At last year’s church business meeting, a motion was made to study the biblical teaching about women serving as deacons. Romans 16:1-2, where Phoebe is referred to as a "deacon of the church," was noted as a key text.
After discussion, a committee was formed to examine this topic and review our guiding documents. This report presents the committee’s findings and insights on this question:
Dear Church family,
Over the last several months a group of us have carefully examined what the Bible teaches about the qualifications and election of deacons. We were tasked to look at God’s word to determine if women were included in this amazing group of servants that served the first church and brought the gospel to us today. Over the last year, many in our congregation have raised this same question as well as asking, should Hilldale elect and ordain women as deacons? This report lays out what took place in our meetings and how we have addressed this issue.
We walked through scriptures taken from Phil. 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8-15, Acts 6:1-7, and Romans 16:1, on our own, as well as a group. We realize that there can be different interpretations for some of these passages. Our recommendation is not meant to sway one group’s thoughts and opinions over another. It is meant to encourage each of us to carefully study and pray about how we view these passages for ourselves. To not take, at face value, the opinion of someone else, or to even just fall back on what you learned from a teacher or pastor but to carefully seek the Lord’s face and take the opportunity to study what His words and the words of these passages have given us. Let us love one another and grow stronger because of the time we have spent with the Lord.
This is an important issue for our church and should not be decided based on our own opinion or tradition. Anything we decide should be grounded firmly in God’s Word.
The committee was asked to look at three different options for the church to consider:
- Female deacons are scriptural, and the church should move to action.
- Female deacons are scriptural, but the team recommends no action.
- Female deacons are not scriptural, and no action is needed.
We unanimously agreed to follow recommendation number two. According to Scripture, it is the consensus of the committee that there is biblical justification for the office of deacon to be open to both men and women. However, it is the culture of Hilldale to ordain a group of men each year to carry out the tasks of serving our ministers and the body of believers who call Hilldale our home. Based on our recommendation, no constitutional change is needed.
1 Corinthians 6:12 says, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable”. Currently, we feel that the ministers, deacons and congregation are following God’s will for Hilldale by continuing to ordain a male deacon body.
Angela Belcher
David Johnson
Ernie Rice
Janet Corley
Jeff Williams
Jimmy Russell
Laughrie Tucker
Wade Robinson (Advisor)
Chris Crowley (Advisor)
Larry Robertson (Advisor)
