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Deacon and Elder at the same time?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by convicted1, Jul 10, 2007.

  1. convicted1

    convicted1 Guest

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    I was wondering if anyone thinks someone can be an Elder and Deacon at the same time. I used to go to an Old Line United Baptist Association that had a member who was once a Deacon, that they ordained as an Elder after he was set aside for a year. But he is now an Elder only. But can someone be both concurrently( if this is even a word)? The Old Line UB association was Tri-State Zion association of United Baptists....and this is the only time I have ever heard about this happening. I go to the Old Regular Baptists now, and I don't think they have ever done this. I am sure that Brother Bob would know if this ever happened. What do y'all think?

    PS One of the Elders in that association didn't like them doing it, either.
     
  2. Brother Bob

    Brother Bob New Member

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    Yes, it has happened a few times in Old Regulars. As a matter of fact, Dix Fork has one now.
     
  3. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    Some Baptist churches consider deacons to be elders.

    From the Shaftsbury Baptist Association, 1804 Circular Letter:
    "It appears to us that Bishops, or teaching Elders and Deacons, are the only standing officers to be ordained in the Church. These are both called Elders, 1 Timothy 5:17. . . .By these Elders, we understand Bishops and Deacons; and we have not learned from the scriptures, but that these two are the only officers to be ordained in the Christian Church."

    Greg Wills, in "The Church: Baptists and Their Churches in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries" reports that:
    "Most churches agreed with Georgia’s Powelton Baptist Church, whose members concluded in 1811 that lay elders were "unnecessary and not sufficiently warranted in scripture." Many of these held that the pastor and deacons jointly constituted the eldership. South Carolina’s Tyger River Baptist Association, for example, judged in 1835 that "the eldership of the church" consisted of "the ministers and deacons."
     
  4. convicted1

    convicted1 Guest

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    RE: Can someone be a Deacon and Elder at the same time?

    In the Old Regular Baptist, Elders and Deacons are both ordained by a presbytery(sp?), but I don't think that they will allow someone to be both. Deacons are used as someone who will take up service if no preachers are there, they take care of the communion, wives bake the bread, and the Deacons serve the male members, while the wives serve the women. I also think that they are supposed to be one the most knowledgeabl( if not most knowledgeable) member of their church. If someone preaches a false doctrine, they are supposed to show them with scripture, where they are wrong. I think this is how they do it....but Brother Bob is far more superior than I, on this subject
     
  5. webdog

    webdog Active Member
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    They should be separate, as the deacon is supposed to do the things that allow the elders to devote themselves to prayer and serving the spiritual needs of the church.
     
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