Our church recently adopted a constitutional change permitting women to serve as deacons (and that is what they will be called). For centuries, Christian writers have studied this topic. Good men have come to different understandings. This author falls far short of the abilities of those who have already addressed the subject. All I want to do in this brief article is to present a part of my argument as to why women should NOT serve as deacons. I will not go into great depths but focus only on the 1 Timothy 3 passage. When I conclude that discussion, I have some thoughts on what should be done if a church decides to have women deacons.
1 Timothy 3:8-13
First, the Romans 16:1 verse referring to Phoebe as a "deacon" (or "servant") of the church at Cenchreae is far too ambiguous. In light of 1 Timothy 2, I find it difficult to believe Paul saw Phoebe as an official of a local church. There is a brief study claiming that when the phrase "of the church" follows a title (e.g., deacon) that the office referred to is an official office in the church. My personal examination of these verses in the New Testament (and there aren't many) doesn't prove anything conclusive to me.
Therefore, the only other text in the New Testament which may support women deacons is in 1 Timothy 3. Here is the verses as translated in the English Standard Version:
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.
Those who support women deacons argue that verses 8-10 present the qualifications for male deacons, verse 11 are the qualifications for female deacons, and verses 12-13 combine male and female deacons. Let's discuss the original Greek behind some of the words in this text.
"Deacons" (vv. 8, 10, 12, 13) - the noun used in 8 and 12 is diakonos, meaning servant or deacon, context must decide. Verses 10 and 13 use the verb diakoneo meaning to wait upon or to serve. The words are from the same root. The ESV has translated the verb as "serve as deacons". So, same word. In form, the word is masculine. However, there is no feminine form so the same word is used when referring to the service of a female.
"wife, wives" (vv. 11, 12) - In both cases, the word is gune, a feminine word meaning woman or wife, context must decide. This is the most common word for woman or wife in the New Testament.
Based on this analysis, contextually "wives" in verse 11 could be "women" and, therefore, describing the qualifications of a female deacon. However, assuming that to be true, then verse 12 which is claimed to be referring to all deacons (male and female) presents a problem.
"Let deacons each be the husband of one wife."
Literally, the final clause can be rendered "one woman man". Per Scripture, there is no way a woman deacon can be the "husband" of one wife. Such behavior would be homosexual and, therefore, condemned by God.
Hence, I do not believe verse 11 is referring to women deacons but to the wives of deacons. If Paul was really introducing a new/different office in verse 11, why not begin it with the female rendering of deacon? Of course, the masculine and feminine forms are the same. But all Paul needed to do was write "tas diakonous" and the verse becomes "The female deacons likewise". That would have made the passage quite clear.
Based on these two straightforward look at the text and the addition of a little reasoning, verse 11 does not introduce women deacons but merely tells the church to make certain the wife of the deacon is a good woman. I believe this understanding makes more sense in the context: vv. 8-10 are deacon qualifications, v. 11 are their wives qualifications, vv. 12-13 conclude the section on deacons.
Some have argued back at me that, if this is the case, why didn't Paul say something about the wives of the elders. I do not know and will not speculate. God has His reasons.
With certainty I can conclude that Phoebe was a wonderful servant of her local church but was not serving as a deaconess.
"Deaconess"
As I noted at the beginning, my church has already adopted women deacons. While I oppose the direction and pray we may, one day, discard that change, I want to share a few thoughts about having female deacons.
1. In my analysis above, the only way to have a female deacon who does hot have a "wife" would be for that woman to be single or widowed. This would align better with Titus 2.
2. Even in a church "ruled" by elders, deacons are in a position of authority. They hold an office in the local church. They engage in specific tasks not given to every member (e.g., serving the supper). Many churches have deacons teaching classes and, as a teacher, they have authority. To avoid conflicts with Paul in 1 Timothy 2, the responsibilities for a woman deacon need to be defined long before one is chosen. Those responsibilities can not be the same as they are for male deacons because a woman executing such responsibilities would be exercising authority over men (another argument for not having women deacons).
3. Deacons have their own meetings as well as meetings with the elders. A woman in such meetings may feel "out of place" with all the men around. I'm not arguing this from Scripture, merely from personal experience. Again, if you want women deacons, decide how you will handle such meetings before you choose one.
May our Lord Jesus Christ receive all the glory!
