Servant Leaders

Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. These things I write to you... that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:8-15)

What does it take to lead in God's church? Not credentials, but the heart and character of a servant.

The Disciples' Argument About Greatness

There's a great story in Mark's Gospel. As Jesus and his disciples, along with a sizable multitude, were going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover—the last one Jesus would observe before his arrest and crucifixion—two of his disciples came to him with a request.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask." (Mark 10:35)

Some of us come to Jesus with that same mindset. Matthew's Gospel adds amplifying detail: James and John got their mother involved. She came to Jesus, bowed down, and asked on their behalf. They were like the first Millennials—they brought their mom to the job interview.

You would think this audacity would be rebuked, but Jesus is far more gracious than I would be. He asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Their answer:

"Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory." (Mark 10:37)

You Don't Know What You're Asking

Again, you would expect a rebuke. Instead Jesus answered, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" He knew what awaited him in Jerusalem. They responded ignorantly and arrogantly, "We are able." Jesus told them they would indeed share his cup, but the places at his right and left were not his to give.

When the other ten heard it, they were "greatly displeased"—likely a biblical understatement. The Gospels tell us this was a constant contention among the disciples: who would be number one, or really number two, since they accepted Jesus as first. In their argument we see ourselves reflected, because one of the observable traits of fallen humanity is the desire to be over others, to exercise dominion. This is a product of the fall in Genesis 3.

Even when we become followers of Jesus and have the Spirit dwelling in us, this struggle remains. You would think God would constantly rebuke it, yet every time it surfaces, Jesus doesn't rebuke the desire—he redirects the path.

"You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them... Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)

The Church Is Led by Servants Who Serve Well

In our passage Paul keys in on this very desire: "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work" (1 Timothy 3:1). If someone wants to lead, how do they move in that direction? Jesus made it clear, and Paul alludes to it here. This is the first point: the church is led by servants who serve well.

What we call servant leadership is not the norm in human society, but it is the value of the kingdom of God. Jesus is the example. Mark 10:45 would make a great memory verse. The ultimate fulfillment is the cross, where he gives his life a ransom for us. But even before that, the one who would be great is the servant—even the "slave" of all. The word commonly used in the New Testament is bond servant, the Old Testament servant by choice, who is not compelled but willingly sets himself there.

Paul develops this in Philippians 2, where Jesus made himself of no reputation and took on the form of a bond servant, coming in the likeness of men. God became a man—that is what we celebrate at Christmas, the incarnation—and he humbled himself as a servant by choice, then calls his followers to do the same.

Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet

On the night he was betrayed, gathered with his disciples for the Last Supper, Jesus rose from the meal, took off his outer cloak, put on a towel, and began to wash his disciples' feet (John 13). That may not seem strange to us, but to first-century Jewish men it was scandalous—foot washing was the lowest servant's job.

When those twelve entered the room, there was a basin, a clay pot of water, and a towel. Each one passed by, refusing, because to do it would be to declare yourself the lowest. But their Lord and Master got up and did it. It was so shocking that Peter said, "You shall never wash my feet." When Jesus finished, he said:

"For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." (John 13:15)

Jesus was not instituting foot-washing ceremonies; he was calling his disciples to humble service of others. That is how you become great in his kingdom.

What a Deacon Is

Paul, having given the qualifications for elders, now turns to deacons. First, the word deacon needs explaining—it's not common in everyday speech because it's a Bible word. The New Testament was written in Greek, and the word is diakonos, meaning a servant, a minister, even a slave.

The perfect picture of a deacon is a waiter. At a high-class restaurant, your waiter waits on you well—he "deacons" well. He never lets your glass get half empty, and at every course he comes to clear the crumbs. That active, attentive servant is the picture.

