A church, or any organization for that matter, will never rise beyond their leaders (Matthew 10:24 -25). As a leadership leads, so the attitude of the leadership will be reflected in the members. When the leadership is excited and encouraging about an area of work, generally, so also will the congregation be excited. If the leadership is lackadaisical and uninterested, so also will be the membership.
Consider the deacons and their responsibilities in this regard. The word, “deacon” as most often used in the Bible means “servant” or “waiter”. It is literally, “to kick up the dust” in service (1 Tim. 3:8). The illustration I always heard growing up was the picture of Pigpen from the cartoon Charlie Brown. Pigpen was a child who was eternally dirty and every time he moved, a cloud of dust was created (which is kind of disturbing when you think about it). Yet, that is the picture of healthy deacons.
They are people who, Biblically speaking, execute the commands of another and do so enthusiastically so as to create a cloud of activity. The point of this is to say this: How the deacons do their job will affect congregational enthusiasm for good or for ill. Said another way, ”as go the deacons, so goes the local church.”
Our deacons recently had a yearly meeting to discuss areas of work and plans and expectations for the future of the church here. For these 18 men, let me say on behalf of Graeber Road, “thank you for the jobs you do!” We are grateful for each of you and pray that you all will grow in the way you serve: that you will be diligent, blameless and full of excellent fruit (1 Tim. 3:10, 13).
The question I ask on behalf of the church here is this: “how can we help you (Phil. 4:14 -15)?” You are not serving alone. We have more communication methods than ever before with the blessing of Lightpost and we want you to know we are here to help your work to the glory of God. God forbid that we should be so “compartmentalized” that we deny members to help in a God – given work of the church. So, how can we be involved and help support you?
One man said, by way of reminder, “When deacons settle into a pattern of disinterest and inactivity, so will the members. On the other hand, when deacons are actively searching for opportunities to serve, it is a sign the local church is on the way to good health! ”
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