Is it ok for a Church to have female deacons?

[GuOeR84]

Originally posted by Johnv:
"Women [deacons] must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things." (1 Timothy 3:11 NASB)

Well I'll be, BB!! You're right. I never read it in context before. It DOES allow for women to be deacons.

Hmm, the KJV version says something different here ...

1 Tim 3:10-11 KJV
10 And let them also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being [found] blameless.
11 Even so [must their] wives [be] grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

Verse 10 talks about a deacon having to be blameless and being proved first, and verse 11 talks about the qualities that his wife should possess.

In general, 1 Tim 2:11-15 talks about things that women cannot do. Oh, no ! What can women do to serve in the church then ? Any other thing ! Preaching, praying for, discipling, and encouraging the younger women in the church, get involved in the children's ministry, etc ... We do have forthnight "Women's Fellowship" (don't worry, we have "Men's Fellowship" too) in our church, and the pastors/deacons/leaders wives would speak to the younger women.

 

[D.R.]

All I have to say about this is that Pheobe was a deaconess. That is enough for me to understand that deacons are males and females. All deacons did was serve. Women can serve and thus, they can be deacons. If you really want a good exegetical argument for this look to John MacArthur's book, "The Master's Plan for the Church." I don't think anyone would debate that MacArthur is not highly orthodox and a great exegete of Scripture. Several major leaders support him on this. My church has female deacons, as well as many other Reformed congregations. I don't understand why this is such a big deal for people. I think many need to quit putting their presuppositions onto the texts and read them for how they were understood by the original hearers. This is why we have so much mythology in the local churches.
dr