Deacon Ministry

Relations of a Deacon:

A Deacon's Relationship to his Lord:

• Certainly the deacon's primary relationship is to his Lord. Without that vertical relationship, the horizontal relationships will be distorted. A deacon should be more concerned about his walk with God than anything.

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A Deacon's Relationship to his Family:

• The New Testament mentions a deacon's responsibility in relation to his wife and children. Therefore, a deacon should give his family first priority in his devotion, care and ministry.

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A Deacon's Relationship to the Elders and Pastors:

• A deacon should serve under the leadership and spiritual direction of the Elders & Pastors and be loyal in prayer support, encouragement and fellowship. Ripley Church looks to the Elders & Pastors for giving overall leadership and administration to the church and its ministry. The church, therefore, expects the deacons to respect the offices of Elders & Pastors and to welcome the unique opportunity to learn from and serve with them. As a deacon functions in the practical ministry of the church, he partners with the Elders & Pastors in ministering to the members of the church. Deacons are servants first and last.

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A Deacon's Relationship to the Church Ministry Teams:

• A deacon should participate, either as leader or member of a ministry team. Considering the deacon’s SHAPE (Spiritual Gift, Heart, Ability, Personality, Experience), the deacon should select an area to assist in ministry.

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A Deacon's Relationship to the Church Membership at Large

• The deacons are to be active in ministry to the church family, promoting peace, harmony and a spirit of cooperation among the membership. Deacons are to be problem solvers and preservers of church harmony. Every deacon carries two imaginary buckets: one of water and one of gasoline. He determines in many situations whether he will help put out the fires of disharmony or if he will fuel the problem.

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General Responsibilities of a Deacon

The deacon ministry team will serve under the leadership of the Elders & Pastors and assist them in performing duties. The deacons will support and work with the Elders & Pastors as follows:

• Lead the church in the achievement of its mission.

• Minister the gospel to believers and unbelievers.

• Care for the church's members and others in the community.

• Have a consistent commitment to stewardship by being an example giving to the church.

• Demonstrate Christ-like consecration, loyalty, prayer support and faithfulness to the local church program.

• Visit the sick, needy and membership of the church.

• Encourage and strengthen new converts and the spiritually weak.

• Regularly attend deacons' meetings.

• Model the behavior of what it means to be a faithful member of RCC.

• Model the behavior of Christ to the world outside of RCC – to family, to business, and to community – so that your life draws others towards the church rather than away from it.