Unlimited: Our sister Phoebe, a Deacon
Dec 20, 2023 399
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae (Romans 16:1).
It is notable that in his final instructions and farewells, Paul puts Phoebe at the head of his list. It isn’t only notable because Phoebe is a woman, but because she is a deacon.
Traditionally “deacons” in churches are only men. Those churches who make a concession to women have created a role which they call “deaconesses.” However, this verse demonstrates that in original Christianity it was not so. Both men and women could be deacons, and they both shared the same status and functions.
This demonstrates how, as Christianity became institutionalised in the early centuries, it separated the roles of men and women. Leadership roles were reserved for men, and the “serving” roles for women, according to a worldly paradigm. But it was not so in the beginning.
Both men and women could be deacons, and they both shared the same status and functions.
Paul had brought the Gospel to Athens, and from there he had moved west to the busy commercial city of Corinth. During the 18 months that Paul was there, he met Phoebe. It is likely that Phoebe travelled on business, because when he wrote his letter to the church in Rome, he asked Phoebe to carry it there for him.
Phoebe wasn’t just a messenger. She was a leader of the early Christian church in her own right. This was the model of leadership and inclusiveness taught by Christ and Paul.
Spiritual Application
In your heart of hearts, how do you relate to women in positions of church authority? Why?
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