Can Women Serve as Deacons?

What about women? We’ve seen that elders are men. What about deacons? And basically, there’s two schools of thought on this one. Can women be deacons? There’s two schools of thought. One says yes and the other says no. So here’s the deal, and this is about 12:00, 12:30 is where I like to throw out something controversial, usually at Secret Church. So hopefully you won’t remember, but this is where… There are obviously a lot of different views all across this room, I think, on that.

Two Views About Women Deacons

Well, there’s two different views separated all across this room, and there are Bible believing scholars and pastors that I respect greatly that are on both sides of this picture. Some of you might be thinking, well, look at 1 Timothy 3. It’s pretty easy. Like it says, deacons must be dignified, not double tongued, etcetera. And then it says in 11, their wives likewise must be dignified. Not slanders, sober-minded, faithful in all things. Each deacon can be the husband of one wife.

So some say, well, it’s that easy. I don’t think it’s necessarily that easy here. Four things I want you to think about that point to what I think is a possibility that yes, yes, women can be deacons in the church. Now, I want you to follow with me here. Number one, consider the translation. When you get to verse 11 there, and you probably have a note, it’s not here, but in your Bible, you’d have a note that send you the bottom that says the their there is… The their there. Their wives there is not in some manuscripts.

And the picture is many people, many Bible scholars, believe that this is just talking about women and there’s ambiguity there. Consider the transition here. Paul transitions at that point, in the same way that he transitioned when he went from elders to deacons. Then to this third picture of what some would say Deaconesses. Considered the elder’s wives. Why did he not say anything about elders wives? Especially when an elder had more responsibility in the home and more leadership responsibility in the church in a sense. He said nothing about elders wives. And then consider what I call the Phoebe factor. Romans chapter 16 verse one. I commend to you, our sister, Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, and the word there for servant is deacanos, which would seem to point to a deacon role.

Now, here’s the deal. What I think is important, because there are all kinds of different pictures of church structure represented around this room, and there are churches represented in this room that, if I could be honest, deacons basically serve as elders and deacons are more of an overseeing body. If that’s the case in a church than I would not say then women should be deacons because that, I mean, they’re basically serving as elders in an overall role.

Women Leading In The Church

 

But when it comes to, okay, somebody leading out in a hospitality ministry, somebody leading out in a variety of different ministries, and you look in the New Testament, you see 17 different women that Paul mentions that are in significant leadership positions in the church, doing different things in the church, serving in different ways in the church. I think the reality is if we have a proper understanding of elders and deacons and where they fit, I think it makes total sense that it’s certainly possible.