2. I DEACONS AND DEACONESSES by Vincent E. White
SERVING DURING
THE SERVICES OF
THE CHURCH
DEACONS AND DEACONESSES AS GREETERS AND USHERS
AcC0 rdI
·ng t? the b!blical qualifica-
tions required of deacons
and deaconesses, they are multi-talented people that are
responsible for multifaceted duties. The Seventh-day Ad-
ventist Church Manual lists the following duties for deacons
and deaconesses: (1) assistance at services and meetings,
(2) visitation of members, (3) preparation for baptismal ser-
vices, (4) assistance at the Communion service, (5) care of
the sick and aiding the poor and unfortunate, and (6) care
and maintenance of church property.
The instruction given that pertains to the duty of assis-
tance at services and meetings is, "Deacons are usually re-
sponsible for welcoming members and visitors as they enter
the church and for assisting them, where
necessary, to find seats. They coop-
erate with the pastor and elders for
smooth functioning of all meet-
ings.... In many churches,
deaconesses assist in greeting guests and members at
meetings .... "1 By assigning the duties of greeter and usher
to the deacons and deaconesses is particularly consistent
with one of the deaconesses' roles during the early centuries
of the Christian church. According to the Apostolic Constitu-
tion in Church Discipline, Doctrine, and Worship, "During
the first five Christian centuries, some of the help rendered
by the deaconesses was to assist the presbyter in the bap-
tism of women: greet the women parishioners, direct them
to their seats, and maintain order among them."
The Church Resources Consortium of the North Ameri-
can Division lists the following duties of ushers:
1. Greet worshippers, making every attempt to help them
feel welcome and at ease.
2. Escort members and guests to their seats.
3. Distribute materials related to the service/meeting
such as bulletins, hymnals,
handouts, etc.
3. 4. Receive certain offerings, delivering them properly to
the treasury department of the church.
5. Maintain an alertness for any emergency that may
arise, relieving the need or contacting the person(s) needed
to provide the proper assistance.
6. Direct individuals out of the service/meeting in an or-
derly fashion (in most instances row by row), leaving the
auditorium or room ready for the next service or meeting.
Newcomers' first experience with the church is through
its welcoming system. Therefore, greeting the worshippers
and helping them feel welcome and at ease should begin
in the church's parking lot. Deacons, serving as parking
lot attendants, are to insure that there is adequate parking
for visitors; assist those with disabilities, the elderly, single
parents with children, etc. Door greeters should engage the
worshippers in friendly conversation while directing them to
the greeters at the welcoming station. The usher at the sane-
tuarydoor welcomes and opens the door for them, and the
ushers inside the sanctuary escort them to their seat.'
In addition to these services, the deacons and deacon-
esses serving as ushers should view the members and visi-
tors who sit in the pews that they monitor as their parish.
They should get to know those individuals, call them during
the week to pray with them, call them when they are ab-
sent from church, send them cards on special occasions,
and offer assistance to those needing help caring for their
children. Seek God's guidance in developing this into small
group ministries where Bible studies and fellowship can be
conducted from house to house. This could also develop
into outreach ministries in"the various neighborhoods of the
church members and visitors, in preparation for a public
evangelistic meeting.
Although in some churches persons other than deacons
and deaconesses serve as greeters and ushers, "it is readily
apparent," says Robert E. Naylor, "that no one could serve
more efficiently as an usher [or greeter] than a deacon [or
deaconess]."4 II
1 Seventh-dayAdventist Church Manual, 2010, 71-73.
2 Maurice Riley, TheDeaconess: Walking in the Newness of Life, 2nd ed.
(Newark, NJ: e~ristian Associates Publications, 1993), 1.
3 Steven Norman, Quinton Fletcher, and Shakebra Johnson, Parking Lot
to Pew Ministry, see Ushers and Greeters Ministry Department.
4 Robert E. Naylor, The Baptist Deacon (Nashville: Broadman & Hol-
man, 1955), 84.
Vincent E. White, Sr., D.Min., is a retired pastor and author of
The Twenty-First Century Deacon and Deaconess: Reflecting the
Biblical Model; The Twenty-First Century Deacon and Deaconess:
Reflecting the Biblical Model Workbook; and Problem Solvers
and Soul Winners: A Handbook for Deacons and Deaconesses.
www.avasbookpublishers.com.
~ ~ r"''""t-., re, ,,~ , 1" ''''- - c<_ > ~,,-~ -~, ~ i' ' ,,~ -'7. £~
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ELDER'S DIGEST JULY I SEPTEMBER 2015 11
