Congregational Church Government and Baptist Polity — Unit 7: The Deacon Office II: Duties, Ministry to the Needy, Support of the Pastor, and Finances

Key Verse

"Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Explain why Howell treats the deacon's care for "temporal affairs" as spiritual service and not as a lesser kind of ministry.

2. Describe the deacon's work of benevolence and explain why it needs both compassion and discernment.

3. Explain the deacon's duty to help the church support its pastor, and name at least three ways this support is shown.

4. State the biblical principles for the church's finances and list modern safeguards that protect both the church and the deacon.

5. Describe the Baptist answer to the question "who governs the church?" and explain how pastor and deacons should work together without becoming rivals.

Where We Are in the Course

Unit 6 showed where the deacon's office came from and what kind of person may hold it. This unit asks what the deacon does. We follow the middle chapters of R. B. C. Howell's The Deaconship (1846), in the CTS adaptation: chapters 4, 5, 6 and 8, on general duties, duties toward the ministry and the needy, the financial support of the church, and cooperation. Unit 8 will then show one organized plan for the deacon's work among families, and Unit 9 will take up crisis ministry, the deacons' meeting and the question of women.

Howell wrote in the nineteenth century. Some of his methods are dated, and CTS says so. We keep his principles and test them by Scripture. The CTS deacon course "Deacon Family Ministry Plan" by Dr. Wayne Cook is the recommended companion to this unit.

Temporal Affairs Are Spiritual Service

Howell says that deacons have responsibility for the "temporal affairs" of the church: food for the poor, gifts and funds, order, buildings and the relief of suffering. The word can mislead. It can sound as if pastors have the spiritual work and deacons have the secular work. Howell's larger argument rejects that division. Caring for widows, administering gifts and relieving suffering are ministries done for Christ. The difference is one of responsibility, not of value. The pastor gives himself especially to prayer, teaching, shepherding and the ministry of the word. The deacon takes on practical burdens that would otherwise pull the pastor away from those tasks.

This is exactly Acts 6. The apostles said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables" (Acts 6:2), but they called the work worthy of men "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3). The Lord Himself counts such service as given to Him: "inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40). A church that treats its practical ministry as unspiritual has misunderstood both the work and the workers.

Ministry to the Needy

Howell puts care for the poor and suffering near the center of the office. Acts 6 is not about buildings or business meetings. It is about people whose needs were neglected. A deacon should know the needs of the congregation and help the church respond wisely and with compassion.

Compassion

The New Testament is plain that believers must care for one another. Paul writes of "distributing to the needs of the saints" (Romans 12:13), and James calls care for orphans and widows the mark of pure religion (James 1:27). The early church also made provision for widows in the church (1 Timothy 5:3-16), and churches sent relief to other churches in need (Acts 11:29-30). A church that has plenty of programs but leaves its own widows hungry has forgotten the reason the diaconate exists.

Howell adds a warning: the vulnerable are not an interruption. A church can become so busy with programs, property and institutional upkeep that needy people become invisible. When that happens, he says, administrative skill has forgotten the purpose of Christian administration. The deacon is the church's guard against that forgetting.

Discernment

Compassion must be joined to wisdom. Howell says that resources are limited. The deacon must not harden his heart toward real need, and he must not give out church funds carelessly. Paul himself gave a rule for people who could work and would not: "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Mercy that pays for a destructive habit, or that rescues a person from every result of his own choices, can do more harm than good. The deacon asks what will lift a family toward standing on its own and avoids creating a dependence that weakens it. He also acts with dignity: he helps quietly, so that the receiver is not shamed before the congregation.

Good practice in benevolence includes:

• a clear, written way for members to ask for help;

• a record of what was given, to whom and why, kept in confidence;

• a limit on what any one deacon may give without consulting others;

• follow-up visits, so that help does not end with a gift but continues as care.

Supporting the Pastor and the Ministry

Howell argues that a church has a duty to provide for those who labor in the gospel. The New Testament teaches this in several places. Paul writes that "those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14), and he tells the Galatians that the one who is taught the word should share with the one who teaches (Galatians 6:6). To Timothy he says that elders who rule well are worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine (1 Timothy 5:17-18).

The deacon's part is to help the congregation understand and carry out this duty. Howell says the pastor should not be forced to become his own chief fundraiser or to plead repeatedly for his own support. This does not mean the deacon controls the pastor's pay. It means that deacons help the church to plan, to give and to keep its promises.

Support goes beyond salary. A pastor and his family have ordinary needs, illnesses, emergencies and seasons of exhaustion. A healthy deacon ministry notices these things before the pastor must ask. Deacons can ensure the pastor is paid on time, that he takes days of rest, that his medical needs are considered and that he is not overloaded with tasks that others can do. They can also guard him from unjust criticism by refusing to carry stories against him, an idea we will meet again in Unit 9.

Many churches in Latin America, Africa and other places cannot fully support a pastor, and the pastor works another job. This has a biblical precedent: Paul made tents at times so that he would not burden the churches (Acts 18:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:9). Yet Paul also taught that he had a right to support, and he gave up that right for the sake of the gospel in particular situations (1 Corinthians 9). A bivocational pastor should not be seen as a failure, and the church should not use his working as an excuse for neglecting him. Where a church is small, the deacons can ask what is realistic, help the church give faithfully and see that a working pastor is not worn out by carrying all the burdens alone.

Generosity and Mission

Howell's concern for church resources is outward-looking. The church receives in order to give. Gospel work, missions and relief all require planned generosity. Deacons help turn good intentions into dependable practice. The New Testament shows churches giving according to their ability, and sending help where it was needed. This is why Baptists give through their churches and through voluntary cooperation (Unit 3). Stewardship and fellowship go together: Christians recognize that their money belongs to God and is to be used for the good of others and the advance of the gospel.

