I’m not certain some of our deacons are qualified to be deacons
Question:
Hello,
I'm a member of the church of Christ and have questions about the deacons where I serve. We have several deacons, and some of them have unknown situations to me.
The first, to my knowledge, married without having children of his own, but his wife had children she brought into the marriage. I think it was a teenager that he helped raise. I am not knowledgeable about the other children. It is stated that both had former spouses. I don't know the reason for the divorce.
The second deacon situation is that they both had previous spouses as well. I'm not familiar with the background information.
The third deacon had a previous spouse, stating that he had divorced her because she didn't want anything out of life. They also didn't have any children together. I assume he helped raise her kids. During his marriage with his second wife, his first wife passed away.
I did ask my minister, who is an elder, about these situations. He told me the first minister put the men in place. He sounded unsure of the background of the deacons. I assume he trusted that the first minister would put the right men in place. I keep hearing outsiders talk about the deacons having had previous marriages, but I know nothing about their divorces. I'm not sure if this is something I should leave to my elders or how it should be handled. No one else seems to look at this situation.
Thank you for reading my thoughts.
Answer:
When deacons are selected, the congregation suggests men who are qualified (Acts 6:2-5). These men are then appointed to the office by the congregation's leadership. I would generally assume that the congregation, in the past, did their duty in looking into each man's qualifications. If you think a mistake was made, you need to have more than thoughts based on a lack of information. Since you don't know the reasons for the divorces, I won't speculate. I will assume the congregation checked and decided that their marriages were legitimate.
The scriptures state, "Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households" (I Timothy 3:12). Nothing indicates that the children must be from their own bodies. Adopted children would meet the qualification just as well.
Paul warned that accusations against elders were not to be entertained unless there were at least two witnesses (meaning independent sources) (I Timothy 5:19). It would seem reasonable that similar requirements should be in place for the other offices in the church as well. I know you have concerns, but concerns are not evidence.
