“Hi, Tom!  What are you doing way down here at the hospital?” 
“Oh, we just happened to be in town, thought we’d come by to see you.”

Tom is a Deacon.  He “happens to be in town” on a regular basis when a church member is in the hospital.  Even though he and his sons farm 4,000 acres of land, he and his wife find time to drive the 50 miles to the nearest hospital almost weekly.

“Deacon” means servant.  This “service” has been interpreted in a variety of ways:  caregivers, board of directors, ministry leaders, business managers, decision makers, etc.

The evangelistic fires were hot!  The Apostles needed help with the widows.  The Apostles saw a need to delegate.  They did.  Godly men where selected to care for these widows.  They met benevolence needs, resolved conflict, and freed the apostles to pray and evangelize without constant interruption.

- Be there. Deacons need to understand that the most basic ministry need people have is someone’s presence.  Just be there!  Ministry is being there when there’s a “life event.”  When someone loses a loved one, often members bring food.  Be there to take out the garbage sacks or mow the grass.  ABC News ran a “Person of the Week” story about a man that goes to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport almost 300 mornings a year to “be there” to greet troops retuning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Deacons, don’t worry about what to say, just be there.

- Organize. Keep it simple.  Perhaps ask Deacons to choose an area they feel most comfortable serving, such as hospital visits, shut-in visits, new member visits, or new visitor follow-up.  Ask them to dedicate 1-2 hours toward this ministry one week per month.  Some model a Deacon plan after the G.R.O.W. Outreach Plan.

- Be Accountable. At monthly Deacons’ meetings give brief reports on who was visited and how it went.  Testimonies encourage and inspire.  Enlist a non-deacon partner to go on these visits, this promotes accountability and gets more people involved.

Deacon training and resources are available. Click  here

Denny Wright serves as team leader of the Leadership & Worship Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. He and his wife, Billie Sue, have a son and a daughter. Wright enjoys a round of golf on days that end in ‘y.’