The word "likewise" connects this section to the previous one. Elders had qualifications; in the same manner, deacons must have qualifications too. These are the two primary offices of leadership in the church—elders (also called overseers, presbuteros or episkopos) and deacons. A deacon being called a servant doesn't mean elders are exempt from service; elders generally come from among good servants. Peter speaks of elders serving as overseers. Acts 6 and 7 give us a beautiful picture: seven men appointed to a specific ministry need in the early church.

Qualified Servants Have Evident Qualifications

These qualifications are not recommendations; they are absolutes. When you identify people who will occupy a place of service in the church—whatever that service may be—their lives must fit these requirements. This is the second point: qualified servants have evident qualifications.

If you've ever hired people, you know most jobs require academic or experience qualifications. But this passage has nothing to do with education or prior on-the-job experience. Even if you served ten years at another church, that doesn't mean you have prior work experience here; there's a certain kind of testing we look for. No one perfectly fulfills every qualification listed, but those who would serve Christ should be developing these things. The list isn't exhaustive—it cherry-picks key traits.

Reverent. When I started in ministry and was given the title of pastor, it was uncomfortable when people called me "Reverend"—I usually knew at least that they didn't know me, and that they were coming from a church tradition that uses the title. But giving someone the title doesn't make them reverent. A person should be seen as reverent because they revere the Lord, living honorably before God—not because they are revered themselves.

Not double-tongued. This word appears only once in the New Testament, so it's harder to define, but most Bible teachers agree it means consistent—especially in speech. You've had this happen: someone tells you so-and-so is saying things about you, and when you go to that person, they deny it. That's an inconsistent, double-tongued person. The world calls the church full of hypocrites—people who are one way at church, another at work, another at home. The image of a forked tongue recalls the serpent, the devil. Fittingly, verse 11 says deacons are not to be slanderers—Greek diabolos, accuser. A deacon is consistent in life and speech, not a backbiter.

Not given to much wine. This is not a prohibition against alcohol, but against being consumed by it—drunkenness. The clear teaching is that if a person cannot drink in moderation, they should not drink at all. If you have a history of alcoholism, stay as far away as you can. Those who lead in the church are not to be known for how well they hold their alcohol—which, strangely, is something our culture celebrates.

Not greedy for money. Ministry is not a place for wealth-seeking and treasure-hunting. Though churches operate in what our society calls the nonprofit sector, there have been notable cases over the last fifty years of people who clearly were wealth-seekers. When a minister says God told him you need to provide a new private jet, there might be a problem. We'll return to this in 1 Timothy 6, where Paul writes that "godliness with contentment is great gain," and that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil," from which some have strayed and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. One commentator says this means those who can adhere to proper doctrine out of sincere conviction. This is exactly why Paul left Timothy in Ephesus—the church was off course doctrinally. Those appointed to serve must be seeking to live their lives in accordance with the Bible.

Servants Are Appointed After Being Tested

But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. (1 Timothy 3:10)

In the original it literally says, let them be tested and then let them "deacon." Don't let them serve until they're tested. This is the third point: servants are appointed to serve after having been tested. Anyone may and should serve the Lord, but appointment to office comes after testing.

Why? Because Jesus warned, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Paul said the same to the very leaders of this church about ten years earlier: "After my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:29).

Many of you came to this church because you left one where there was division and a split. Nine times out of ten—if not ten out of ten—when there's destruction in a church, it's because people were allowed into leadership and service who were inwardly ravenous wolves, and they weren't tested. Someone came saying, "I served ten years at the church down the street," and was brought right in because we needed help. Then the wolves bring destruction.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruit

So what does testing look like? Not a 42-question personality survey. Jesus tells us: "You will know them by their fruits... every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit" (Matthew 7:16-20). He's speaking in metaphor. What fruit?

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

This isn't exhaustive, but it's the fruit that should be evident. We need to spend time with people over a period of time, in more than one setting, because people can be duplicitous—one way for seventy-five minutes on Sunday and another way the rest of the week.

