Chapter 10: Seizing the Day

Early in my ministry, I began to see the importance of deacon ministry so I spent a substantial amount of time studying its role in the church. This study convinced me that our church was undervaluing deacons' potential by relegating their role to administration. With permission of the deacon body, I began to teach what I was learning to them. 

With enthusiasm, they not only allowed me to teach it, but to apply the principles I was teaching. We decided we were going to become a ministering body, learn how to share our faith, and learn how to minister to others in times of need. 

We decided to follow the "family ministry plan." It is a program that divides the church families between the deacons, who in turn, minister to their needs. One new policy decision arose from this plan. Anytime someone applied for membership in the church by baptism, letter or statement of faith, I would assign them to a deacon who would visit the family before accepting them into membership. During the visit, the deacon would give the prospective member a new member's packet which included a copy of the budget, calendar and membership directory. They also explained the deacons' ministry and how they were on call to minister to their family's needs.

Charlie, the chairman of the deacons, did not like the plan because Baptist customarily accept prospective members on the spot, not at a future business meeting. I had a lot of respect for him, after all, he had served as a deacon longer than I had been alive. We discussed Charlie's objection and decided that, as an autonomous church, we could receive members as we felt best. Charlie still did not like the idea, but because the others were enthusiastic he was willing to try it. 

Our policy was to assign an equal number of families to each deacon Each Sunday, during our deacons' prayer meeting, we always discussed who would receive the new people who joined the church that morning. 

Our church really grew during those years. We doubled in attendance over the next four years and had very little conflict. Obviously, the deacons' leadership contributed to the health of the church. 

One Sunday I found out that Charlie was beginning to support the program totally. Charlie was not the kind of guy who could say, "I was wrong in opposing this organization, I think we should move forward with it." But he did find a way to communicate the sentiment. 

A family came forward to join our church. I was going through the ritual, explaining our policy for receiving new members. Then I assigned them to the appropriate deacon. While making the assignment, Charlie interrupted me and said "Now Pastor, wait just a minute, this is a fine young family that will be a tremendous asset to our church. Put them in my group. I think they ought to go in my group since I am the chairman of the deacons."

At first I was defensive, thinking Charlie was challenging my authority. He was not due a family for a while and I knew that I was assigning them to the right deacon. Then with a big smile on his face, he apologized and said, "Pastor, I'm sorry for interrupting, but when I see a family like this coming into our church, I'm excited about it. I just think our Deacons' Family Plan is such an important part of what we do. I just wanted them in my group. I'm sorry. Assign them where they should be." It was Charlie's way of apologizing for not being fully supportive at first and saying "Pastor, it is working and it is working well." 

Men like Charlie "come beside" their pastor to support the church's policies and plans for the ministry that make a plan work. It is essential that your church have a plan. It might be the one our church was following, or it might be another one, but you need a plan. 

Effective organization, leadership, and planning will create a pathway to success. The deacons should construct the organizational structure of the deacon body on the foundation of the purpose statement of the church, and the purpose statement of the deacons themselves. They should design the structure as a guide to the ongoing ministry of the deacons. The structure needs to be as simply constructed as possible based on the size and function of the body. 

A deacon body of six or fewer deacons could operate without dividing the leadership responsibilities. Electing a chairperson and recording secretary should suffice. The planning and carrying out the ministry would be the function of the body as a whole. Formation of committees or subgroups would create more burdens without additional benefit. 

Groups of seven to fifteen might find it beneficial to select individuals with responsibilities of leadership in areas needing specific attention. Again, drawing from the purpose statement of the body, these responsibilities might include: church ordinances, training leader, assistant chairperson, recording secretary, fellowship director, and ministry leader. The functions of the leaders in each area are self explanatorily. The ministry leader would be responsible for the assignment of families to specific deacons (as in the family ministry plan), or assignments necessary to fulfill the needs of the ministry system adopted by the body and the church. In some cases, they might use a rotational method in a deacon-of-the-week plan. Others may make outreach or ministry assignments on an "as needed" basis. 

Deacon bodies that are larger than sixteen would expand the role of the specific leader to form a committee within the body to do the tasks at hand. The ordinance person would become the ordinance committee and so on. The training director would become the chairman of the training committee with the inclusion of other members as needed. Additionally, they might use temporary committees as the need arises. 

They should take the selection of the chairman and other leaders as a serious matter since their work may determine the success of the whole. The skills of the individual as leaders must be a real consideration. Some deacons may be good followers and good at the ministry, but weak at planning or leadership. In an attempt to be fair to all deacons, some have selected leaders based on "whose turn is it to be chairman" concept. While this may seem appropriate, it requires the deacons to risk their work on an unskilled or inadequate leader. Still others have elected persons because they are "not present to decline." Again, the whole body will feel the limitations of poor leadership and it will extend to the total church and community. 

We cannot overstate the role of the pastor as leader of the deacons. The elected leadership directs the ongoing ministry of the deacons, while the pastor is responsible for the care of the flock. His responsibilities include the motivation and direction of the deacon body, his fellow team members. A pastor who neglects close ties to this body should not expect their ministry to be an integral part of the total ministry of the church. They need his guidance, direction, and supporting love as much as any group or individual in the church. Pastors must remember that deacons need ministry too. 

