Diakonos
Our Church has a very special group of men, and in the past, women who have agreed to be our
deacons. διαχονος (diakonos) is the Greek word for deacon, literally translated it means “servant.”
Our deacons are imitators of Christ through their service to us. Different church traditions have
different functions for their deacons. Here at Zion Baptist our deacons are folks who feel called to
live out their faith by serving their church and community. They do this in many different ways using
their unique gifts and talents in helping others. The main goal of our deacons is to encourage our
church family in their spiritual growth and be available to minister to us in our times of need.
During the month of August, you will be asked to prayerfully nominate someone to serve as a
deacon. We all are called to be servants as we imitate Christ’s example. If the work of the church
was left up just to her pastor and staff, it would fall short. If the work was left up to the pastor, staff,
and deacons, the church would still fall short. Only through the service of all our church family will
we be able to imitate Christ and become the church God has called us to be–a church filled with
diakonos.
Deacon Nominations
In years past Zion Baptist has nominated and elected deacons on two specific Sundays. Usually
on the 1st or 2nd Sunday of August those in worship attendance would nominate five people who
they believe would be the best deacons for our church. Those nominations would then be contacted
and asked if they would be willing to serve as a deacon for the next three years. Once those individuals have agreed to serve, those names are listed on a bulletin insert and then on the 3rd or 4th
Sunday of August, and those in worship attendance would nominate five people from the list to serve
as deacons. In consideration that not all of our church family has returned to in-person worship,
the deacons have decided to modify this process to allow for everyone who wants to nominate and
elect deacons to have this opportunity.
Nomination
There will be two weeks for folks to nominate deacons. Nomination forms / bulletin inserts will be
available at church and during worship from Sunday, July 31st through Sunday, August 14th.
Nomination forms can either be placed in the offering plate during our worship services or dropped
in several nomination boxes . Folks may also come by the church office to fill out a nomination
form, or may choose to mail or email their nomination choices to the church. Next, all folks
nominated will be contacted to see if they are willing to serve as a deacon. Everyone who was
nominated and has prayerfully agreed to serve as a deacon will be listed on the deacon election
ballot. Those names will be presented to the church on August 21st.
Deacon elections will be on Sunday, August 28th. For those who will not be in-person on
Sunday the 28th, they can come by the church office the week prior to elect deacons, or may choose
to mail or email their election choices to the church. Also, our homebound can contact a deacon or
family member to have them bring an election form to include in this process. As we approach the
time for our deacon nomination and election process, please prayerfully consider who God is
placing on your heart to elect. Also, if you have never served as a deacon, but after prayer may be
feeling led to consider this role, feel free to contact any of our deacons or pastor for more
information about being a deacon servant leader.
