While there are many facets and functions of a healthy, thriving church, the leadership is perhaps the most important. As the headship of your community, you determine the direction in which you as a body of believers are moving, the truths you pursue, the image of Christ you portray to those around you, and the issues you’ll address and act on as a church.
The pastor is, ultimately, the head of the church, and the deacons have an absolutely crucial role in supporting that role. From dealing with day-to-day tasks to assisting with the preparation of materials to be taught on all the way to collaborating on the unfortunate-but-inevitable disciplinary actions that will happen at some point, the deacons and pastor come together to work in a coordinated, effective way to better the community as a whole.
The leadership team of your church is a dynamic, faith-focused system that can only function properly when it has clear expectations, guidelines, and responsibilities by which to operate. Ensuring each member works well independently of the others is important as well, since any team is only as strong as its weakest point.
With effort, time, and a common grounding belief in Christ, a policy document outlining the ideal operation of the deacons involved in your ministry can be created, providing a clear framework on which to rely. This will promote the best possible collaboration and cooperation of all parties involved, resulting in better overall operation of the church as a whole.
In my time working with and improving churches like yours, I’ve seen trends where issues tend to pop up, particularly in the area of deacons and church governance. Let’s explore a few.
Deacons Shouldn’t be the Final Word
When the pastor of a church body is busy, it can be easy to pass along everyday tasks, unforeseen decisions, and other responsibilities to trusted partners in church leadership. While delegation is absolutely important and, in fact, necessary to the proper function of any organization, this isn’t always the best choice in the church. This regular transference of responsibility can result in an unbalanced power dynamic, where the deacons end up handling and, in extreme cases, becoming the final word on important issues the church is facing.
While deacons are absolutely an important part of any church leadership team, they need to have a clearly-defined place and role. In the end, this place is under the pastor, who is chosen by God to be the headship over the church (and, in turn, the headship of the leadership of the church).
Distributed Leadership is the Answer
No one person or group should, in a healthy church, act as the complete and total leader. While the pastor is, absolutely, the headship of the church, there needs to be a level of accountability there as well, in addition to a coordinated system for sharing responsibilities. The answer to this is distributed leadership, meaning the responsibilities and power to make decisions on those responsibilities is shared and divided in such a way that promotes optimal function of the church while taking into account the gifts and strengths of each member of the leadership team.
No one person can realistically manage every aspect of leading a church on their own; God has given us each other as helpers and sharers of each other’s’ burdens, and this is important to take into account when considering and creating a structure for how the pastor and deacons are to work in harmony together.
Deacons Should Focus on Outreach and Evangelism
The ultimate goal and focus of any assembly of believers should be the promotion and glorification of God as well as the sharing of His gospel with the world. The deacons are in a unique position of authority that allows them to not only help maintain the body of Christ, but assist in guiding that body to properly doing what God has designed us to do.
Leadership is a difficult subject because, while having a certain level of power over an organization makes it possible to guide those under them to a more effective and successful place, it can also become a stumbling block. Where once motives were completely pure and intentions were positive, selfishness and a desire for further power can sneak in. Keeping the deacons’ focus on the correct things, namely, the missions of the church as a whole, can assist in making sure the leadership team functions in a way that is not only optimal for day-to-day operations but glorifying to God as well.