In nearly nineteen years of full-time ministry, I've found certain key values come to the surface in someone who would make a good servant: growing maturity in their faith; availability—they're there when needed; dependability and reliability—when you ask them to do something, it's taken care of; responsibility—the kind of person you'd give a key to your house without feeling strange; and accountability—they place themselves under the authority structures of the church.

You'll notice ability is not on that list, because many who step into serving don't yet have the proper abilities—but abilities can be taught and trained. Maturity cannot be faked. Dozens of people have told me, "I want to do what you do." I say, "Show up next Sunday at 7 a.m. and shadow Pastor Mark or Pastor Jason." Children's ministry does the same. Very quickly you find out who is available and dependable. Over nineteen years, of the dozens who said those things, maybe a half dozen proved dependable and were appointed to ministry.

Men and Women Serve as Equals

Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. (1 Timothy 3:11)

This verse challenges translators, because the Greek word translated "wives" is the same word that can mean "women." The New International Version reads, "In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect." Is Paul saying deacons must be men whose wives meet this standard, or is he addressing women who are deacons? I believe he's addressing women who serve as deacons.

Why? First, if Paul were addressing the wives of deacons, why didn't he say the same about the wives of elders? Second, just as Peter tells us a godly woman can influence the church while having an unbelieving husband, so a godly man can lead while having an unbelieving wife. A believing spouse is not a requirement—many of you came to faith and began serving before your spouse did.

Paul speaks of a woman deacon by name: "Phoebe... a servant of the church in Cenchrea" (Romans 16:1). So the fourth point: men and women serve as equals in the church of God. I still hold, as taught in the previous messages, that the office of overseeing elder is one God has ordered men to occupy. But every other area of service is open to men and women who fit the qualifications.

For the women who serve: reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful. "Not slanderers" connects to diabolos—the New American Standard says "not malicious gossips." Why does Paul address this specifically to women? I'll throw it out there: I believe this is an area where the enemy seeks to attack women, and they are vulnerable to it. A godly woman who serves must guard against it—spending time gossiping, passing on malicious reports designed to injure reputations. "Temperate" means not given to extremes, not having wide swings of mood. "Faithful in all things" means dependable, loyal, worthy of confidence, able to keep personal confidences.

One-Woman Men Who Govern Their Homes

Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. (1 Timothy 3:12)

Paul returns to the male deacons. As with elders, married male deacons are to be one-woman men. Why doesn't he say this to the women? Because this is an area the enemy especially attacks men—they are to be uninterested in affairs outside the marriage, whether physical, emotional, or pornographic, or they will be disqualified. I know a number of pastors in the last ten years, friends of mine, removed from ministry over this very issue.

Male deacons are also to govern their homes with the same godly effort and zeal they give to the church. The passion they pour into service outside the home should match the passion inside the home.

Servants Who Serve Well Are Honored

For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 3:13)

The New Living Translation says those who do well as deacons will be rewarded. This is the fifth point: servants who serve well are honored by God and His Church.

These things I write to you... that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:14-15)

Paul's aim—personally and pastorally—is that both he and we will hear God say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." So the simple application is a question: Are you serving? Have you plugged in? Are you available, willing to be responsible, dependable, accountable? There are countless areas of service—ushers, greeters, hospitality, children's ministry, worship team, tech, video on Sundays, and much more throughout the week.

If you are a Christian, God saved you for a purpose. He has given you gifts, talents, and abilities, and he equips you through the teaching of Scripture for the work of the ministry, so that one day you will hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." That may be the best word we will ever hear from the Lord.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank you for your word. It is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, and in this passage we see ourselves in its mirror and realize there are areas of our lives not where we would desire them to be. But God, we thank you that we can be confident that you who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Stir our hearts to be open to the working of your Spirit, and open our ears to your call as you desire us to step into places of service and bring you glory through the gifts you've given us. Pour out your Spirit upon your church and bless your church, that we would one day hear you say, "Well done, good and faithful servants." We praise you and thank you in Jesus' name, and all those agreed said, Amen.