“Disqualified.” I still remember how upset I was. The 145th running of the Kentucky Derby was an historic occasion for several reasons. The one that stands out in my mind is the disqualification of the first-place finishing horse, Maximum Security, because of an out-of-lane infraction. It was the first time in Derby history that a first-place finishing horse was disqualified for something it did on the track. Looking back, I’m still not sure if the right call was made, but I’m certainly no professional when it comes to horse racing.
The fact is, qualification and disqualification all come down to rules and the interpretation of those rules. The rules are certainly given to ensure that the right individual is accepted and even honored for properly completing the task at hand.
When we consider the biblical structure of the local congregation, two positions in the New Testament appear on the basis of meeting specific qualifications. The two places that make this pattern for local leadership most clear are Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3. Philippians 1:1 says, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.”
This is one of only three times in the English New Testament that we find the word “deacon.” The word that is translated as “deacon” actually appears about 30x, but it is usually translated as “servant(s)” (18x) or “minister(s)” (7x). Furthermore, the words “service” and “ministry” in our New Testament reflect the same word family; this includes Acts 6 (“serve tables;” “ministry of the word”).
In short, what sets the “deacons” of Philippians 1 and 1 Timothy 3 apart from the “servants” that are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament are the qualifications that we find in 1 Timothy 3:8–13. In the next article, we’re going to look at these verses one by one, using one word to summarize each as we recognize deacons as “qualified servants.”
Clay Leonard
