Paul's Vision for the Deacons: Assisting the Elders with the Care of God's Church

by Alexander Strauch

Views on the roles of deacons vary widely among evangelical Christians. What does Scripture actually teach about deacons and their role in the church?

Views range from deacons being the board of directors, to the church building maintenance crew. My intention in writing this book is to encourage my deacon friends and fellow church leaders to think more critically about what they are saying, what they are doing, and what Scripture actually teaches about deacons.

Whatever your view of deacons may be, this study will help you examine in detail the biblical fact on deacons, allowing those facts to guide your thinking. This book offers the opportunity to build broader agreement among our Bible-believing churches as to what deacons do.

Known for his deep love for the church and for his careful Bible exegesis, Strauch's new study cannot be ignored by churches that are committed to following a biblical church polity. This is not simply a revision of Strauch's popular book, "The New Testament Deacon: Minister of Mercy." It is a completely new study with a fresh perspective.

Genres: Ecclesiology, Leadership, Christian, Theology, Religion, Faith, Church Ministry

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 25, 2024

About the author

1832-1893

Reviews

[Owen Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short book on the nature and role of deacons in the church. Enjoyed his detailed, grammatical approach to the topic. Thorough, yet simple to read and follow.

[Calvin Esslinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never been in a church with Deacons until currently, I had no presuppositions of the office. Mr. Strauch lays out the fundamental teachings of the Bible concerning Deacons - this in a manner that's cogently systematic, verse-by-verse, highly readable, yet well-cited and cross-referenced with scripture. In this volume is your starter's manual for those men who desire the work of a Deacon, Lord willing.

[Owen Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time through - great read! I have plans to read this once a year as an excellent refresher and encouragement.

[Forrest Cole]

Very good recourse. Well laid out and understandable. I highly recomend.

[Michael Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second read through, but the book is worthy of reading regularly by every church member to understand the role of a deacon.

[Kaleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

As one who has grown up in the church, I have come to hear many different definitions of what a deacon is, and what their roles & responsibilities may be. Strauch has challenged my thinking, showing from the Bible that deacons are not merely responsible for the “lessor” responsibilities in the church such as table servants, but as 1 Timothy 3 lays out, assistants to the elders with the care of God’s Church. I am confident that anyone who reads this book will be refreshed in their thinking of the role of deacons, and challenged to see their church implement this biblical view of the diakonos

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever read one of those books with one line that's worth the whole price of admission?
Well, here's a great line:

"If Stephen and Philip seem to us overqualified for serving tables... The congregation's choice and the apostles' commissioning of these gifted men demonstrate how important the task of administering the church's benevolence ministry was in the thinking of the first Christians. The congregation chose its best to care for its least."

[Justin Orman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid and helpful survey on a subject without a lot of clarity in Scripture (or, for that matter, in church history). While I don’t agree with every conclusion the author argues for, I found his basic point compelling and instructive for my own understanding. If you’re looking for clarity on the debate over what Scripture teaches about deacons, this is a great place to start and probably a must-read on the subject.

[Jonathan Vasgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book about deacon work. Mostly accurate, especially appreciate his stance against female deacons and his exegesis. However, the book is extremely dry with very little in the way of examples. Still, highly recommended for deacons or those hoping to become deacons.

[Nate DeRochie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and concise exegetical work on the office of Deacon. Reading this makes me long for a day when this biblical vision of the Deacon is more broadly recovered. I also appreciate that Strauch links to his website, where he digs a little deeper into some of his arguments.

[Mark Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regardless of my own conclusions, I appreciate how he argues his point, attempting to take seriously all of the textual and contextual evidence. Anyone writing church bylaws that include the role of deacons in your church should read this book first.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most helpful thing I’ve read on the office of deacon. Strauch’s argument for understanding the office as an assistant who carries the authority of the one they help (elders) clarifies why Paul surely did not intend to go against Acts 6 and allow women into the office. This would have violated Paul’s own words in 1 Tim 2.

[Michael Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really wonderful exegetical walk through scripture regarding deacons. It’s often wooden or repetitive in its writing (almost by necessity), hence the lower rating. The content, however, is superb.

