Job Description

By the grace of God, deacons, as volunteer church officers, glorify the Lord and serve His church by modeling the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ into the daily activities of life as husbands, fathers, and brothers in Christ. They perform various tasks and participate in ministries designed to care for and unify the people of God and also care for the facilities of the church for the purpose of freeing the pastoral staff to focus on prayer, the ministry of the Word of God, and the spreading of the gospel (Acts 6:1-6; Phi 1:1; 1Ti 3:8-13). They are committed to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-31) and the Great Commission (Mat 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-15).

Typically, the deacons meet monthly/semi-monthly with one of the pastors to review various ministries of the church.

The deacons of Berean must meet all the biblical qualifications as outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and subscribe to the church covenant and to each of the Articles of Faith. Berean uses a questionnaire to begin the interview and application process (see below) to become a deacon; church members are encouraged to review the questionnaire to gain a better understanding of the expectations of a deacon at Berean.

Duties and Responsibilities

Pray for the pastoral staff, the sick and unconverted daily
Actively promote and support the church and its ministries
Consistently attend and participate in a Sunday school class
Assist in preparing and serving the Lord’s Supper
Serve as an usher when needed
Attend monthly deacon prayer meetings at 5 pm on the second Sunday of each month (unless out of town or ill)
Share the gospel with friends, workers, neighbors and others
Assist in locking up the building after services on a rotational basis
Assist in visiting shut-ins or members in the hospital as needed
Attend deacon meetings and beneficial training unless providentially hindered
Actively participate in the men’s ministry
Assist in church discipline cases as outlined in the church constitution as needed
Willingly and joyfully give no less than 10% of your gross combined household income to the church in a verifiable way
Provide feedback and advice to the pastor on projects, staffing, direction and the vision of the church and all its ministries
Go out of your way to assist in greeting and welcoming guests and visitors to the church
Oversee the distribution of the benevolence fund and execute the distribution of food baskets to church members during Thanksgiving and Christmas

How Deacons Are Chosen

The purpose of the following paragraphs is to explain the mechanics of how men come to serve as deacons at Berean Baptist Church. (Many churches do it differently.) Once or twice a year, a request is made to the congregation to nominate men to serve as deacons. Candidates must be men who have already shown they have a servant’s heart and meet the biblical qualifications of a deacon (1Ti 3:8-13). These names are submitted on a note during the offering or turned in to one of the current deacons. The names are collected by the deacons, and the pastors review the list. In those cases where a candidate has previously communicated a disqualifier to a pastor, he is not sent an invitation. All other candidates are mailed an invitation to download a deacon questionnaire from this webpage and return it by a specific date.

Once the candidate returns his questionnaire to a pastor or deacon, it is first reviewed by the pastors and then the deacon board. If the deacons and pastors are supportive of the recommendations from the congregation, the candidates’ names are presented for a vote on a secret ballot. (If there is an issue with a candidate, the pastors and deacons will collectively discuss the issue and come to an agreement on the best course of action on a case-by-case basis.) Normally, the church will be notified of who is being presented for a vote about two weeks before the members’ meeting in which the vote will take place. Members may vote “Yes” or “No” on as many or as few candidates as they choose. After the church votes, the deacons collect the ballots and tally the results. Candidates must receive an affirmative vote from the majority of the ballots that are turned in from the members at the members meeting (i.e. if 100 ballots are collected by the deacons, a candidate must receive 51 “Yes” votes to be approved). The chairman of the deacons will oversee the tallying of the results. The church clerk is responsible for ensuring the results of the vote are recorded in the minutes for the members’ meeting. The chairman of deacons or church clerk will notify the church of the results of the vote by percentage at the members’ meeting.

A deacon’s term of service is three years. After a year of Sabbath, former deacons may be nominated again for a subsequent 3-year term of service. The BBC Constitution does not limit the number of men who can serve as deacons. Every effort is made to allow an opportunity for all who have the desire to serve and meet the qualifications to serve the body of Christ. Candidates who have not been ordained as a deacon by the church will be ordained on a subsequent Sunday night service. The board of deacons nominates and approves its own leaders annually.

Interested In Becoming A Deacon?

OUR CURRENT DEACONS:

Travis Banker

Travis has served in the United States Air Force since 2011. He married Tabitha in 2004 and they have five children. Their family began attending Berean in 2020. Travis and Tabitha both serve in the nursery and teach children’s Sunday School. Travis is also one of our camera operators.

William Chavis

William served in the United States Marines for 5 years and currently works for H&H Lawncare. He and Kayla were married in 2009 and they have three children. Their family first attended Berean in 2013 before moving to Florida. They returned to Berean in 2020. William and Kayla are both active in our AWANA ministry and Kayla serves on our ladies’ ministry team and in the nursery.

Grayson Frank

Grayson completed 4 years of ROTC at Texas A&M and went active Army in 2013. He met Jackie at Berean in 2017 and they coined the term “pew buddies’. They were married in 2019. They both serve in our AWANA ministry as T&T leaders. Grayson also served as the Young Adults Sunday School teacher before his deployment overseas.

Josh Garcia

Josh has served in the United States Army since 2003 and will be retiring this summer. He and Evangelina were married in 2007 and they have two daughters. Their family first attended Berean in 2014. They moved to Germany in 2016 and returned to Berean in 2021. Josh serves as a Power Hour teacher and co-teaches a Wednesday night study. He and Evangelina serve together in the nursery and as greeters.

Sean Gordon

Sean has worked for State Farm since 2020. He married Samantha in 2017 and they have four children. They began attending Berean in July 2020. On Sunday mornings you can spot them in the choir loft. On Wednesday nights they serve in our CrossFire Youth Group.

Jeffrey King

Jeff serves as the co-leader of the Carolina Christians Sunday School class, sings in the choir, teaches children in AWANA, and is a member of the security team. Natanya sings in the choir, works in the nursery, and serves in AWANA and in the greeter ministry.

Marcus Lewis

Marcus and Autumn serve in the AWANA Ministry as the Directors of Truth and Training (T&T), while their daughter Jenna also serves in AWANA as an assistant leader in Cubbies. Marcus, Autumn and Jenna also serve together in the nursery ministry.

Jim Silcox

Jim serves as a doctor in the United States Army. He married Bonnie in 2005 and they have five children. Their family began attending Berean through the AWANA ministry in 2016. Jim has previously served as an AWANA leader and Bonnie serves on the ladies’ ministry team.

Michael Wood

Michael has served as an active-duty JAG officer since 2010. He and Caitlin were married in 2008 and they have five children. Their family began attending Berean in 2021. They both serve as AWANA leaders.