Chapter X: The Deaconship in the Free Church of Scotland

Having adverted to the office of deacon as it stands in Scripture, and the history of the Church of Christ, it may not be unsuitable to refer to its most remarkable revival in modern times. Of course I allude to the manifestation of it in the Free Church of Scotland during the last eighteen years. It is well-known that after being long in practical abeyance—though never extinct—the office was extensively revived at the disruption of the Established Church in 1843. The Free Church reorganised it, not so much for the relief of the congregational poor, though they have not been overlooked, as for the sake of taking charge of the temporal affairs of the Church as a whole. Called upon at once to collect large sums of money, and to dispense them in the erection of churches, schools, and manses, and in the regular support of the ministry, teachers, missions, both at home and abroad, it was indispensable that the services of a large body of comparatively young men should he enlisted for work so onerous and continued. Hence the institution of the deaconship, as distinguished from the eldership. While the elders, consisting of older men, continued to attend to the more strictly spiritual concerns of the church, the deacons found a large sphere for their activity, liberality, and persevering labour in providing for the temporal support of the church, and its varied undertakings. On the well known principle that the greater includes the less, all ministers and elders are deacons, but, in addition, a large number of deacons proper were elected; these together constitute the Deacons’ Court—a court which has been, and continues to be, in regular operation in every congregation of the Free Church. Probably the number of the deacons in the church, as distinguished from elders, amounts to five or six thousand. The place of the deacon in the Free Church is partially supplied in some non-established communions by what are denominated church or chapel managers, but the arrangement is greatly superior both on the ground of scripture authority and proved usefulness. Judging by past experience, both in this and other lands, there is no security that the church manager be a joined member of the church. He may not be a communicant at all. He may have little sympathy with the spiritual objects of the church, and have little to do in collecting the necessary funds. Cases have repeatedly occurred shewing that church and chapel managers become a sort of civil patrons, and often stand in an antagonistic position to the true office-bearers and members of the church. Happily, deacons’ courts do not belong to this class. Deacons must be church members; they are associated with the minister and elders in carrying on the business of the congregation and the church, being members of the same court, and amenable to the same superior authority. So far from being divided, they have the warmest interest in acting cordially with the other office-bearers. Some would have preferred that there had been no separate body bearing the name of deacons’ court,—that the only standing court had been the kirk-session,—and that the elders had simply associated deacons with them for assistance and advice in their own department, as they do, or may do, with Sabbath-school teachers in their appropriate office. But the work entrusted to deacons, especially at the outset of the Church in its new form, was too important to be overtaken in this way. The workmen needed to be invested with the responsibility of office, and to have the weight and authority of being constituent parts of a regular court. Nor has the Church, as a whole, had any reason to regret the more scriptural course which she followed.

It may be admitted that, in some cases, inconveniences have arisen from so large a body of men, many of them young and unused to office, being suddenly called to administer the temporal affairs of so important a body as the Free Church, and with so few rules to guide them. But, on the other hand, it must be acknowledged, with gratitude to the Great Head of the Church, that, taken as a whole, the deaconship of the Free Church have nobly fulfilled their duties,—that they have rendered the most varied and important services,—that numbers of them have grudged neither time nor money in carrying out the grand objects of the Christian Church,—in short, that the Free Church would not have occupied the position which she does occupy at the present time, unless she had been sustained by their diligent, unseen, unostentatious, but most valuable labours. It would not be easy to estimate the care and responsibility involved in the raising and distribution of an annual sum of from £330,000 to £350,000, not to speak of the realised property of the Church, so large and ever growing; and yet the experience of the Free Church, in the practical working of the deaconship, is enough to vindicate the wisdom of the apostolic appointment of the order of deacon, and encourage other bodies, standing in a similar position, to adopt and carry out the same organisation.

Any difficulties and inconveniences have been vastly counterbalanced by the advantages. The Free Church had a peculiarly favourable opportunity as well as call to her work; but other bodies would not fail to reap many advantages from a revival of the office. Nor has the extensive and continued demand by the Free Church upon the liberality of her office-bearers and people for objects directly ecclesiastical, unfitted or indisposed them for ministering as the Church of early days did to the Christian widows and their fatherless children; on the contrary, there is reason to think that the extensive Christian liberality of the Free Church has brought down a blessing upon the temporal means of many of her members, and that, in consequence of the exercise in giving, they are both more able and willing to meet the claims of ordinary want than they would otherwise have been.

It would be apart from the object of this little work, which is so far general in its nature, to detail the laws and forms of the office of deacon as practised in the Free Church—these are described in other publications at length; but for the sake of those to whom they are not accessible it may be proper to state a few leading points, and in the Appendices VI and VII to subjoin a few leading forms and documents. These may be useful in preserving from mistake, and in guiding the business of deacons’ courts.

Though the office of deacon in an Established Church is mainly occupied with the care of the poor, and this is natural—the support of the ministry being otherwise provided for—yet even as the office stands in the authoritative documents of the Church, it is not exclusively devoted to the poor. It embraces various important ecclesiastical objects. In The Harmony of Confessions, descriptive of the faith and practice of the Churches of the Reformation, at that great epoch in their history, we have seen that, besides the succour and relief of the poor, the use of the church goods in the hands of wise and intelligent men fearing God is “to maintain learning in schools and in holy assemblies, with all the services, rites, and buildings of the church, also teachers, scholars, and ministers,” and that the views of the Nonconformist Church of New England—a century later—entirely correspond. According to their platform,

the office and work of a deacon is to receive the offerings of the Church, and to keep the treasury of the Church, and therewith to serve the tables which the Church is to provide for, as the Lord’s table, the table of the ministry, and of such as are in necessity.

