Next week we will ordain one new gentleman to the office of deacon. The service, and time afterward, will be filled with an air of celebration for what the Lord is doing in our church.

While Ordination Sunday is significant in the life of our church, the work of the church doesn’t stop after the ordination service. There are still things the church should do to make sure their deacons are successful in fulfilling their role.

Here are three practices to employ that help your deacons fulfill their role:

(1) Pray for Them

I know you have heard the phrase: “prayer changes things." While that is an extra-biblical slogan, it is true. Prayer does change things. We have witnessed this time and time again in the life of our church. We have come to see that prayer does change things, and it is powerful.

Since prayer is powerful, we should consistently pray for the deacons serving in our churches. We should pray for them to increase in wisdom, guidance, patience, compassion, and love. As well as we should pray for their strength and endurance, as they serve the church and the mission of God.

Might I make a suggestion on how to pray? Divide your deacons up so that you are praying for one each day of the week. So for instance we have five deacons, which means the church should pray for one deacon on Monday, another on Tuesday, another on Wednesday, and so on.

I am convinced if we commit to regularly praying for your deacons, we're inviting God to do a mighty work in your church.

(2) Encourage Them

Speaking from experience, one word of encouragement can really spur someone to keep pressing on, to keep fighting the good fight, to keep battling in the trenches of ministry.

If we want our deacons to be all they can be, to serve our church, and Christ’s mission well, we should not only pray for them, but we should also encourage them in their work. Tell them how they are making a difference in our life, the life of our church, and the life of our community.

I am not saying you need to toot their horn, or even make a big announcement, just a simple thanks every now and again. Doing so is all it takes to refuel them for the difficult task at hand, which is something they will need often because ministry and serving others is hard work.

(3) Serve Alongside Them

Yes, deacons are called to serve, but they aren’t call to serve alone. Think about the first deacons in the Jerusalem church. There were seven, but there were also over five thousand members.  There is no way seven men served all five thousand members of that first church. They certainly had others helping and serving alongside them. 

Those are several ways the church can help our deacons fulfill their role. I encourage and challenge you to do each and every one of them. To pray for, encourage, and serve alongside your deacons. 

If you do those three things, I know they will have a successful ministry in our church, and our church will have a successful ministry to our people and the community.

Keep our Deacons in your daily prayers!