Raising the Dust: "How-To" Equip Deacons to Serve the Church

by Gregg R. Allison, Ryan Welsh, Dave Harvey (Editor)

In his letter to the church in Rome, the apostle Paul climbs great, theological mountains. But he also explores the valleys where we live our lives. Love one another with affection, he writes. Outdo one another in showing honor, he writes. Contribute to the needs of the saints and show hospitality. This is the calling of all Christians. And God intends that deacons lead the way. How is your church doing? Raising the Dust will help you better understand who deacons are, what God expects them to do, and how they bless the body of Christ.
Gregg R. Allison (Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of many books, including 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith. Gregg is also a pastor of Sojourn Community Church. Ryan Welsh, (D.Min. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor of Redeemer Church in Bellevue, Washington and an adjunct professor of preaching and biblical studies at Corban University. He is currently a Ph.D student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“Such a concise, instructive resource! What they have to say here deserves careful consideration.”
Matthew Arbo, professor at Oklahoma Baptist University “Gregg and Ryan have written a book that tangibly helps the church understand the importance of deacons.”
Tyler Johnson, pastor at Redemption Church, AZ “This book will serve churches well as a guide for understanding a biblical perspective on the responsibilities of deacons and for developing a healthy deacon ministry.”
Ken Magnuson, professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Genres: Leadership

104 pages, Paperback

Published March 14, 2019

About the author

Gregg R. Allison (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is secretary of the Evangelical Theological Society, a book review editor for the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, an elder at Sojourn Community Church, and a theological strategist for Sojourn Network. Allison has taught at several colleges and seminaries, including Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and is the author of numerous books, including Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church, and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment.

Reviews

[Natalie Herr · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a how-to book, I did not find this volume very practical. There were some basic guidelines for installing and training deacons, but not a ton of detail. It seemed a bit dated, though it was published in 2019.

As a woman reading, I did not have to wonder about the author’s personal view on women in leadership, even if he did present several interpretations of the office of deacon, including one where women are approved for the office. A lot of spots where I felt the message was unnecessarily repetitive or protective — like “make sure it’s clear we don’t mean women can do this part!” whenever elders or teaching were mentioned.

[Will Turner]

As another reviewer mentions, cool title, but that's about all this book has, sadly. The book ends on page 42 with the addition of a few generally unhelpful appendices. Then for the next 25 or so pages it is all ads and blank pages. This book could have easily been condensed to a short article for their website. Not a $10 book!

And there is very little of any equipping going on. This book fails to fulfill its subtitle.

There is nothing new here. Well, they do have a weird definition of deacons. "servant leaders in all non-elder level roles within the ministries of the church" (16).

There are far better books to read such as Merkle, Keller, Strauch, etc.

I hate being so critical but this book is not worth buying or reading. Invest your time and money elsewhere.

[Chris Collier · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a fine, short book on the office of deacon. I was a bit disappointed that the How-To series that addresses equipping deacons did not really hit on how to equip deacons. At one point it pointed to apparent curriculum in other books, one of which the authors admit has a different view on deaconesses. The book isn’t useless but it didn’t meet my expectations.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful Little Resource

This little book is a great primer to get your church leadership thinking about the role and function of deacons and whether or not it lines up biblically. It will likely start you down a path of further research.

[Kevin McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and brief—and so not quite comprehensive. But I appreciated some time devoted to discussing women deacons (though I know some won’t care for it). Perfectly workable as an overview of the office.

[Joshua Lister · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is cooler than the content. A significant portion (of an already short book) makes the case for deaconesses, which resembles a teetering Jenga tower. The case relies on disagreeing with many English translators on the correct rendering of 1 Timothy 3:11, an affirmative conclusion from a negative premise, and some epistemological head scratching about what authority really means.

The ancient church offered a more tenable argument for the office of deaconess, which they based on 1 Timothy 5:9-12. The result was a distinct office and a distinct function from the male deaconate. I would be more open to something like this, rather than the shoddy case presented in this book.

The authors never really got away from the topic either. It resurfaces throughout in convenient paraphrases of Acts 6:5 and in a case study in the appendix. This kind of thing made it difficult to read charitably.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. A basic primer of what a Deacon(ess) does and who should be one. The copy I secured included almost half the printed pages as either blank or advertisements of other books in the series. This could have been more of a white paper as opposed to a book.