Should a church change the title from "deacon" to "coordinator"?
I have been both a teacher and an elder in an elder-ruled church for nearly 25 years. We have given a fair bit of thought to the role of elders and deacons over the years. If you have not already done so, you may wish to look at these articles on the Biblical Studies Foundation Website:
It answer to your question, it seems fairly clear in the New Testament that leadership in the church is by elders and deacons. It is my judgment that the elders are the decision making/policy setting board, and that the deacons are facilitators, who assist the elders in whatever way the elders determine. It would seem that elders have different levels of ability and function, as is suggested by 1 Timothy 5:17-18. As I understand this text, some elders may devote much of their energies to teaching, but that all elders take part in the leadership/decision making process.
If the name change from "deacon" to "coordinator" is simply an effort to clarify the function of deacons, as opposed to elders, I would not get too distressed about that, but I don'tbknow why it would not be best to stay with a biblical title, and to explain the function in some other way, for example by a published job description.
A fellow by the name of Alex Strauch has written books on eldering and deaconing, which you might find helpful as well: Biblical Eldership and Minister of Mercy: The New Testament Deacons. Both are published by Lewis and Roth Publishers: www.lewisandroth.com
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