Deacons Agents of Change

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Deacons: Agents of Change

Acts 6:8-15

Do you like change? You probably heard about the man from the mountains of Tennessee who found himself in a large city for the first time, standing outside the door of an elevator. He watched with interest as an old, haggard woman hobbled on the elevator, and the door closed. Just a couple of minutes later the doors of the elevator opened and out stepped a young, attractive woman . The father turned to his youngest son and said, “Hey, Billie, go get your ma!”

Change for some people is a dirty word. For others, change is an exciting possibility.

Edwin McManus writes in his book Seizing the Divine Moment (pp. 161-162), of “adopter catergorizations.” This, according to McManus is a sociological phenomenon that describes how people respond to change.

According to “adopter categorizations,” fifty percent of the population lean forward and fifty percent of the population lean backward. More specifically,

·         2 percent are called innovators

·         13 percent are early adopters

·         34 percent are described as early majority

·         34 percent are described as late majority

·         13 percent are late adopters

·         2 percent are described as laggards

McManus concludes, “In other words, 15 percent of us are on the ball of our feet ready to move forward and about 15 percent of us are on the backs of our heels digging them in.”

Are you on the balls of your feet, or are your heels dug in? It would be an interesting exercise for each of us to discover which of those 15 percent groups we belong to.

We’re been focusing on deacons and their ministry over the past few weeks. A new slate of deacons will be elected soon. This morning our focus is on deacons as agents of change. Yet, who has ever heard of deacons being agents of change? Aren’t deacons more adept at being agents of the “status quo?”

We’re going to highlight the ministry of Stephen, one of the very first deacons. Stephen’s ministry as a deacon brought revolutionary change to the world, and to the church. He was an agent of change.

Our church needs deacons who are agents of change if we are to fulfill our mission statement: Reaching our changing world for Christ.  We’re not likely to reach a world that’s constantly changing if we’re in a rut.

Acts, chapter 6, tells us about those first seven deacons who were chosen by the church to “serve tables.” Whether they liked it or not, they were thrust into change. Those Jews in the church who were Greeks complained that they were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, while the Jews from Jerusalem were not. Right off the bat these Spirit-filled deacons had to serve people who weren’t happy with the current state of affairs. The text doesn’t reveal it, but Greek Jews didn’t think, talk, or even act exactly like the Jews from Jerusalem. Yet these deacons met the situation head on and ministered to those in need in the name of the LORD Jesus.

Those who serve as deacons in today’s church must make friends with change. What does that require? Let’s talk about it.

Deacons who are agents of change understand change. They not only understand that change is inevitable, but they also understand the types of change that are all around them.

Structural. There’s changes in structure. I think we all understand what kind of change this is. Our structure changed when we built the new Family Life Center. Our structure changes when we called Josh to be our youth minister. As we offer new discipleship classes at different times during the week, and even on Sundays, that’s structural change. And, as systems theory teaches, when one part of the system, or structure, is changed, it requires that something else change to accommodate it.

Change is a sign of a healthy church. The pastor and deacons play a vital role in monitoring and promoting the change that’s necessary for us to reach our changing world for Christ.

Technological. Next, there’s technological change. I guess the use of computers and the internet, digital cameras and phones top the list of technological changes that have influenced the church in the past two decades.

There was a time when churches fought and even split over technological changes. Believe it or not, indoor restrooms were one such touchy issue in years past. Also, the use of kitchens in the church was another resisted change. But can we even imagine a church without a kitchen today.

ILLUS. Buying a new electric typewriter at Burgaw Baptist Church. The preacher’s trying to spend too much money.

Computers are used in the great majority of churches today, and I for one am glad. They help us do ministry in ways some of us haven’t even learned yet. (By the way, if you have internet access, a complete text of the Sunday morning services can be found on our church web site. Just yesterday a friend asked me if my sermons were available on the web, and I proudly told him yes.

Behavioral. Then there are behavioral changes. Any time change takes place, we tend to change along with the times. For instance, have you noticed the changes in how we dress for church as compared to ten years ago? What about churches? More and more “churches without walls” are popping up everywhere in an attempt to reach those who are completely turned off by “institutional religion.” What are some other behavioral changes you have noticed?

Values. Finally, there’s changes in values. Some churches have become bastions of rules and regulations, dos and don’ts. Other churches think you must worship at 11:00 a.m. because we have to have time to get the cows milked and the chickens fed! Some of us have forgotten where our neckties are, and can’t imagine wearing one. But they still require the pastor to wear one in the pulpit.

ILLUS. Donnie Christian’s experience at Moffet Memorial Church.

