The Equipping Servants of the Early Church

The New Testament portrays the early church as a complex network that functioned as an extended family and was capable of rapid multiplication. In this model, pluralities of elders shepherd local networks of house churches which are, in turn, connected by the translocal ministry of influential leaders who moved between churches to strengthen, encourage, and equip believers for the work of ministry. Several of these leaders are referred to in the New Testament as “servants” (diakonoi) and are depicted in service to multiple localities of churches. These “equipping servants” serve interdependently with elders, ensuring the church’s unity, stability, and ability to rapidly multiply disciples. Many ecclesiastical traditions have overlooked this translocal leadership function, partly due to translation choices in most Bible translations that distinguish between an assumed “office of deacon” and the people explicitly referred to as “servants” (or “ministers”). This study addresses this misunderstanding, highlighting the biblical function of the “deacon” (diakonos) as a translocal equipping servant. The paper advocates for a return to the original meaning of the term and the restoration of the critically important function of the equipping servants of the church.