What is a deacon and elder?
Painting of a Russian Orthodox deacon leading an ektenia (litany). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) There are three offices described in the New Testament for a local church: elders, deacons , and members. While most evangelical churches agree on the identification of elders and members, there remains much confusion about deacons. In some smaller churches, the pastor is considered the elder, and the plurality of godly male leaders who work with the pastor are called deacons. In this sense, the word deacon is used almost synonymously with elder. In other churches, deacons are considered elders-in-training. Future elders are drawn from the deacons, and deacons exercise leadership, just not quite at an elder level. In this context, deacons are like elders-lite. Both of these approaches really miss the biblical model for deacons. The biblical model of a deacon is simply someone who is recognized as a servant in the church. While all Christians are called to serve the church, some are part