 or www.pcanet.org/cep.

Conclusion

While leaders in the church must be concerned about the purity of the faith and shepherding God’s people, they need to be people of vision who know how to set direction for the church’s ministry, communicate that clearly to the church, and through training and guidance, help each member know where he or she fits in that overall ministry. That requires not only knowing how to develop plans, but also how to coordinate the interpersonal relationships among the people necessary to implement the plan.

We ask leaders up front, what do you think God wants your church to be and do and where are you in that process? Our suggestion is local church leaders can develop a planning leadership team made up of both formal and informal leaders, male and female. They can explain to the planning team exactly what they want them to do and give them resources to accomplish that task. The elders can then monitor their progress and keep the congregation informed to encourage prayer for the planning team. CE&P has numerous suggested resources to use along with the PCA’s strategic planning framework to assist in the planning process. Contact our office at 678-825-1100 for assistance.

Godly leaders are a key to a church’s effectiveness and godly leadership requires a delicate balance between people and task and when given the choice, they always come down on the people side of the ledger. Jesus demonstrated that principle so clearly when he washed his disciples’ feet and then when he finally died on the cross as the atonement for our sins. Godly leaders are always in need of the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, hence constantly in need of the prayers of the people. When we find a church in an unhealthy mode, it generally reflects the type of leadership in that church.

Good planning is a means of seeking to understand God’s will for the church, as well as a means of enabling the leadership to mobilize the membership for ministry/service. It will also enable the church to make better decisions on how to use their resources to accomplish God’s purpose.

Questions for discussion:

Does my church have an overall plan of ministry?

Does our congregation understand our church’s plan for ministry?

Are our leaders helping us know where we participate in our church’s ministry?

Am I being trained and equipped to use my gifts in a manner that contributes to helping our church’s ministry?

Is our church attempting to be strategic (directional or intentional) in what it does?

How is our church’s ministry determined and driven by our theology?

The office of deacon is one of two ordinary and perpetual offices that are given to the New Testament church. In context of church leadership, deacons are shown to be a part of the team. Paul addresses them specifically along with elders in Philippians 1:1, and gives the qualifications for each office in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Deacons are called to serve a very important purpose. The church displays its idea of that purpose through how it prioritizes the duties of deacons. Before looking at the most prevalent view of what deacons do in our churches, consider what Calvin wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion:

“As to the order of the diaconate, I would raise no dispute, if the office which existed under the apostles, and a purer Church, were restored to its integrity. But what resemblance to it do we see in their (Roman Church) fictitious deacons?”In the same paragraph, regarding the ordination (of deacons) by the bishop, Calvin writes,”But they act just as if one were to say he was ordaining apostles, when he was only appointing persons to kindle the incense, clean the images, sweep the churches, set traps for mice, and put out dogs…After this, let them not pretend that those whom they appoint to mere stage-play are deacons.”

These are indeed stinging words for those who denigrated the office of deacon through the centuries. In the years leading up to the Reformation, the church had strayed far from the teaching of Scripture on the ministry of deacons. How do we view the duties of deacons in our times? We live in a vastly different culture from that of the early church. Today, churches often own large properties and buildings and deacons are delegated the responsibility of their care. In the PCA Book of Church Order, the duties of deacons are spelled out. “They shall have the care of the property of the congregation, both real and personal, and shall keep in proper repair the church edifice and other buildings belonging to the church.” Over the years, I have found that deacons readily admit that this is the duty that occupies most of their time and energy. According to Scripture and Calvin’s comments, this ought not to be.

Alexander Strauch has written a book, Minister of Mercy, The New Testament Deacon in which he writes, “Thus the work of the deacons, the servant-officers of the church, is to oversee people’s practical, material needs. This necessitated the administration of church funds. Since the first Christians did not have buildings to maintain, the first deacons were preeminently people-helpers and administrators of the church’s charity. They were ministers of mercy.”(Italics added)

Calvin also addresses what he calls the squandering and diversion of funds by the church from a true diaconal ministry. “I say, that what is employed on the adorning of churches is improperly laid out, if not accompanied with that moderation which the very nature of sacred things prescribes, and which the apostles and other holy fathers prescribed, both by precept and example…Meanwhile, so far are they from taking due care of living temples, that they would allow thousands of the poor to perish sooner than break down the smallest cup or platter to relieve their necessity.”

