DEACON MINISTRY

                          Deacon Larry B. Carr                                Deacon Robert Waller

                              Joint Board Chair

             Deacon Lawrence Jones                            Deacon Patricia Page

Deacon Mission Statement

History:

Buffalo Baptist Church ordained the first female deacon, Deacon Patricia A. Page, on Sunday, October 25, 2019. Bishop John B. McIntyre, Pastor, and Deacon Larry B. Carr, Joint Board Chair, and the congregation witness her being ordained.

Apostle Paul used the Greek diakonos to designate Phoebe as a deacon. "Deacon" is a transliteration of the Greek, and in Paul's writings sometimes refers to a Christian designated to serve with the overseers of a church, and at others refers to "servants" in a general sense. In the letter to the Romans, apart from the debated case of Phoebe, it always refers to "servants" in the generic sense, as opposed to a church office.

Qualifications:

Buffalo Baptist Church require that all deacons, men and women, be trained and ordained. Currently, new deacons are now personally trained by the Pastor or Joint Board Chair, tested in front of the congregation, by a conclave of Baptist deacons. The Bible Passages Acts 6 and Timothy 3:8-13 address spiritual and moral qualifications for deacons, which include wisdom, faith, honesty and sincerity. The Bible also states that a deacon must manage a household well.

Congregational Duties:

Within Buffalo Baptist Church’s organizational structure, our deacons perform duties to support the congregation. Deacons assist the Pastor by serving communion to the parishioners. Deacons are to be available to members for prayer and guidance.

Outreach:

Deacons perform community outreach by ministering the gospel outside the church, visiting the sick and homebound, recruiting and receiving new members in accordance with the church guidelines. Within a congregation, deacons are to set examples of compassion and stewardship. The Deacons also help with educating and nurturing youth within and outside of the church.

Mission:

The Deacon Ministry of the Buffalo Baptist Church are ordained to serve God's people.  Deacons are dedicated caregivers who share in the ministry of concern for the total well-being of God's people. Likewise, the Deacon Ministry is an extension of the Pastor's ministry to love and care for the Buffalo Baptist Church family.  This mission of the Deacon Ministry is defined by, and scripturally upheld in Acts 6:1-4

3510 Rhode Island Avenue * Mt. Rainier, MD* 301-442-5582