Yesterday was an awesome day in worship as we commissioned 5 deacons for our deacon ministry team and ordained one who had not previously been set apart for this service.
In my charge to the deacons, I quoted author Richard Dresselhaus, who I believe speaks well to the deacon (as well as to the pastor and elder):
“As a spiritual leader, you will be called upon to lay aside what could be clearly understood as your personal rights in order to meet a higher demand of service.
You will need to hold your temper when you have every “right” to speak.
You will be called upon to serve beyond the limits of logic and fairness.
You will be confronted repeatedly with the privilege of honoring others above yourself.
You will need to lay down your life, and its “rights,” to be a reflection of the One whom we serve.
Spiritual leaders are called to lay down their own rights so that the righteousness of Jesus might be known.”
So many times, we are tempted to reject the servant-leader model of leadership that Jesus showed us. So many times, we think we know better and want to force our opinion or our way through. Being a deacon is about ministry - it's about serving the families that are entrusted to you, guarding the unity of the church as a whole, and serving together to see more and more people come to know Christ. Our goal is that the Word of God will spread, and people will connect with a God who desperately loves them. Nothing matters more than that - and nothing is higher on Southview's agenda than seeing people who are living far from God come to know Him.
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