The Financial Life of the Church

Willing and regular giving

Howell writes at length about church finances. Some of his nineteenth-century methods are dated, but his main principle lasts: Christian work should be supported by Christian generosity. Giving should not be pulled out of people by pressure or emotional appeals. It should grow from gratitude and conviction. Paul's rule to the Corinthians was regular and proportionate: "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper" (1 Corinthians 16:2). Churches should teach their people to give in this way and should not wait for emergencies.

Many Baptists teach the tithe as a good and helpful guide for giving. Others say that the New Testament sets no fixed percentage and teaches cheerful, generous, proportionate giving. We honor both views and agree on the main point: giving is to be regular, willing and generous.

Planning is not unbelief

Some believers think a budget shows a lack of faith. Howell disagrees. A congregation that expects to support its pastor, relieve need, care for its property and give to missions should plan responsibly. A budget is a way of ordering resources so that promises can be kept. When finances are hidden, people suspect the worst; when they are explained clearly, confidence and shared responsibility grow.

No favoritism

Money can distort relationships. Rich members must not buy influence, and poor members must not be treated as less important. James warns against giving the best seat to the man with the gold ring and the poor man a place on the floor (James 2:1-4). Those who handle church money must resist both favoritism and pressure.

Safeguards

Howell gave deacons large responsibility for church property and funds. Many Baptist churches now spread this work among treasurers, trustees and finance committees, and the CTS editors note that Howell's exact model need not be copied. What remains is his ethical point: those who handle money must be above suspicion and must use it for the purpose for which it was given. Paul himself took care here. He arranged for men chosen by the churches to carry the collection, "providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Corinthians 8:21).

CTS recommends modern safeguards that were not common in Howell's day:

• a written, approved budget;

• at least two unrelated persons counting the offering together;

• regular reports to the church;

• written records for benevolence;

• two signatures or approvals for large payments;

• an annual review by someone outside the treasurer's family;

• obedience to the laws of the country about records and taxes.

These safeguards are not distrust. They protect faithful servants from suspicion and protect the church's witness.

Pastor and Deacons: Who Governs?

This brings us to a question that has troubled Baptist churches. If deacons handle money, property and benevolence, do they also govern?

The first view says yes. In some Baptist churches the deacons are a governing board, and the pastor works under them. The second view says the pastor governs, with deacons as servants and helpers. The third, which we hold, says that the congregation is the final human authority under Christ (Unit 2), that the pastor leads as a shepherd (Unit 4), and that the deacons serve. Howell's definition of the deacon as a servant resists the board idea. A deacon body can slowly become an unofficial board that controls the pastor or the congregation. Whatever authority comes with responsibility exists for service and not for status.

We ought to be fair. Those who favor a strong deacon board point out that a church needs someone to watch over its affairs, and that a pastor who is accountable to no one can do harm. Both points are true. But the remedy for a pastor who lacks accountability is the congregation and the plurality of qualified leaders, not a board that holds a veto over the shepherd. Howell makes the same point from the other side: a pastor should not use spiritual office to avoid legitimate accountability.

Healthy cooperation therefore includes:

• clearly defined responsibilities;

• timely and truthful communication, since many conflicts begin when a pastor assumes deacons know something they do not, or deacons make decisions without explaining them;

• respect on both sides, with the pastor honoring deacons as real partners and not errand-runners;

• confidentiality about sensitive information learned in benevolence and care, with the clear exception that it must never be used to hide abuse, crime or matters that must be reported under the law;

• a shared mission, so that no one defends territory instead of serving Christ.

Pastoral Application

You pastor a church of about sixty members in a small town. The offering is counted each Sunday by one deacon, who is also the treasurer and is trusted by everyone. Last month your own child was ill, and the church had no fund to help with the cost. A widow in the church also needs help with her rent. At the same time a visitor has told you quietly that the church's accounts have never been shown to the members.

A wise pastor does not accuse anyone. He meets with the deacons and says, "We want to protect our treasurer and our church." He proposes that two people count the offering together, that a simple report be read to the church each quarter, and that a small benevolence fund be created with written guidelines. He asks the deacons to help the widow quietly and to follow up with a visit. For his own family, he does not ask for special treatment but allows the deacons to consider the need according to the same fair rules. He welcomes the changes as a gift to the treasurer, not a charge against him, and he teaches the church from 2 Corinthians 8:21 that open handling of money honors the Lord.

Summary

The deacon's care for "temporal affairs" is spiritual service, done for Christ so that the pastor may give himself to the Word and prayer. His duties include benevolence, which joins compassion with discernment and dignity; helping the church to support its pastor beyond salary alone; encouraging planned, regular, generous giving; and handling funds so that he is above suspicion. Modern safeguards such as written budgets, shared counting and regular reports protect everyone. On the question of who governs, the Baptist answer is that the congregation is under Christ, the pastor leads as shepherd, and the deacons serve. Pastors and deacons should work as partners with clear responsibilities, honest communication and confidentiality that never hides abuse or crime. The full CTS deacon course is the recommended companion to this unit.

Further Reading

• R. B. C. Howell, The Deaconship (1846), chapters 4, 5, 6 and 8, in the CTS adaptation (required textbook for this course).

• Dr. Wayne Cook, "Deacon Family Ministry Plan" (CTS), Units 1, 3 and 9.

• The Baptist Faith and Message (2000), article VI, on the church and its offices.

• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867), a Baptist primary source.

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