Author: MATT SMETHURST
Publisher: Crossway Books
ISBN: 978-1-4335-7162-6
Book Review
This instalment from the 9Marks series Building Healthy Churches is everything I’ve come to expect from these books. It’s readable and engaging, practical and thoughtful. It does what it says on the tin: help you to build a healthy church.
Books on deacons often focus on the qualifications for office, and rightly so. This one does that, picking up on the common errors churches fall into when assessing and appointing deacons. But where it shines is in the high view it holds of deacons. They aren’t general dogsbodies, or whoever happens to be most handy with a screwdriver: their work is vital and spiritual.
Deacons are shock absorbers, dealing sensitively with issues that could cause division in churches. They’re problem-solvers, called to take the initiative to resolve sticky situations creatively and wisely. They’re the chief supporters of the elders, executing the vision of the church’s appointed shepherds. They’re called to an often unseen but eternally significant role.
Reading this publication made me thankful for the deacons God has given us in our church, and helped me think through how to assess and train potential new deacons.
So read this book if you’re an elder. Read it if you’re a deacon hoping to better understand your role. Read it if you’re a church member seeking to appoint deacons. In other words, if you’re a Christian, read this book. I’m sure it will do you and your church good.
Dave Cox
Nelson, South Wales
