Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served (diakoneo), but to serve (diakoneo). Matthew 20:28
Some concepts in the Bible and the words used today to describe them need to be rescued from man-made distortions. These distortions have accumulated through the years and have reversed the original meaning that we find in the Holy Scriptures. We believe that we should go back to the Bible, not just to the current use of Bible concepts.
The word deacon is one of those words that we have a lot of baggage attached to and it is difficult for us to go back to the Bible for our understanding. What pops into our minds when a word is used is conditioned by our own experiences and background. Pastor is one of those words. When the word is used a certain idea, based on past experiences, pops into our minds. Depending on our background the word deacon is likewise fraught with imbedded ideas.
Jesus has forever changed the use of the word deacon. He has placed the responsibility on all his disciples that they be deacons. Deacons in the text above is somewhat akin to a household servant. A deacon is one who cares for the needs of others. He is one who leads in a particular ministry, ministering out love to meet the needs of the local body.
If translators had translated the word rather than make an English word out of the Greek word, it would have simply been servant or minister. Then we could get on with what Jesus said in Matthew 20: find a need and meet it by serving others. That way we could all be ministers in the Kingdom and obey the orders of our beloved King.
Long-standing traditional boundaries very often restrict our freedom to think under the direction of the Holy Spirit in the Word. What could this church be like if all of us would show the attitude of Jesus in serving others?