Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.
The term deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos. This particular word is translated as deacons in Philippians 1:1; 1st Timothy 3:8 & 10, as deacon in 1st Timothy 3:12, and as servant in Romans 13:4; 15:8; and 16:1. The word is actually a transliteration rather than a translation. But the meaning is that of a servant leader. In the context of Philippians 1:1 it is used in the context of Christians designated to serve at the direction and under the oversight of the elders.
The Greek word translated literally means to serve; a person who renders service and help to others. It can also mean to minister. In short it is a servant minister or a leader in service. The word originally meant “table service” but came to mean any type of service. A form of this word (diakoneo) is translated as “wait” as in “wait on tables” in Acts 6:2 (NIV). The NASB and KJ more accurately translate the word as “serve”. Etymology is the study of the history of the form of words but one rule of thumb when translating Greek into English is that usage always trumps etymology.
The New Testament does not give a specific command for a local church to install deacons but we do have examples. We know the church in Philippi, which was one of Paul’s favorites. The church at Philippi was the first Christian church in Europe, planted by the apostle Paul on his second missionary journey around AD 50 or 51. The initial converts were Gentiles, and the congregation developed into a predominately Gentile fellowship.
From the time it was established, the church at Philippi was healthy, strong, and generous, becoming a model church that only experienced minor problems of disunity (Philippians 4:2-7). And the very first verse of Paul’s letter to the Philippians lets us know that they had elders (overseers) and deacons. Most healthy, strong, and generous churches today have both elders and deacons. A church can certainly function scripturally in the absence of deacons but runs much better when there are qualified men willing to serve in that role.
Many believe Acts 6:1-7 to be about the first deacons and 1st Timothy 3:8-12 is the only passage in the New Testament that specifically addresses the character traits these men should possess.
Why deacons? Deacons lead us as we respond to any sort of opportunity for godly service granted by God. Deacons do not serve in our place; rather they lead, coordinate, expedite, and provide resources to us as we serve like Jesus.
Early Christian writers chronicled some of the things deacons did in the early church: they assisted with baptisms; acted as ushers; distributed the Lord’s Supper at assemblies and to those not present; administered benevolence to widows and orphans. One early deacon in Rome was tasked with burying the dead and had charge of the congregation’s cemetery. Except perhaps for that last one, these are all areas where deacons serve today among many others. Basically deacons follow the example of Acts 6:1-6 and take care of the physical needs of the congregation so the elders can focus their attention on spiritual matters.