Congregation chooses deacons

There is in Acts 6:1–15 the congregation choosing (the church in Jerusalem chooses) and the apostles set apart. It is not just the apostles saying, Okay, we want this list, and we are setting them apart and the congregation saying, Nobody asked us! But at the same time, it is not just the congregation saying, These are the ones that are going to do this work and the apostles having no say in the matter. It is: The congregation chooses and the apostles set apart.

As a side note, one of the beauties of Presbyterian government is that church leaders can never be imposed on you as a congregation. Remember that. It is something to keep in the back of your mind. If I leave here and you have to call a different pastor, your session cannot impose a pastor onto you. You have a right to choose your minister, just like you have the right to choose who would rule over you as ruling elders. And you also have the right to choose who will serve you as deacons. We see that in Acts 6:3: Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint… We see that the congregation has a right to say, This is who I want leading in service. So the congregation selects. They respond to the apostles’ plan with approval, and they select.¹

Nathan Eshelman