The question of whether women should serve as deacons (deaconesses) has been one that faithful Christians have graciously debated for a long time. Faithful Christians have differing views on this. In fact, some of my heroes of the faith land on both sides of this debate. Though I have my own personal view on women deacons, I certainly respect those who differ with me. The main verse that pertains to the topic of female deacons is 1 Timothy 3:11. Here is the entire passage in its context:
“8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 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.
There are really two schools of thought on v. 11 (underlined above) and they are quite simple. The word “wives” either means “wives” or it means “women.” If it means wives, then this is not referring to female deacons (deaconesses) but rather simply referring to the wives of male deacons. However, if the word means “women” then Paul is likely referring to female deacons and not the wives of deacons. The word deacon would simply be implied. “Their women deacons likewise…”
Now you might ask the question, “well, what does the word mean in Greek?” Therein lies the challenge. The root word in Greek is “gune” (pronounced “goo-nay”) it is where we get our English word gynecology from. This Greek word is both the word for wife and woman in the New Testament. The only way to know the difference is through context and examining what the rest of Scripture says about it. In this case, we cannot necessarily rely on the word itself to know whether this is referring to women or wives, female deacons or wives of male deacons.
I believe that v. 11 is referring to the wives of deacons and that the office of deacon is set apart only for men. Here are my reasons why:
1. The Acts 6 Model
As we looked at on Sunday, Acts 6:1-7 is, in many ways, the establishment of the office of deacon, and if not the outright establishment, it is at the very least the prototype of the office of deacon. In Acts 6 the Apostles instructed the congregation to choose 7 men to take on the role of the daily distribution of food among the widows. This task would have been to primarily serve women (widows). If the Apostles had wanted female deacons this would have been the time to set forth both men and women, but instead they chose only men. This indicates that the Apostles had men in mind to serve in this role.
2. The Flow of Argument in 1 Timothy 3
Even though we cannot discern from the word “gune” whether Paul meant wife or woman, we can discern a few things from the flow of Paul’s thought in 1 Timothy 3. 1 Timothy 3:1-13 is about the qualifications of elders and deacons. Paul spends v. 1-7 discussing the qualifications of elders and then discusses the qualifications of deacons in v. 8-13. What is interesting is that Paul begins discussing deacons’ qualifications in v. 8 but he then shifts to speaking about “gune” in v. 11. If Paul were talking about female deacons here and not the wives of male deacons, why would he then jump right back to the qualifications of male deacons in v. 12? (Re-read the text in its entirety above once again to see what I am referring to).
Rather, than jumping from deacon qualifications to deaconess qualifications back to deacon qualifications it seems like Paul, in v. 11, is continuing to speak about the qualifications of male deacons and is now going to spend time discussing what a deacon's family must be like. In v. 11 their wives must have these character qualities. In v. 12 he must be devoted to his wife (husband of one wife) and he must manage his household well. V. 11 is not introducing us to female deacons but is introducing us to what a male deacon’s family must look like. This is the logical flow of thought coming from Paul and it is consistent with how he spoke about the qualifications of elders in v. 1-7 (personal character and family).
3. Paul’s Word Choice
In 1 Timothy 3:1 Paul clearly designates the office of “overseer.” In 1 Timothy 3:8 he clearly designates the office of “deacon.” If Paul wanted to describe the qualifications for female deacons in 1 Timothy 3:11 he could have simply used the phrase “women deacons likewise…” but he does not do that. Instead, Paul simply uses the term for wife/woman (“their wives likewise…”) leaving out the word “deacon” entirely. This seems to indicate that Paul is referring to the wives of deacons rather than female deacons.
4. Stipulations for Marriage
For both elders and deacons Paul lays out what their marriages must look like. They must be the husband of one wife (fully devoted to the spouse they are married to) and their homes must be well managed or well ordered. There are no such qualifications for the women mentioned in v. 11. If Paul is introducing us to the qualifications of female deacons, why would he give marital qualifications for the elders and male deacons but not the female deacons? But if v. 11 is simply referring to the wives of deacons, then there is no need to mention their home or marriages because that gets covered by the qualifications required of their husbands in v. 12.
5. Diaconal Work Carries a Measure of Authority in the Church
Though we have clearly seen that it is qualified elders charged with leading and overseeing the church, there is a sense in which deacon work carries a level of authority with it. To bring unity where there is division often requires one to speak with authority. To make decisions in how money is distributed to serve mercy needs in the church carries a level of authority. As deacons work to support, serve, and execute the ministry of the elders there may be a level of authority in the duty the elders appoint them to. Since Paul points out in 1 Timothy 2:12 that women are not to have authority over men in the church, it is unlikely that Paul conceives the idea of female deacons only one chapter later.
6. Phoebe Was a Servant in the Church, Not Necessarily a Deacon
Romans 16:1 is one of the most cited verses to argue in favor of deaconesses. In fact, some less literal translations, such as the NLT and even the NIV, explicitly call her a deacon. Here is how the ESV reads, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae” As I said in my sermon on Sunday the word for deacon is the same word used in the New Testament for servant. It is the interpreter’s choice to decide whether in context it means deacon or simply servant. It is possible that Paul intended to call Phoebe a deacon of the church at Cenchreae. It is also possible that he merely intended to point out the fact that she is a faithful servant of that church. I don’t think there is enough evidence from Romans 16:1 to argue in favor of deaconesses, especially given everything else we have already seen about deacons.
Why then, does Paul list qualifications for the wives of deacons, after all, he does not mention any qualifications for the wives of elders? It is very likely because of the nature of deacon work. Unlike elders who are primarily devoted to the ministry of the Word, deacons are going to be spending more time in mixed gender scenarios. The office was originally established to serve widows (Acts 6). And in ancient times due to a higher mortality rate there were not just aged widows but young widows as well (Ruth 1). As deacons worked to serve these widows, in order to stay above reproach in their ministry to these young women, they would have likely taken their wives with them. Thus, it would have been important for the wives of deacons to be dignified, not slanderers, soberminded, and faithful in all things. Their service was just as important as the service of their husbands. This is why I believe Paul gives specific qualifications for deacon’s wives and why I believe 1 Timothy 3:11 is not referring to female deacons.
Conclusion
All that to say (and this is the most important part of this long technical article that you have had to slug your way through), we NEED women serving and using their gifts in the church!!!! I do not think I can emphasize this enough. The church will not survive without the ladies of the church using their gifts and skill in the body of Christ. We may not have an official office called “deaconess,” but we still need ladies serving and helping God’s people. After Paul comments on Phoebe being a servant notice what else he says about her,
“Welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.”
Paul cannot speak highly enough about Phoebe and the ways in which she served him and many others in the church. In fact, if you go on and read all of Romans 16 Paul’s greeting includes almost as many women as it does men. This is how influential sisters in Christ were to the Apostle Paul. This is how we should view women in the church. We should view them highly and honor them for the ways in which they serve. Just go and read Titus 2 sometime and you will see how important Paul sees the role of women within the church. I look out at the ladies in our gathering and see how they have faithfully served us thus far and I cannot speak highly enough of them. Yes, there are things women are not to do in the church, but may we be a people who spend more time focusing on what women can, should, and must do in the church and less time always talking about what they cannot do.
We may not have deaconesses per say, but I am praying that we have many godly wives of deacons as well as other godly sisters in Christ faithfully serving the church in manifold ways.
If you would like to discuss this topic further with me or if you have any other questions, I would be more than happy to continue the conversation.
In Christ,
Pastor Jordan
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