Are You Ready To Be A Deacon?

Are You Ready To Be A Deacon?

Key Scriptures:

Acts 6:1-6

1 Timothy 3:8-13

John 12:26

Titus 1:6-9

1 Timothy 3:11

Trust me-you're going to get this call. On the far end of the

horizon of your cell phone, somebody from the nominating committee wants to know if you will serve as a deacon. Can you hear me now? After you regain consciousness, you will want to know why they selected you. Maybe their thought process went something like the following: Someone saw this deacon calling in you. They saw it when you spotted that single mom trying to fill three plates and juggle two kids in the potluck line after church. You found her a high chair, helped her brood get settled at a table, and introduced her around. Someone noticed how you attend to the details of worship in such an efficient, easy way, smoothing the process and soothing the people. Someone realized that when you say yes to a commitment in the life of the church, it is as good as done and done well. And very often, someone saw something in you that you didn’t notice in yourself. Take a deep breath...

First of all, don’t answer immediately, and don’t be distracted by a noisy mind, cluttered with fears, and insecurities. My prayer is that considering these 14 Decision Making Factors will help you work through to a commitment,  that will in some way, honor and serve God.

"Attraction to Distraction" in Listening for a Call

Dealing with your inward attraction to distraction is not always easy when seeking to listen to God in prayer. The almost magnetic pull toward mind clutter and a noisy heart may be refocused by choosing to intentionally work your way through these fourteen focal factors as you process your own discernment. You may want to use them, one by one, as a resting place for your spirit.

1. Fear Factor

This is your time to exaggerate and awful-ize. Imagine your worst nightmare about being a deacon. Own up to this anxiety however dreadful, silly, or inappropriate. This is no time for being proper and polite. Know that confessing this fear begins to tame it. Often, courage is just fear that has said its prayers!

2. Unfinished Factor

New levels of spiritual responsibility have a way of jogging our psyche and surfacing unfinished business that has been buried beneath the busyness. Are there emotional, spiritual, or personal issues so unattended and unaddressed internally as to hinder my ability to effectively serve? Do I have hot button issues that blind, distort, and impair my judgment? Instead of dealing with my own unfinished soul work, do I project internal problems onto others, assuming they have the problem? What must I do to be finished with this past, so I can fully consider God's preferred future for me? Do I have any earthly idea what a positive resolution would even look like?

3. Scandal Factor

Could anything in my life create a scandal to the gospel and hand non-Christians a "free pass" to disrespect the church? If I am in the recovery process, am I recognized by my peers as being far enough along to guide others? Is my life in order? Are there any skeletons in my closet that would cause the church embarrassment? Of course we all have some, but this refers to public things like arrests, felonies, lawsuits, violations, and accusations that might negatively impact the church's witness. How was the matter disposed of? How long ago is "long enough" ago? Is the shadowy side of my life surrendered to the Spirit? Do I need some wise counsel? Whom can I trust to confidentially discuss these matters?

4. Joy Factor

Can I name the joy that leaps within when I consider this call? Sometimes a collision occurs at the intersection of your deep joy and the world's great need. This is the kind of cosmic collision that often accompanies a call. After sweeping all the dark corners of our lives for cobwebs, how delightful it is to simply acknowledge the sheer joy of being of any service to our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer God.

5. Devotion Factor

Have I sufficiently attended to my inner life and developed habits of the heart and spiritual practices that sustain me in tough times? Do I have anything to offer souls who are fed up, used up, burned up, burned out, and bummed out? Do my practices feed my own soul and provide a wellspring of spiritual strength to draw upon? Do I know how to dwell in Christ? Can I sustain myself and serve others over the long haul?

6. Gift Factor

Have I discovered my own spiritual gifts? Do I even know what they are? Do I have an inkling of how they operate? Am I willing to work through a process to uncover them so I can offer them effectively in Christ's service? How might my strengths be teamed with others to complement the ministry needs of the congregation for this season of our life together as a faith community?

