8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:8-13
In the spring of 2020, Bedrock completed a study of 1 Timothy in a series entitled “Blueprint: God’s Design for the Church”. In Chapter 3, we were introduced to the role of deacon.
This is not the first time the idea of deacon appears in the New Testament. In Acts chapter 6, the first deacons appear as servants to the widows in the early church ministry. In this instance, the deacons were tasked with serving tables so that the widows could be fed. At the end of the “Blueprint” sermon series, the elders went into a season of prayer about instating deacons at Bedrock. As the prayer season came to an end (March 2020), we believed that this was not only a ministry role within the early church but something that God was moving Bedrock towards as well.
Enter a global pandemic, and the implementation of deacons was pushed aside for more pressing matters.
In October, we revisited the idea of the deacon ministry and made a list of men and women from within the body of Bedrock, whom we believed met the qualifications of the role laid out in 1 Timothy.
We understand deacons to be servants within the body who help identify and meet the needs of the hurting and needy within the church. A good way to think about it is: a servant of people, not simply a servant of tasks. As we have grown larger, the elders’ ability to identify and meet the needs of everyone is severely limited. Looking ahead, we see great benefit in a team of deacons helping the body be the body, and creating a culture of the gospel in service to the body. Today, we would like to introduce you to the candidates for deacon. Please read over 1 Timothy 3 to fully understand the biblical qualifications of a deacon. If you find any reason, based on these qualifications, that any of these men or women should not be deacons, please reach out to the elders at 434-233-3010. At the end of this time of inspection on January 31st, we will confirm the new deacons of Bedrock Church Lynchburg.