THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP

There are two primary offices in the New Testament church: elders and deacons. Paul lists the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3, where we see that in terms of character, they are basically the same, with only the matter of capacity being the difference. The elder must be a capable communicator. The elders are shepherds of the flock and the deacons are servants of the church. Although the title “deacon” is not used in Acts 6, it is clear that the godly men, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, were the prototype of what deacons are. 

There was A PROBLEM, (v. 1). Their selection was motivated by a problem that had arisen in the church. 

There was a conflict that needed to be settled. Imagine that!  The church is in its infancy and already there is conflict. That needed to be nipped in the bud. 

There was A PRIORITY, (v. 2). What did the church do?  They dumped it in the preachers’ laps!  They knew that to be diverted to this issue would distract them from their priority of praying and preaching. 

There was A PROPOSAL, (v. 3-6). The elders cannot do all the work. They need partners and we see that deacons can be the servants required. 

There was A PRODUCTIVITY, (v. 7). The problem was solved and even better there was exponential growth that resulted. 

This is the power of partnership. Blessed is the church where elders and deacons devote themselves to their priorities and work in harmony to see Kingdom progress!