How the Westminster Standards Relate to Deacons

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 0:00

Striking that in Acts 6, verse 5, we're told that these men are full of faith. A man is full of faith when he's also full of doctrine. You're full of faith when you know who it is that you worship, what he's done, when you know his works of creation, providence and his unique work of redemption.

David Nakhla: 0:20

Welcome to the Reformed Deacon, a casual conversation with topics specifically designed to help local Reformed Deacons. There are nearly a thousand deacons in the OPC alone, so let's take this opportunity to learn from and encourage one another. We're so glad you could join us. Let's jump into our next episode.

Chris Cashen: 0:42

Welcome to another episode of the Reformed Deacon Podcast. My name is Chris Cashin and I serve as pastor of Trinity Reformed OPC in Lanham, Maryland, and I also serve on the OPC's committee for diaconal ministries, and so I am overjoyed to have with us today Reverend Dr Chad Van Dixhorn. I am overjoyed to have with us today Reverend Dr Chad Van Dixhorn. He's an OPC minister who's currently serving as professor of church history and theology at Reform Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Chris Cashen: 1:15

Dr Van Dixhorn was the editor of a five-volume work entitled the Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly 1643 to 1652. That was published in 2014. Excuse me, the next publication was published in 2014, and that is called Confessing the Faith A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith. That's a wonderful publication for use for families, much use for the church. It's a wonderful book and I would recommend it to everyone listening. And then, finally, he's just finished John Lightfoot's journals and that has given new information on the assembly that was not included in the first publication that I referred to. Dr Van Dixhoorn is married to Emily. They have five children, with one at home. Welcome, Chad, to the podcast this afternoon. Chad: Well, thank you, it's delightful to be with you Chris.

Chris Cashen: 2:19

I are going to undefined discussing, in really broad brush fashion, the Westminster Standards.

Chris Cashen: 2:25

I are going to be discussing, in really broad brush fashion, the Westminster Standards, and by that I mean the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the larger and shorter catechisms.

Chris Cashen: 2:32

These are the secondary standards for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the first, of course, being the Holy Scriptures, and we want to take a look at how the standards might be used to help our diaconate today. So, from time to time in this podcast, we want to take an in-depth look at Bible passages and theological topics like this one the broad brush study of the Westminster Standards to strengthen a deacon's understanding of and purpose for his office. In other words, we plan to invite some of our guests to open up the scriptures or doctrinal topics which have a particular application for the work of the Reformed deacon. And so, as Dr Van Dixhoorn has a particular expertise in the Westminster Standards, we thought he would be an excellent guest to help us and guide us through some of the benefits of this treasure of doctrine. So, Chad, let me begin by asking if you would give us a broad overview of the assembly that we know of as the Westminster Assembly of the 1600s. Who were these folks that came together and I think they're referred to as the divines and what was their purpose?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 3:45

The Westminster Assembly is a group called during a war, a civil war in England in the 1640s, to try and come up with a proposal or a bunch of proposals that would create peace in the church, in part by reforming what was seen to be wrong in the Church of England. The parliament called together a large body of theologians, about 120 different men, most of whom showed up at one point or another, some of whom died along the way because it lasted for so long and were replaced by others. And then this number was supplemented a few months later with some Scottish theologians who were equally interested in the Church of England getting reformed. If the Church of England was more reformed then they wouldn't meddle so much with the already reformed Church of Scotland. And so they met, starting in 1643.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 4:36

They first tinkered with the 39 articles, making important changes. That was abandoned when the Scottish people arrived Scottish ministers and then it began just work on one topic after another directory for ordination, what are ministers supposed to do, how are people to become ministers, how should ministers be called by congregations, and so on. Then they dealt with the directory for public worship and then they dealt with other aspects of church government and they wrote a confession of faith and created a Psalter and a couple of catechisms and put 140 documents overall letters, petitions, explanations and so on A few of which have become standards, if you will, in the Presbyterian world.

Chris Cashen: 5:23

When was their work finished with regard to the confession and the catechisms?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 5:28

Yeah, the doctrinal and exegetical work was wound up in about five years and then they continued the work of examining ministers, just sort of this side project they took on until 1653. The records of the assembly end in 1652, but the assembly itself ended in 1653. But most of the members left for political reasons and because they felt their work was done at the beginning of 1649.

Chris Cashen: 5:54

Wow, well, that was a long time ago, and so I think one of the questions that might be in the minds of our deacons is you know, how is this applicable to us today? And so, as we continue to just give an overview of the standards, if you would just for a moment, consider that you're a pastor and you have a new deacon in training before you. We're going to call him Bob, and I'm not sure I know any deacons called Bob, but I'm sure there are. But who's fairly new.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 6:21

Bob Wright, how is Bob Wright for an example?