[Hopson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is much to be commended in Strauch’s careful exposition of the office of deacon. He roots his exegesis in the text, is careful to affirm and uphold the sufficiency of Scripture, and is clearly motivated by a love for the local church and a desire for her faithfulness. That said, although I agreed with much of Strauch’s analysis, I disagreed with his conclusion that deacons are assistants of the elders. Although it is certainly true that deacons assist the elders, in the way Strauch views this assistant role, the deacon becomes something of a middleman between congregation and elder, a leader with church-wide authority to execute the vision of the elders. Because of this belief, Strauch views passages like 1 Timothy 2:12 (which I believe restricts the office of elder to men) as inclusive of the office of deacon as well. After all, these deacons are pastoral assistants with authority to execute the vision of the elders. Because, for Strauch, the deacon is an office that exercises a measure of authority and oversight over the entire congregation, he eventually argues for restricting the office of deacon to men.

Although I appreciate Strauch’s willingness to use Scripture to make his case, I believe his argument goes astray in his insistence that deacons are “assistants” rather than “servants.”

[Stephen Angliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strauch is best known for explaining the biblical meaning of elders. Here, he attempts to do the same for deacons. This is a rewrite of his earlier work “The New Testament Deacon” which I liked better but is now out of print. Strauch’s second publication on deacons focuses on Paul’s apostolic ministry in Ephesus and his letters to Timothy and the Philippians.

The book offers an interesting balance of practical teaching with Greek exegesis—perhaps too much Greek for lay readers—it could be helpful for examining deacon candidates and/or discipling church leadership toward a biblical framework of deacons.

While I agree with virtually all of his conclusions, he seems to make logical leaps in what he implies from the events of Paul’s life and the little textual teaching actually given in Philippians and 1 Timothy. He also believes that “women” mentioned in vs. 11 refers to qualifications of a deacon’s wife, and not qualifications for a woman serving as a deaconess. His appendix was helpful in breaking down the debate on this issue.

Overall, a good exegetical review of deacons, but maybe not the best for pastors seeking to train church leaders.

[Ernie Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul’s Vision for the Deacons by Alexander Strauch is a much more interesting book than its title would suggest. Strauch has written a book on church polity whose goal is to show from the Bible that the proper role of deacons in the church is “assisting the elders with the care of God’s church.” I am willing to bet that at some point you have grown frustrated with the governance situation at your church. The odds are actually astonishingly good that this is most likely a direct result of the fact that your church governing structure has been heavily influenced by (if not outright copied from) the standard American business model, rather than the biblical pattern for church governance. (for the record those are my words, not Strauch’s). With this book Mr. Strauch has done the seemingly impossible: He has written a book on church governance that is not only interesting and helpful, but also not boring. You probably don’t believe me and that’s okay. I recommend you read it and find out for yourself!

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of us are way off on the biblical role of the Deacon. However, I think that we fail even more in the more important aspect of the actual qualifications of the deacon. Strauch does a very good job in review the biblical role of deacons as assisting the elder so that elders are freed up to do what they are called to do. He also emphasizes the importance of adhering to the qualifications and examination of the deacons that are called out in 1 Timothy. I see too many times that men are deacons because they are wealthy or are known in the community but their personal lives are not examined in light of the responsibility that they expected to have in the church. And I believe that this result in many issues within the church. I highly recommend this book for anyone in church leadership and anyone that really wants to understand what the intended character and role of a deacon is. This goes hand-in-hand with Strauch's "Biblical Eldership".

[Patrick S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough look at the office of deacon which is really a role of the church lost in the background. Especially in the modern, American church which is either so small that it barely has elders or is so big that deacons get lost in place of paid church staff.

Strauch covers the biblical role and of deacons and does an really good job at just defining the role and looking at it from what I've heard many preachers define the literal Greek. He also covers the arguments for/against women and while I wanted him to cover it deeper within the chapter, he does at least put it as an appendix.