Deacon ministries must give attention to the planning process in performance of their duties. The first consideration of planning is to select a ministry system. They can choose the system from a variety of sources, or it may be the result of self-planning by the body itself. If an existing system is selected, such as The Deacon Family Ministry Plan, the deacons should feel free to expand or subtract from the program, based on the specific needs of the congregation. This plan, like all others, will require at least a moderate amount of time invested in training. The deacons should not begin a system for deacon ministries until they fully understand it. The deacons and the church should be aware of the expectations for the ministry in the plan itself. 

Caution: In selecting a ministry system, take into consideration the number of persons required for the system to be effective. Dividing the number of family units by ten determines the most effective number of deacons for the Family Ministry Plan in the church. The result will be the approximate number of deacons necessary to maintain the program. A church of 500 family units would need fifty active deacons participating in the program. Having fewer deacons will result in the overburdening of the active deacons. Often this will create "deacon burn out" or neglect of at least some church members. Either condition leads to a breakdown of the system. When a system fails, finding a suitable replacement is more difficult than beginning a new system. 

A moderately sized church should allow a minimum of three to six months after adoption of the plan before they implement it. Each deacon should commit himself to do the duties of the plan faithfully. Both should write and approve a covenant agreement between the deacons and the church. If the system of the ministry is already in place, the formation of the covenant occurs at the installation of new deacons. If the deacons choose a system for use within the established body of deacons, they must agree upon the covenant as a group. The covenant selected or written for your church should address the function of the deacons within the system you choose. 

With the ministry system in place, covenants written, and the training needs fulfilled, the deacons and church are approaching readiness for implementation. Planning a special recognition service for informing the congregation of the new ministry system initiated by the deacons is appropriate. 

The purpose for adopting a ministry system is not to replace the ministry of the deacons, it is to allow the deacons to be more effective in carrying out the task that is already theirs. To some, it may seem that the cautions or concerns outweigh the benefits of the system selected. It is true that they must consider details of the program. It is also true that having such a system in place can carry the effectiveness of deacon ministries to new heights. Not only does this provide a great benefit to the church, it also raises the personal satisfaction level of the deacon. 

The Soda Crate

Deacon Tom Hall is one of the finest men I ever served beside. He had a heart for ministry and was always looking for a way to minister to his families. Several years after I left his church, Tom wanted to take the Seniors of the church on a shopping trip during the middle of December. He asked his pastor if he could borrow the church's van, and he recruited members of the Youth Group to be their companions for the day to help them in any way they needed. Tom gassed up the van and was ready to drive to the first home when he noticed a faded, worn, old wooden soda crate by the side of the church. He threw it in the van at the last minute, and drove off. 

At their first stop, an elderly woman was at the front door waiting for them. She had on a large coat that swallowed her small frame, and a small, dark-blue pillbox hat with a black veil. She carried a black leather purse and an ornate, carved cane with a golden tip. Smiling brightly, eyes sparkling, a male Youth escorted her to the van. Tom jumped out of the driver's seat, grabbed the soda crate, and placed it on the curb. She gave him a look he will never forget as she proudly stepped on that old crate, and with minimal assistance from anyone, she sprang through the van door and sat down. The scene repeated itself until the van was full, and they arrived at the mall. 

Literally arm-in-arm, the Senior citizens and their escorts ventured into the bustling mall. The Youth were to carry the packages, assist in the monetary transactions, make sure their partners received the correct change, and take their respective Seniors to lunch. Of course some Youth took on this assignment very grudgingly, but by the time lunch was over, the openness, humor, and thankfulness of these loving Seniors completely captivated the Youth. They formed bonds that lasted long after the holidays! Their eyes reflected an overwhelming expression of God's love as the pairs walked arm-in-arm, laughing, talking, and sharing. 

At 4:00, these odd-looking pairs emerged through the large glass doors of the mall. Tom had doubts about how this adventure would turn out, but when he saw the excitement and the enthusiasm of both the Teenagers and the Seniors--carrying and dropping packages, laughing and stumbling--all his doubts quickly vanished. As each Senior stepped onto the soda crate to enter the van, Tom heard numerous stories about the adventures of the day. It seemed that everyone was talking at the same time as they began the short trip back to their homes. In the rearview mirror, Tom could see whatever walls existed between those age groups crumble. 

When Tom talks about that moment, he says, "I was so thankful to be a deacon. I silently thanked God for allowing me to serve Him, allowing me to serve people, and to be a catalyst in bringing God's people together."

As they arrived at the last house, the lady with the blue pillbox hat and the ornate cane gathered her packages and grasped the hand of her youth. She thanked him for being "such a gentleman" and promised to tell him more stories later. She also promised him chocolate chip cookies the next Sunday. 

Tom pulled the van in front of her house and ran around to open the side door. He placed the soda crate on the curb, and took her one hand as the Youth took the other. She turned to the young Teen, thanked him again, then faced Tom. Her eyes glistening with tears of gratitude, she firmly grasped his hand. Almost silently, she said "Thank you." Those two words affirmed Tom's deacon ministry. She took a few steps toward her front door, and supported by that ornate cane, turned to Tom, winked, and said, "By the way, thank you, too, for the soda crate." 

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