Deacons - The What, Why, and How
Hope Fellowship Church exists to glorify God by inviting people into a relationship with Jesus Christ and into active engagement within the life of a healthy church. As a church, we carry out this mission through the combined shepherding and direction of our elders, the service of our staff team and deacons, and the faithfulness of our church members to love one another and build one another up.
Among these different groups, deacons fulfill a unique role by supporting the ministry of the elders and pastors through intentional service to the church body more broadly.
Included in the brief summaries below: who a deacon is, why deacons are needed, and how deacons function specifically within the life of Hope Fellowship Church.
Who a Deacon Is
Along with elders, deacons fill one of two offices within a local church as outlined in the New Testament. Importantly, the role of deacon is uniquely and specifically geared toward service, not shepherding — a mark that distinguishes the two offices from one another.
In the Scriptures, we find that deacons can either be male or female and either married or unmarried. Anyone considered for the role of deacon must fit the biblical qualifications for the office of deacon described in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Why Deacons?
In the Scriptures, we see deacons are effectively model servants called to meet tangible needs. Deacons organize and mobilize for acts of service, preserve the unity of the flock, and support the ministry of the elders.
God has given to his Bride, the Church, an incredibly significant role in His mission to see the gospel go forth to the ends of the earth. Local expressions of the Church, like Hope Fellowship, carry out this mission in specific contexts throughout our city, all across our region and nation, and around the world.
At Hope, our desire is to see the gospel go forth into every town and neighborhood in Greater Boston and beyond. To these ends, deacons fulfill a critical part of the church’s broader mission by supporting the ministry of the elders and pastors at Hope through intentional acts of service to the church body more broadly.
As deacons engage in opportunities to serve, their efforts clear a way for the gospel message to go forth and, at the same time, strengthen, encourage, and build the local church up toward faithfulness and good deeds.
What a Deacon Does
Deacons at Hope Fellowship are servant leaders assigned to an individual ministry area, such as (but not limited to): welcoming and hospitality, a/v and media, Drop-In Ministry, preparing the Lord’s Supper, benevolence meals, fellowship meals, local outreach, global missions, and more.
You can view a list of current deacon openings here.