Nothing could more briefly or comprehensively describe the office of deacon as practised in the Free Church of Scotland at the present day; while there is express appointment in the act creating the deaconship to attend to the congregational poor, and to watch over the education of the children of the poor. At the same time, the chief management respects the gathering in of congregational contributions for the support of the fabric of the Church, the support of the ministry through the Sustentation Fund and otherwise, and also the support of missions, both home and foreign.

It may seem to be an inconsiderable thing to be mainly concerned in collecting and distributing money. Some may think it scarcely worthy of an officer of the Church of Christ. But it is to be considered that the Great Head of the Church, who could have sustained her in other ways, has been pleased, for wise reasons, to throw the support of the visible Church upon temporal resources; and that the raising of these temporal resources thus becomes an important religious duty. It is to be remembered, that the office of deacon for this purpose is not human but divine—that the money contributed becomes sacred—that the Christian liberality, where real, is the fruit and expression of divine grace. It should be remembered how honourable women ministered to the wants of the Saviour and His band of apostles in the days of His flesh. Surely there can be no derogation in doing now for the cause what was then done for the Master. Nor should it be forgotten how abundant is the recompense which He promises to the humblest service in His kingdom. Even the gift of a cup of cold water, if in the name of a disciple, out of regard to Himself, shall not pass without acknowledgment; how much less half a lifetime of humble, unseen, unostentatious, but diligent and faithful, services as a deacon in the Christian Church. Moreover, it should be remembered that the collecting and distribution of money, as deacon, brings Christian men into contact with important objects of moral and spiritual good, and furnishes them with excellent opportunities of usefulness to the minister and the missionary, to the young and to the poor, in short, to the cause of Christ generally. On particular occasions, in the absence of elders, deacons may be invited to discharge their duties. No one, then, can with reason think lightly of the office; and so far from shrinking from it, when asked to take a part in its duties, young men fearing God, and animated by religious principle, should rejoice to have a portion of their time secured for the direct service of Christ and His Church, by becoming deacons. It is surely a satisfaction, when engaged in the ordinary secular business of life, to think that all one’s time is not so absorbed, that we are doing something in a positive form for Christ and for the best interests of souls.

In regard to the Deacons’ Court, it may be stated that it consists of the minister or ministers, the elders, and the deacons; that the minister, if present, presides as moderator. In his absence, one of the members is appointed chairman. There is a stated clerk and also a treasurer appointed by the court. Meetings of the court are held as often as business requires—generally once a month. Meetings are called from the pulpit, or by private circular. Three constitute a quorum. Minutes are regularly kept, and all payments need to be authorised by the court. The election of the deacons is made by the members of the church, either at a congregational meeting, or by schedules duly handed to the session by the communicants. A form will be found in Appendix VII. The kirk-session have the whole charge of the election, judge of the qualifications, and ordain to the office. The kirk-session and the deacons’ court being not a superior and inferior court, but co-ordinate, there is no appeal from the one to the other. In the event of difference, the appeal is to the presbytery; and though the Church discourages appeals from the deacons’ court to superior judicatories, to prevent petty money matters being made Church questions, yet, where needed, the appeal is perfectly competent, and has often been made. The annual revision of the minute-book by the presbytery implies the corrective right. In deciding what belongs to the kirk-session, and what to the deacons’ court, the important point to remember is, that the deacons’ court has the charge of the secular, and what bears on finance; while the kirk-session takes cognisance of the religions—of worship, of the communion, and the appointment of office-bearers and their resignation. The use of the church belongs to the minister; but the sanction of the deacons’ court is needful for services not religious on week days. The appointment of the precentor rightly belongs to the minister; but it is desirable to take the office-bearers and the congregation along with him in making it.

Anxious to prevent collisions between the inferior, yet constantly acting courts of the Church, it may not be unsuitable to remind those who may be interested that deacons’ courts are not legislative, but entirely administrative bodies,—that, as such, they have no civil rights or privileges any more than ministers, except such as are conferred by the laws of the Church; and that, in regard to the care of property, and the appropriation and administration of funds, they have no discretion, but are required to act according to the laws and regulations of the Church. Within these limits, however, their operation is safe and eminently useful. It may be added, that it is an important matter in conducting the business of the deacons’ court and other courts of the Church, to keep strictly by the rules and forms of the Church. This is not only right in itself—fitted to inspire confidence in the congregation, but it deprives civil courts of any pretence of interference. They may interfere notwithstanding, but the intolerance of the proceeding is rendered more apparent. It is also highly desirable that the members of the deacons’ court be as regular in their attendance as possible. The court is practically one of great importance. Much of the ordinary business of the congregation is transacted at it; necessarily its meetings are frequent. Regular attendance conduces to interest on the part of the deacon, prevents misapprehensions, and it is no more than due that all should share the responsibility. It is unfair to devolve the work and responsibility on a few, and is fitted to discourage the best inclined.