Church Constitution
VI. Church Officers (Section 8. Deacons)
- There shall be nine (9) Deacons at Southside Baptist Church of Gaffney, Inc. On a Sunday in July a nominating election will be held with each member submitting a maximum of three (3) men by ballot voting. There shall be a minimum of three (3) with a maximum of six (6) qualified nominees from the election presented to the church. Two (2) weeks later, from this list, three (3) will be elected as deacons by a ballot vote.The deacon shall serve on a rotation basis. Each year the term of office of one-third of the number of deacons shall expire, the election shall be held to fill the vacancies. After serving a term of three years, no deacon shall be eligible for reelection until the lapse of at least one year.
- In accordance with the meaning of the work and the practice of the New Testament, deacons are to be servants of the church. The task of the deacon is to assist the pastor in performing pastoral responsibilities.
- The deacons shall elect their officers and shall be organized to assist the pastor, and for the consideration of problems related to their work.
- The electees shall be screened as to their worthiness in keeping with requirements of I Timothy 3:8 -13 and Acts 6, by the pastor and chairman of deacons, and written records will be checked. This screening shall include written records kept by the church such as Sunday School, Discipleship Training and tithing.
- The runner-up of the previous election shall be the fill-in in the case of an expired term, etc.
- A man shall be a member of this church for a period of one year by July, be at least 21 years of age, and can not be an ordained minister to be eligible for election of deacon.
Scripture Guidelines
1 Timothy 3:8-13
8 Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
11 In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.
13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Acts 6
1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.
9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)–Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen,
10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Qualities Needed By Caring Deacons
(from The Ministry Of Baptist Deacons by Robert Sheffield)
Deacons can provide much of the care that is needed by a congregation. The very word deacon points to service to persons in need.
- A caregiver knows Jesus Christ.
- A caregiver is sensitive. (Galatians 4:22-23)
- A caregiver is selfless.
- A caregiver is patient.
- A caregiver is alert.
- A caregiver gets involved.
- A caregiver is teachable.
- A caregiver grows spiritually.
Southside Baptist Church is involved in the Deacon Family Ministry Plan. Each deacon is assigned a group of church members that he is to be responsible for in ministering to their needs. With a rotational system, each deacon is also to assist in the morning worship services.