If your church is looking on better defining the role of deacon or training up men in what it means to be one I would recommend this book. Final Grade - B+

[Scott LaPierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read Alexander Strauch's book, Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical ChurchBiblical Eldership, for our elder retreat a couple years ago and then decided to read his book on deacons for this year's elder retreat. I recommend this book as highly as I recommend the previous book. There is much confusion in the church about what deacons (and elders) should (and shouldn't) do and Alexander's books bring immense local clarity. I have spent time with Alexander Strauch and he is a wonderful, godly man committed to Scripture.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great foundational work for deacon ministry in the local church. Written from the perspective of a tradition that either has given deacons too much power or have relegated them to obscurity, this is a great book that balances the scales and points to the importance of deacon ministry to the local church without conflating the role with that of overseer (pastor or elder). Covering qualifications, calling, ordination, and even the philosophical underpinnings of deacon service, this is a great reference resource to be kept close at hand. I would have given it five stars, but much of the book is only referenced on a website instead of including it in the book.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there is certainly content worth reading in this book, I find that it's presentation, formatting, and other presentational choices are an excessive hindrance. Too often the author directs the reader to his website rather than addressing an issue thoroughly in his book. Too often the author includes quotes from his own writing, leading to a very repetitive feel.
Separately, I am annoyed but he's inconsistent transliteration of the Greek letter upsilon. Sometimes he writes it as a Y and sometimes as a U.

[Michael Sanelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start for study of deacons. Mainly works through 1 Timothy 3. Lots of overlapping material from his last book on deacons but he has changed his view. The word Deacon in 1 Timothy 3, says Strauch, means Assistant. Indeed it is a possible translation. So his view is that Deacons are Assistants to the Elders rather than a Lead Server in the church. Also does not believe the Women are Women Deacons but the wives of the Deacons.

Overall a helpful book and good to use with the Study Guide which draws you in much deeper with application and other passages to study. Helpful tool.

[Tom Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been so impressed by an author as I am with Strauch after reading this. He doesn't just examine the Greek, but he examines and discusses the tenses, grammar, sentence structure, and the implications of each.

He also shows how opposing / alternate views can be supported (and is generous in doing so), but always comes back and establishes why he believes a certain way.

I've never been so confident after reading a book that the author's conclusions were correct, and I'll definitely be reading more Strauch in the future.

[Joshua Reichard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short book on the roles of deacons in a church. It was helpful to see why the church has deacons, what a deacons role is, and who can be a deacon. His chapter and appendix on women as deacons or deacon’s wives was very helpful. Made me rethink my view on women’s role in church. Definitely need to read more and think hard about how the Bible communicates deacons responsibilities in the church.

[Aaron Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in church, hearing the Bible taught clearly, but still did not have a clear understanding of what deacons really should be. This book is incredibly clear and straightforward in working through the relevant texts to arrive at a robust and defensible definition of who deacons are and what they do, according to the scriptures. I highly recommend this for any Christian, but especially those involved or interested in churches leadership.

[Matthew Trujillo-Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for understanding what a deacon is and everything the Bible says about the role. The author does a great job of showing his reasoning behind each principle and really digging into the original text to understand the actual intent of each description of a deacon and how it differentiates from elders or how some churches today have deacons. This was well written and covered everything in an easy to follow way.

[Micah Lugg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great exegetical study on the office of deacon in the church. In this book, Strauch makes a convincing case that deacons are men who are qualified to come along side the elders in caring for the church body. The strength of this work is Strauch's careful study of the word and his desire to see churches obey that word. This will be my go-to book on the role of the deacon.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would commend this book to anyone interested in doing deacon work, implementing in a church or just to those curious about the difference between deacons and elders.

Strauch does a great job noting the varying interpretive challenges and where he lands on them without letting the debate bog down the book. It’s a very readable work.

[Geoffrey Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

comprehensive study on the topic. I felt enlightened, here are a few things that I got from it.

They are assistants to Elders NOT assistant Elders.

Wives' character are important. (the qualification for them are listed but omitted for elder's wives).

They serve in various part of the Church ministry.

[Connie Davis Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clear explanation of the difference between elders and deacons. However, my biblical study of
Scripture concerning women deacons differs with his viewpoint of scripture. One positive is that it is a fast read so I didn't have to dwell on it long.