*DEACON | FBC Portales

Deacon Training Handbook

Purpose of Proving Period

To build a deacon team of Biblically Minded, Spiritually Mature, Culturally Wise, and Missionally Focused men to oversee the health and growth of First Baptist Church.

Thanks so much for your desire to serve and lead as a deacon at First Baptist Church. We pray that these next six months will serve as a foundation for your leadership. The term “deacon” comes from the Greek word for servant, and while that is a key part of the deacon’s role, we want to be sure you understand the entirety of the position: Spiritual Leadership.

You’ve been nominated because this church has already seen a service heart in you, but deacon leadership entails more than “stacking chairs and passing out Lord’s Supper.” It demands wisdom in conflict resolution, maturity in vision casting and long-term planning for the church, and biblical prowess in living like Jesus and leading others to do likewise. You will practically get chances to serve over the next six months, but this study is about the other aspects of deacon leadership.

Overview

Throughout the next six months you’ll spend time watching videos and reading a few books (or at least excerpts from a few books). We’ll provide some time every other week to get together with other deacons and talk through the material, ask questions, and sharpen one another.

Please understand, that this is not a college course and you are not receiving a grade; however, in many ways, the health of FBC’s spiritual leadership will determine the health of the church. So, it is paramount we use this time to build a foundation for your ongoing years of service to this church and to God’s Kingdom.

PART 1: Biblically Minded

The Bible is the authoritative source by which we live. Meaning it trumps our tradition, sets our standard, and curates our culture, but in order for that to happen, we have to know our Bibles.

These first six weeks are all about getting a good grasp on the concept of the text understanding different genres, time periods, and the single story of Jesus that runs throughout.

We’ll be using The Bible Project videos for this. The Bible Project is headed by Dr. Tim Mackie who holds a PhD in Hebraic studies. They make artistically beautiful and theologically sound videos to discuss large-picture concepts of the Bible.