All Articles For The Election and Installation of Deacons

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. Under what circumstances might a deacon resign from office, or be removed from office, before his term is finished? The difference between resignation from office and removal from office should be clear to us all. In the instance of resignation, the deacon himself takes the initiative to be released from the honor and work of the office, and seeks the approval of the council. In the instance of removal from office, on the other hand, the consistory takes this initiative, having judged the deacon to be unworthy of...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. We have examined the principles of Scripture and our Church Order regarding the election and installation of deacons. Before leaving the subject, however, we should treat a few related issues. One issue regards how long deacons should serve in office. The second regards how long the deacon must be out of office before being nominated and installed into that office again. And the third regards the resignation or removal of the deacon from office. To the first two of these issues we now direct our attention. The basic...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. After the deacons have been nominated and elected to office, it is necessary and fitting that they be installed into office in a ceremony during the worship service. Our Church Order, on the basis of Scripture, requires such a ceremony. Article 22 says of elders and deacons: “that they may … be installed with public prayers and stipulations … agreeably to the form for this purpose.” According to Acts 6, the first deacons were installed in a church ceremony. The congregation, having chosen seven men to be deacons, placed...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. So you have received a letter from your council, informing you that they have nominated you to the office of deacon or elder. Perhaps the news came somewhat as a surprise, and you first had to get over the shock. Perhaps not. Either way, you must now face the question: should I accept the nomination, or not? Having already explained the roles both of congregation and of council in the election process, we now treat the calling of the man nominated for office. That is, we will do...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. In our last article on the subject of the election and installation of deacons, we developed the biblical and confessional principle that the members of the congregation, holding the office of all believers, must be involved in this process. In this article we explain in more detail the role of the council—the currently serving pastors, elders, and deacons of the congregation. We have noted that a basic principle of Scripture and the Church Order is that the council must supervise the calling and election process. Acts 6:3, Acts 14:23, and Titus...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. In our last article we noted three biblical principles that govern the election and installation of officebearers. First, the church as a whole, not only her rulers, ought to be involved in the selection process. Second, those who are in office must supervise the calling and installation process. Third, officebearers should be installed in a solemn ceremony in the presence of the church. In this article we will expand on the first principle, showing what role the congregation plays in the nomination and election of deacons. What this...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. We have answered the question of who may hold the office of deacon, by examining God’s requirements for deacons inActs 6 and I Timothy 3. The next question which needs answering is, how are such men to be chosen for and put into office? The practice which Reformed churches often follow in choosing deacons is that the council presents a nomination of several men to the congregation, from which the congregation elects half of those nominated. In this connection, we wonder: why this procedure? Are there other acceptable procedures? How...