
Can women serve as deacons? Does the Bible have anything to say about women deacons? As a matter of fact, the New Testament does mention a woman who was a deacon:
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. (Rom. 16:1 NIV)
At first glance, one might conclude from this verse that the Bible authorizes women deacons. However, we’d be irresponsible Bible students if we were to jump to that conclusion just from reading this verse.
Most English translations do not use the word deacon in Romans 16:1. Instead, they use servant which is what the word deacon actually means. If English Bibles were consistent in translation, we’d never see the word deacon in the Bible; we’d only see servant. So, was Phoebe a servant in the same sense that all Christians are servants of God? Or, was Phoebe specifically appointed to be a designated servant in the church (like in Acts 6)?
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