Understanding change is imperative for deacons, as it is for us all. If deacons are to lead out in it, they must understand it.

Deacons who are agents of change understand its effects. As we’ve said, change doesn’t happen without its effects. How we handle change affects whether the change benefits the church or doesn’t.

8-15

We see, hear about, and experience change every day. But what does scripture have to say about change? The story of Stephen tells us that, as a deacon, the reality of Jesus Christ, and His presence in the Spirit in Stephen, forced change in Jewish society that Jews couldn’t bear. Stephen stood in the center of freedom in Christ. The Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria, as well as those from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia, who belonged to what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, which most likely was attended by God-fearers who were Gentiles but worshiped the God of the Jews, began to argue with Stephen. Yet they were unable to stand against his wisdom or the power of the Holy Spirit with which he spoke. So, not being able to debate him down, they do what many do when they face what they consider to be a foe, they proceeded to defeat him by force. They dug in their heels, brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin, which was the ruing body, the Supreme Court of Israel, if you will, and told lies about him. “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For wqe have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

There it is. Change. Stephen had to decide if he would honor his LORD even if it caused change that moved people to violence. Chapter seven (7) describes in full detail what they did to Stephen. But note that the text tells us that “the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

There are certain effects which deacons, and all of us, must be aware of if we’re to weather change safely.

Change threatens security. Until Jesus came along, the Jews were secure in their faith in the law of Moses. We all find security in rules and regulations, because they offer us what is predictable and known. But the gospel of Jesus, which proclaimed Jesus as the Savior of the world, which Jews needed for salvation, was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Change threatens tradition. Notice again what the Jews said in verse 14. “….this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” Their traditions had become holy with the passage of time.

People fear losing what is and what can be counted on. Changing the known and trying the unknown often becomes more than some people can handle. Yet we wouldn’t have airplanes and automobiles if someone wouldn’t have been willing to try something new.

Change threatens loss of control. People resist change when it represents a loss of control over their lives and environment. As more and more people began to respond to Stephen’s ministry in the Word, and came to Christ Jesus as LORD, the Jews could take it no longer. If they couldn’t control the Christian’s religion one way, they would control it another.

How many times we’ve seen this happen to church where the community changes and all of those new people start moving in. And their ideas!

Change breeds fear of the unknown. I think enough has been said of this that we need not delve into it any farther,

Not all resistance to change is bad. Conflict over change may be due to a lack of communication. People may not understand the purpose of it. Still, change can help us clarify our purposes and often help us develop better plans. That’s how I see our mission statement. We’ve yet to experience the full implications of that statement.

Deacons must possess certain qualities if they’re to help a church navigate the waters of change.

 

Deacons who are agents of change possess certain qualities.

Commitment. Notice in verse 13 that the Jews accused Stephen of never stopping. In other words, Stephen wouldn’t quit proclaiming Jesus and the freedom we have in Him.

Openness. Deacons, like all of God’s people, must be willing to change. The apostle Paul recognized that the Holy Spirit is constantly working in us to change us from one level of glory to another. And yet some Christians resist even that. Every Christian must desire to become what God wants him or her to be, even at a great cost.

Vision. The Scribes and Pharisees (the Sanhedrin) couldn’t see beyond their own ideas and ambitions. They certainly couldn’t see Jesus as LORD. But Stephen wasn’t like that. Jesus was fully in his focus. His face even shined with the glory of God.

Vision means the best is yet to be. Maurice Chavalier, who most of us perhaps remember, once said:

If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be claimed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.

Visioning on behalf of a good number of our members created our mission statement. What mountains do we have to cross to achieve it? Will you be one of the climbers?

Boldness. Dr. Luke says in Acts that Stephen was full of faith and power. That’s how it ought to be. that’s how it must be if Jesus is to be glorified in us and our church. Vision has to be defined, refined, and put into a workable form before successful change comes.

ILLUS. Eddie Hammett says that you never change your structures until you change your values. Vision grows out of values. What values must we change to reach our changing world for Christ?

ILLUS. Cable T.V. is filled with shows telling us how we can change our homes, our bodies, and our lifestyles in a few easy steps and for pennies on the dollar.

It would be nice if change came as easy as they make it look on television. However, it does not happen that way for us as individuals, or as a church. That is why we need deacons who understand change, who are not threatened by it, or who fear it, and who are willing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ into the change, in spite of the cost.

Pray for God to help our deacons to be agents of change, in spite of the cost. Pray for God to help our deacons be agents of change so that we can reach our changing world for Christ. 

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