7. Fun Factor

God's work is not all deadly drudgery! What would make deaconing fun for me? Do opportunities to learn excite me? Does the prospect of spiritual growth sound like fun? Would getting to hang out with people I admire and appreciate strengthen my desire to serve? Where is the fun in this call? If you aren't drawn to a fun factor, don't do it; you'll drag the whole team down!

8. Pastor Factor

Do I have a positive personal regard for the pastoral staff? Am I open to working closely with them? Is there a sincere spirit of collegiality among us? If not, am I willing to do my part to heal and reconcile this key relationship? We may not have a personal friendship, but do we at least have a solid basis for mutual respect? Can I support my pastor and trust that she or he will support me? Am I willing to lead and be led by my pastor and/or pastoral staff?

9. Example Factor

Will I be able to deal comfortably with the expectation of being looked up to as a spiritual example in behavior and attitude? If being a role model makes me nervous, can I at least imagine myself growing into this role? Am I able to claim my own Christlikeness without resorting to false piety or lapsing into denial of the power that God has given me to offer others? Am I comfortable with my own spiritual seasoning and maturation? Do I understand the principle that people are only looking through me to Christ?

10. Legacy Factor

What difference might my service make for the church's coming generations? What spiritual and material resources can I offer to God in a way that provides a legacy, a gift, for the years beyond my own lifetime? Creating an example of how to move beyond success to spiritual significance for Christ in the generations yet-to-come is a powerful positive motivator. Blazing a trail for others to follow might mean that I will need to be much more intentional about stewarding my resources to maximize future impact. Leaving a legacy requires looking for creative ways to extend the kingdom's purpose beyond my lifetime.

11. Shadow Factor

Count on deaconing to bring us nose-to-nose and face-to-face with our own faults, frailties, flaws, foibles, finitude, and fragility. If we can't see them, someone else will be glad to point out all the dreadful specifics. Relax! Everybody has a shadow side to his or her personality; it's part of being human. We can't always predict the outcome when the shadow side of our soul emerges. We can, however, submit ourselves to God and surrender to the Spirit. Paul's "thorn in the flesh” was never removed, but he discovered "I can do all things through him (Christ) who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). Perhaps we have this treasure in such "earthen vessels," so the excellence of the power shining through the cracks may be God's and not a reflection of us!

12. Cost Factor

King David said, "1 will not offer burnt offerings to the LORI) my God that cost me nothing" (2 Sam. 24:24). Jesus advised his disciples to count the cost before committing to follow when he said, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62). How do I calculate the cost of being a deacon? What am I willing to pay to follow the Christ who gave his all? Two seldom-used words come to mind: obedience and sacrifice. Calculating these costs may save you some bellyaching later!

13. Faith Factor

Are the spiritual allegiances of my life solidly in place? Can I honestly claim the core teachings of Christianity well enough to embody them effectively in my daily life and practices? Am I knowledgeable enough to at least informally teach them? If the answer is no, then am I willing to commit to a course of spiritual learning to improve major deficiencies? Once I get beyond me, am I willing to answer the call to step out in faith and help lead the way? John said it best: "This is the victory that conquers the world, our faith" (1 Jn. 5:4).

14. Vision Factor

Not everybody is a visionary. (Thank God!) If I am not a seer of dreams and visions, do I at least recognize such a leader when I see one? Am I a valuable follower and contributor? Never discount the power of positive support and a can-do spirit. Can I be comfortable experiencing someone else's vision and finding my unique part within that framework? Do I have a personal mission statement? How does God's mission for me dovetail with the congregation's vision at this time?

I hope you will carry these fourteen factors around in your heart for a while before saying yes or no.

It may become important to you that you hollow out a little more space to "walk the furrowed fields of your mind" before God. You may find it helpful to take a day retreat around these focal points along with scripture reading and a bit of reflective journaling.

Gary Straub;Trader, James, II. Your Calling As A Deacon