“Therefore, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Acts 6:3-4
Why We Need More Deacons
Next Sunday at the end of our worship service you will be asked to affirm four more men to serve as deacons here at Rockport. They have been nominated by our elders and existing deacons and put through a time of testing and basic training. We believe these men are qualified and ready to serve this church body and so will be asking you to affirm them based on our recommendation.
One question that often comes up when we seek to confirm new deacons is, “Why do we need more?” Deacons serve the body of Christ as ministry assistants to the elders. They come alongside us in our calling to shepherd the church and help us stay focused on our task by lightening our load in a variety of practical ways. Deacons help us maintain regular contact with the members of our church family through our deacon family ministry (ever individual and family is assigned a deacon). Deacons help us organize our care for the poor and needy, our ministry to guests, our concern for widows and the sick, our stewardship of our building and resources, etc. With faithful deacons taking care of the more practical, everyday issues of church life, the elders are free to focus on shepherding the church by “prayer and the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4).
We currently have six active deacons (for whom I am grateful!). By adding these four, we will be better equipped to care for this growing congregation, especially as God continues to add to our number. So please pray for these men: Kanoa Benz, Scott Larson, Alex Starkey and Jared Weber. If you have specific questions about any one of them, please ask them or talk to one of the elders. We are confident that they are ready to serve and will be a blessing to our church.
I rejoice to see what the Lord is doing through the faithful service of these men!
Pastor Scott