There is the danger of reducing the office of deacon from what the BOCO says is “spiritual in nature” to one of caretakers of property and buildings. We overburden deacons with upkeep of material structures that require nothing of the qualifications outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8 and Acts 6:3. Consider briefly the description of the office of deacon in BOCO 9-1, “The office is one of sympathy and service.” These descriptive words are relational and people oriented. One definition of “sympathy” is the capacity to enter into and share the feelings of another. It is also a feeling of compassion and pity. The primary ministry of deacons is to people, people, people, not property, property, property. Repeatedly, the Scripture speaks of God’s concern for the poor, for widows, orphans, those who are hungry, in prison, unclothed, and the fatherless. Deacons need to learn the heart of God, and reflect that as they do their work.

The next phrase in the BOCO goes on to say “…after the example of the Lord Jesus.” What a high calling to be commissioned to follow the Lord Jesus Christ’s example. In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Apostle Paul concurred in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “Yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” Jesus was a man of compassion, and he has provided for his compassion to be carried on, through the office of deacons. The disciples on the Emmaus road describe Jesus of Nazareth as “a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” The challenge for deacons today is to be known as men who are mighty in deeds of mercy before God and all the people. “For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 3:13)

The very first duty set forth in BOCO 9-2 is that deacons are to minister “to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress.” Each of these categories can be found in every one of our PCA churches. This duty is first in the list, and should be first in priority for every board of deacons. Because this ministry is so vital and large in scope, the Session should study well BOCO 9-7:

“It is expedient that the Session of a church should select and appoint godly men and women of the congregation to assist the deacons in caring for the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, and others who may be in any distress or need.” Here is where the spiritual gifts of mercy and giving are practiced in the communion of the saints.

In conclusion, the church should be warned against undermining the office of deacon by establishing separate committees of mercy without the inclusion and oversight of the deacons. This goes against the very nature of the church government as set forth in Scripture. Deacons are assigned the responsibility for mercy ministry. Dr. George Fuller says in the introduction to his book, Resources For Deacons, “They must organize the ministry of mercy. They must become God’s channel for mobilizing the members of his church to minister in the lives of others.” By doing so they will multiply the blessing of God in the lives of multitudes of suffering people. Dr. Fuller also states that “the low estate of the office of deacon today is what we brought upon it, not what God intended.” It behooves the elders of the church to issue a fresh call and challenge to deacons to reclaim their rightful role in the church. Calvin might say this would mean breaking down some traditions in the church and breaking loose more resources for mercy ministry. Only then will the church see deacons acquire a good standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

As deacons gain vision for mercy ministry and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill them, they will lead the church in showing the mercy and love of Christ, both in the Body and in the community.

Suggested Reading

Minister of Mercy The New Testament Deacon, Alexander Strauch

Resources for Deacons, Tim Keller

Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin, Book IV

The Handbook for Deacons, Gerard Berghoef & Lester DeKoster

Book of Church Order, Chapter Nine

Ministries of Mercy, Tim Keller

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXVI

By George Fuller. Jack graduates from college, or even receives his MBA. He finds a job with a company in their home office. The building is large and shaped like a pyramid. Each level has a number and the top floor is Level 1. Of course, in the pyramid the lowest level is the largest, and that’s where most people begin. But Jack did passing work in school and his uncle works on an upper level, so he does not have to begin at the ground level.

His workspace is a modular unit in the middle of the level. He cannot even see a window from his cubicle. But he finds satisfaction in the fact that the people on the levels under him serve him; they are clerks and cleaning people. Even in the beginning, Jack has career goals. He wants to move to a cubicle closer to a window, as people with those more cherished locations die, are fired or move up. Eventually, he wants to move to a wall unit, hopefully with a window. His most lofty dream is to move along the wall to a corner office, maybe even one with windows on two sides.

From time to time, employees move up to the next level allowing Jack to move up as well. The process begins again as he works his way from the middle of the floor, to the edge, to the corner window. The ultimate goal – so ultimate that perhaps no one really achieves it – is to be at the pinnacle, at the very top floor, one office, windows all around; you report to no one, and everyone reports to you. If Jack is asked, “how many people work for you?” he says, “everyone.” “Whom do you serve?” “No one (other than myself).”

Jack will probably never get close to that pinnacle. He’ll retire, be retired, be fired or reach some kind of ceiling. His initial level may have been too low.

The pyramid scheme is deeply entrenched. It assumes that at the top are happiness and success, at the bottom are misery, drudgery and a kind of slavery. The world’s cultures, from ancient Greece to modern America, do not place high value on or dignify menial service. It is considered infinitely better to receive it than give it. The pyramid principles may apply in the home office of a large company. They may also describe some teachers, farmers, truck drivers, mothers-at-home or ministers who believe the goal in life is to get ahead, move up, be served.

