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In the Baptist churches, a pastor or a committee of long-standing members answering to the pastor (or in some cases members of the congregation), will nominate deacons who shall take office upon confirmation by election of the membership. Depending on the congregation they may serve for a period of time then rotate off active duty, or may serve continuously until death, retirement/resignation, or are found to be disqualified from the office. They are considered laymen (though there is no prohibition against a minister holding the office). The more conservative Baptist churches/denominations hold to a strict interpretation of I Timothy 3 in terms of eligibility -- a deacon must be male and married/widowed (never married or divorced men are ineligible); more liberal ones allow women to be deaconesses (common among African-American denominations).
In the Baptist churches, a pastor or a committee of long-standing members answering to the pastor (or in some cases members of the congregation), will nominate deacons who shall take office upon confirmation by election of the membership. Depending on the congregation they may serve for a period of time then rotate off active duty, or may serve continuously until death, retirement/resignation, or are found to be disqualified from the office. They are considered laymen (though there is no prohibition against a minister holding the office). The more conservative Baptist churches/denominations hold to a strict interpretation of I Timothy 3 in terms of eligibility -- a deacon must be male and married/widowed (never married or divorced men are ineligible); more liberal ones allow women to be deaconesses (common among African-American denominations).
[[Church of Christ]] congregations operate similar to conservative Baptists in terms of eligibility: only married men are eligible (some even require the deacon to have children and that all the children must be active Christians).
[[Church of Christ]] congregations operate similar to conservative Baptists in terms of eligibility: only married men are eligible (some even require the deacon to have children and that all the children must be active Christians). As the eligibility is similar to that for [[elder]]s, it is common for a deacon to become an elder after a period of service.
=== Duties ===
=== Duties ===