On Dec. 9, the Courier published an article in which George Dye theorizes that deacon rotation results in better service from the team. I have a different viewpoint.
Two decades ago, when I was invited to serve on the deacon team, deacons were respected by the church and the community for their testimony and their ability to make Spirit-led choices.
Having been raised in a Southern Baptist church, I knew about deacons. These men led in corporate prayer during worship services. When our Sunday school teacher was late or absent, a deacon came to teach us boys during that time. If the pastor had to be elsewhere, a deacon led the prayer meeting. Deacons cared for spinsters and widows: they cut firewood, dug septic drains, and plowed gardens. Deacons and/or their wives took those ladies to the grocery store, doctor’s office, or church events. Like serving God, deacon service was a lifetime commitment.
Knowing all this, I sought God’s will, and felt he would be pleased for me to serve on the deacon team. The church voted for my ordination. My wife stood beside me as I took vows that day.
Some in the church became dissatisfied with the old ways. “Everybody should have a chance to be a deacon,” some said.
I have friends and kinfolk in churches that rotate deacons. I hear them say, “I wish they’d go back to the old ways. Now we have deacons who don’t even attend prayer meeting!”
I’m just a country boy with no psychology degree, but it seems to me that if “anybody” can be a deacon, it doesn’t mean much. The church doesn’t need more men who want to be a deacon for a short term; the church needs a few good men who are willing to make a long-term commitment.
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