Jesus turned the pyramid upside down. He revolutionized the world’s scheme. Success is found in working your way to the bottom. The issue is never “service received” but is always “service given.” It is never “how many people report to me?” but always, “can I serve others better or more?”In an extreme but proper sense Jesus alone occupies the point at the bottom of the new pyramid. He is the Ultimate Servant. Self-giving to the point of death itself, He took upon Himself the form of a servant, becoming obedient even unto death.

Seeking to have the mind of Jesus in them, the servants of Jesus prayerfully and humbly work their way down the new pyramid, becoming more like Him. Increasingly they are known by their humble and quiet service to people in need and to Jesus Himself. They receive gratefully the important support of other Christians, but they rejoice all the more in opportunity to offer service to others.

Look at the Last Supper again. Jesus said, “The hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table” (Luke 22:21). “They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.” What happened next? Did Thomas think, “It surely is not me”? Perhaps Matthew and Peter had the same unspoken thoughts. Did they begin to compare themselves to one another? It is clear what the result was- “also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.”

They simply did not understand the pyramid problem. Jesus said to them, “the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them are given the title Benefactor. But you are not like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Throughout the ages and the world, people admire the great pyramid and give their lives to the pyramid game. But it is an evil game, seducing and entrapping. Escaping from the world’s pyramid is not easy, but it is critical. How do you move from a scheme that has universal endorsement? You can begin by understanding the word “serve” in the words of Jesus; “I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27).

First, know that “serve” is a verb. One related noun is translated “deacon.” Another related noun talks about the activity of deacons and is translated “service, ministry.” It refers to the “act of deaconing.” But Jesus’ word is the verb “to minister, to serve, to deacon.” You remember how verbs work: I deacon, you deacon, he or she deacons.” It’s a word of action. The reference is to something you do, or in this case something Jesus does.

Secondly, recognize that Jesus came specifically “to deacon.” If you were to say, “Jesus, why did you come?” He might respond, “in fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” He might say, “for the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” But hear Jesus: “for even the Son of Man did not come to be served (to be deaconed), but to serve (deacon), and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The verb flows through his life, even out of his death. He came to deacon, not to be deaconed. The antithetical distinction between those two expressions reveals the vast difference between the two pyramids.

He came to turn the world upside down, by demonstration and by power, even to death. Infinitely more might be said of His ministry of grace, mercy and love. We could expound on all that He accomplished in life, on the cross, in His resurrection, in His ascension, in His present and future ministry. But we focus on the startling fact that this one life had as its purpose pure service to others. He came for the specific purpose of serving, that is, “to deacon.”

Thirdly, recognize that Jesus’ disciples “deacon.” They are moved from being served to serving. Theirs is the pyramid or kingdom marked by service given. They know that God has loved them even while they were sinners. The cross is the pledge, the proof and the demonstration of that love. Paul affirmed, “but God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

A disciple of Jesus knows that he or she does not deserve the love of Jesus. It is unmerited, undeserved grace and mercy. Sin and the sinner are not lovely, lovable or easy to love. But God loves the sinner anyway. He has love for the unlovely. The Christian is then possessed with that same love. John said, “no one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us…. We love, because he first loved us” (I John 4:12, 19). The Christian serves, out of a love that he or she first experienced at the cross. Self-giving sacrificial service originates at Calvary. So the Bible speaks of a new birth, a new life, a new heart, a new love and new service in Jesus’ name.

Finally, we all need to be reminded of this highest of all callings, to be a lowly servant of Jesus. We need encouragement, challenge and command from God’s word to be what we are-servants of Jesus.The world and the church offer immense opportunity for those with servants’ hearts. The Old Testament calls God’s people to serve widows and orphans and strangers. What kinds of people did Jesus serve? A paralytic, the blind, the deaf, the suffering, the sorrowing, the outcast and the demon possessed. He served the dying, even the dead, children especially, but old people, too.

What then needs to happen? In the first place, each Christian must prayerfully and humbly ask the Lord to display His love through him or her. No Christian is excused from the ministry of “deaconing.” Jesus is the prime Example. But elders, deacons, all members, men, women and children are called.

We must also ask the deacons of our churches to do what they are called to do. Deacons, lead all of us by good example in the ministry of mercy. Beyond that, mobilize all of us in this great high calling. Make it a goal not to deprive one Christian of the blessing of service in Jesus’ name. Help us to join with the angels (Matthew 4:11) and Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:15) and the women at the tomb (Matthew 27:55) in ministering to Jesus. We want to be included among the sheep on His right hand, who will hear Him say, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Deacons, help us all to be good deacons.How much we all need to learn about the life of giving service. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God…. and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!”