“For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 3:13
One thing I have greatly appreciated during my thirty plus years at Rockport has been the faithfulness of the men who serve our church as deacons. Not every pastor can say that. For sadly, there are congregations where the deacons “serve” in name only and can even be more of a hindrance to effective, Christ-centered ministry than a help. Our deacons have been a help to me and to the work of Christ in this church for many, many years. For that I am grateful.
In fact, the only “complaint” I would ever really consider about our deacons is that there have often been too few to accomplish all that needs to be done in order to care effectively for the needs within our church family. Even good men can only do so much before they become spread too thing.
That’s why I am encouraged to see four addition brothers step up to become deacons-in-training. These men have been meeting with our elders and current deacons since the end of December and are currently being trained in what I would call “Deacon basics” both through the use of a really good study book and by being paired with a current deacon in order to get first hand experience in some of the tasks they will face.
With that in mind, I want to present their names to you so you can begin (1) to pray for them as they continue this process of training, and (2) to observe them since you will be asked later this Spring to affirm them for this service according to the requirement of 1 Tim 3:10 that they “be tested first; and then let them serve as deacons.” These men are: Kanoa Benz, Scott Larson, Alex Starkey, and Jared Weber. Please take time to get to know any of these men you may not know. Pray for them. And if you have any questions you’d like to ask about these men, please ask them or the elders as appropriate.
May the Lord provide faithful men who are willing to serve.
Pastor S. Scott Lee