Church Doesn't want to use the word Decon

You could always just translate the word and call them servants.

 

Only the last of the following pairs is used in the Bible:

pastor and deacon
elder and deacon
bishop and deacon

 

Since pastor, elder, and bishop (overseer) are all the same, the pairs in which they appear are not important.

I would say use the word deacon. That is the word Scripture uses and there is no reason to avoid it.

 

They could replace 'Decon' with 'Deacon' . . .

Unless of course, that was a typo . . . then 'servant' might be appropriate.

 

Put them Decons to killin' rats!!

lacy

 

:thumbs::laugh::applause:

 

I agree. Our SBC church uses the phrase "elders"...but when it comes to deacon, they call them "board members". I never understood this.

 

Deacon

May I ask why?

 

Be consistent.

If "deacon" is jettisoned, will "pastor" be as well?
If the more common-sounding "servant" is used instead of "deacon", "shepherd" should be used instead of "pastor".
Don't have "pastors and servants" or "elders and deacons".

The English vernacular words are shepherd/elder/overseer and servant.
The foreign borrowings are pastor/presbyter/bishop and deacon.

 

We knew it was a typo. We was just razzin!

I think the problem is not with the proper Biblical terms. (Deacon and Elder.) IMHO, new terms would just muddy the waters further.

It is just that many churches Deacons are functioning way beyond the scope of what scripture reveals a deacon to be doing. And Elders are either non-existent or not functioning as elders. The issue deserves much study. But reform will be near impossible for some churches. I think the traditions are too engrained in some churches to help, but for God.

Lacy

PS. Here is a good online book on the subject.

http://www.soulcare.org/Church/Strauch_Eldership.htm

 

Does your church have a statement of faith and a constitution. I would think that Elder and Deacon would have been addressed in your constitution, so my question I guess is if you do have a constitution then are you folks trying to change it or what.

 

Most Baptist churches call their elders "deacons". Perhaps the fact that most Baptist churches misuse the term is why they're shying away from using "deacon".

 

The word Scripture uses alongside deacon is bishop; is there a reason to avoid bishop?
If bishop requires a parenthetical common-language alternative, deacon should as well.

I agree that a church may use the biblical terms {bishop, overseer, presbyter, elder, pastor, or shepherd} and {deacon or servant}. One would hope that the choice of terminology would not be based on mere whim or desire to be trendy.

It is unfortunate that churches feel compelled to avoid biblical terms because of other churches' use/misuse of them. Bishop has never been embraced by Baptists, and elder fell out of favor in the nineteenth century. Nowdays, some have rejected the ubiquitous pastor and turned again to elder, while apparently others are finding the connotations of deacon distasteful.

 

It is not appropriate to use anything else. But I would be interested to know what their beef is with "Deacon".

 

Good point. Those who say that we must use the word deacon really should be consistent and insist that their pastors be called bishop or overseer. And most deacons in baptist churchs really play the role of the elder. We baptists love to muddy the waters with our terminology, don't we.

 

Amen, Gold Dragon! Not to mention confusing and confuting the functions of the positions and spiritual gifts and native abilities, i.e. "talents" in the English vernacular sense. But when you are used to the confusion, why change? Never mind that Satan is the one Rollin' on the floor laughing, when he is not accusing us to the Father! By the way, I have little objection to using 'Overseers', 'Servants', and whatever might be a suitable alternative to 'Saints', if we use all three in more modern terminology, but let's don't pick one out to 'exalt' another, which would seem to here be the 'hidden agenda', IMO.

Ed

 

Actually, it is the word overseer in common language. Bishop is an older word that became distorted in usage to refer to a heirarchical authority over churches, rather than the pastor of a church.

Not other than the unbiblical connotation it has come to have.

So long as you use a biblical word, like "pastor," I am fine with that. Which biblical word for deacon will you use?

 

no position on this heads or tails...the term which is a English transliteration of a gender transitive Greek word meaning servant usually isn't lived out too well in most of our churches.

Deacons, sometimes end up being something other than servants first.