Ordinations
On this Sunday night, we have the opportunity to ordain three men to the deacon ministry: Terry Lindsay, Clint Hopson, and Casey Gordon.
The office of deacon was established very quickly in the early church. There were deacons in the churches in Philippi (see Philippians 1.1) and Ephesus (see 1 Timothy 3.8-13). By the second century, church leaders like Justin Martyr and Tertullian were already writing about the role and responsibilities of the deacons. If we examine these writings, as well as the New Testament, we see that the role of the deacons was to serve the church by administrating the benevolence ministry, to serve the church by leading in worship, to serve the church through the teaching ministry of the church, and to serve the church as examples of the life of the redeemed.
Our church constitution describes the ministry of the deacons as “assisting the pastor in performing pastoral responsibilities.” To that end, the deacons are organized into four ministry teams: one team focuses on helping new members assimilate into our church, a second team focuses on contacting those who visit our church and other prospects, another team focuses on caring for those who are in the hospital or grieving the loss of a loved one, and another team focuses on ministering to those in our church who are homebound or in a nursing home.
An “ordination service” is a time where a local church recognizes and sets apart men called by God to serve the church as a deacon. Please join us as we hear our deacons tell their faith story, and as we lay hands on them and pray for God to use them in a powerful way in our fellowship