The deacon body plays a vital role in FBC Midlothian. Early in the church’s history, men who held the office of deacon were very visible in their leadership – helping prepare for baptism, serving the Lord’s Supper, taking up the offering, greeting each Sunday at the door of the church, etc. The deacons would oversee the property and grounds of the church, teach classes, and determine what matters of business came to the church for a vote during church conferences. For many years, church committees were headed by deacons, and matters of church discipline were brought before the deacons for deliberation.

As FBC grew, so did the need to increase the pastoral staff. The deacons began turning some assignments over to paid staff members and played a less visible role in the life of the church. Deacons became “family ministers” when the church embraced the deacon family ministry plan. Each deacon served a specific number of families – helping them in times of crisis and ensuring their connection to church life. While the family ministry plan was a popular approach in many churches, difficulties arose when the church hit a major growth spurt. Deacons were spread too thin among too many families and were called upon to address needs for which they were not trained. Some families seemed to get a lot of attention from “their deacon,” while other families felt neglected when “their deacon” could not give them the care they required.

Near the end of the 20^th century, many churches, including FBC, began to emphasize small groups or connect groups as a way to ensure that church members were integrated into the life of the church. Connect Group Leaders began to “pastor” individuals within their groups. Some deacons served as connect group leaders, but since this role was not exclusive to deacons, the deacon body experienced a bit of an identity crisis. They continued to serve the church as individuals, but the types of service that had once been exclusive to the deacon body were now being addressed by church volunteers and paid staff.

Over the past 25 years, the deacons of FBC have continued to serve in a variety of ways. They have sponsored events focused on widows and widowers, hosted Family Fun Days, and hosted a Pool Baptism Night. In the last few years, our deacons were instrumental in establishing and overseeing a ministry for women in crisis called The Anchor Home. Some have served on church councils, providing leadership for major church decisions. During times of crisis, our deacons have hosted prayer meetings and sought to serve our church body in any way needed.

Our deacons still serve behind the scenes today. Most of the counselors in our Compass each Sunday are deacons or deacon/spouse teams. Deacons oversee a benevolence fund that assists church members who find themselves in crisis. A deacon response team handles minor home repairs when our members have a need. Along with our church pastoral staff, deacons receive the weekly list of confidential prayer requests. They are sometimes called upon to visit hospitals or nursing homes and to assist the pastoral staff in other ways. Deacons and spouses assist in hosting Next Steps meetings for prospects and new members, where they share information with newcomers and help them feel welcome.

In a recent update to our church’s bylaws, our congregation adopted the following statement:

The Deacons shall organize the Deacon body in a manner they deem best to serve the members of the Church and to achieve the mission of the Church. This ministry includes but is not limited to assistance with the ordinances of the gospel, benevolent affairs, ministering to members in need, worship teaching, advisement, and modeling discipleship.

The deacons of FBC have filled a variety of roles in a variety of ways. As the needs of the church continue to evolve, our deacons are committed to adapting to meet those needs. While the type of ministries may change from one season to the next, the call to serve remains the same. And our deacons continue to answer that call.