Growing Pains, Delegation, and Deacons

This passage reflects a pivotal moment in early New Testament church history. Aramaic speaking Hebrews were discriminating against Greek speaking Hellenists inside the local church of Jerusalem. This combination of partiality and prejudice was a major threat to the unity of the church and to the church's witness to the world. Rather than sidestepping the problem the 12 Apostles faced it head on by creating a new office in the church: deacons. Contrary to how deacons are viewed today, these original 7 men were not an advisory board to the sole elder of the church. Rather, they were men whose task was to distribute bread and funds for the physical needs of the saints, freeing the Apostles to distribute the Word of God to the saints. May we recover the proper roles of elders and deacons in our own day for the glory of God!