Chris Cashen: 6:28

Of course, yes, of course, sorry, but one who's fairly new to the Reformed faith and you've just given him a copy of the Confession of Faith and Catechisms of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, that small gray book, so that he can prepare for his examination before the session. And now, as you give this volume to Bob, he asks you what is this? How would you define the Westminster Standards for Bob?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 6:57

Yeah, so I think I'd say, well, it's often said that we have the Bible as our primary, as really our sole authority in the church. That's correct. And then we have secondary, even better, subordinate, standards. These are, in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the confession of faith and catechisms larger, smaller, and these historic texts are seen by us as excellent summaries, and historic summaries, of what the Bible teaches. Here we're capturing what we believe are the correct understandings of key doctrines and practices, material for doctrine, life, worship and government. And so if you want to ask what do we believe? We're going to say we believe the Bible. You're going to say, what do you think the Bible teaches? We're going to say, well, we think here's an excellent summary of what the Bible teaches and indeed this sort of captures what the leaders in our church, the ministers, the elders and deacons, believe that it teaches.

Chris Cashen: 8:08

Very good. Well, Bob is not only a new deacon in training, but he is extremely inquisitive and he makes a bold statement before you. I have a Bible and I read it. Why do I need a confession? Bob's question is valid. We call these standards in the OPCR confessional standards. Is it relevant to the office and work of deacons that we're a confessional church?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 8:36

Yeah, so it's relevant to all of us. So it's going to be relevant to deacons. I'd like to think a little bit more, probably in a minute, about how in particular, it's useful for deacons. But you know, confessions, deployed well, help us to be honest. You know, cults hide what they believe. We're we are those who openly declare what we believe. We're trying to be helpful by having these texts and it's helpful for deacons to know and use these things. We're also a unified church. This is not the Orthodox Presbyterian Churches. This is the Orthodox Presbyterian Church because there's a visible unity to the church.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 9:14

We minister together and while you can have a conference together with other Christians by believing in, say, biblical inerrancy, having 10 bullet points on a website in common, or holding to a historic creed those are good things.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 9:32

But for practical, meaningful ministry, a ministry that's involved not just in evangelization but in church planting and missionary sending and so on, you need to have a fairly robust understanding of what the scriptures are, who the God is that we've preached, how much grace we need. What's the difference between a ministry of manipulation and good pastoral care? What does accountability look like? Those are the sorts of things that are covered in our subordinate standards in our confessional standards. And then, on top of all that, you that not only do we need doctrinal maximalism for effective ministry and partnership. We also think that believing more doctrine leads to more doxology, that it leads to a healthier, more God-centered Christian life, and so we want our deacons to know these things, we want our membership to become acquainted with these things, really for the good of the whole church and our ministry and for our own spiritual good.

Chris Cashen: 10:35

That's excellent. Well, you're not done with Bob yet, Because next month, after you've sent him back and asked him to study the confession and the larger and shorter catechisms, obviously along with reading, I can't even find the word deacon in any of them. Maybe these standards are not really for deacons. So Bob was reading carefully and the standards don't, to my knowledge, contain any specific reference to the office of deacon. I don't think they contain any reference to the office of ruling elder either. I did find the use of the word minister and the minister's office, but not with regard to the diaconate or the elder. Why would the standards be silent on those offices?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 11:44

Yeah, so I like Bob, he's got good questions.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 11:47

So there was mention of church governors in the Westminster Standards.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 11:51

But not only did the Westminster Assembly finish its Confession of Faith in 1646, it finished its Directory for Church Government. And the Westminster Assembly intended that churches would have the confession and both catechisms but would also have the directory for public worship and the directory for church government. And indeed the Scottish Church, the Church of Scotland, initially adopted all five of those texts. Some Presbyterian churches still use all five of those texts, but in the American tradition we have created alternative directories for public worship and alternative directories for church government, understanding, as did the Westminster Assembly, that while ecclesiological principles were going to be pronounced in the confession, while there was going to be a churchly orientation to the larger catechism, the actual outworking of those principles in our polity was going to be found in a different document. And so, yes, deacons are not mentioned there, because it was expected, and indeed it has always been the case, that presbyterian churches have had directories for church government or something similar to that, a book of church order, a form of church government and so on.

Chris Cashen: 13:12

Very interesting. I was not aware of that. That's very good information and I think that might satisfy Bob. But he continues. You have satisfied him on that aspect. Now he's saying to you look, pastor, I'm not seeking the office of elder. As a deacon I don't really need to be an expert theologian. So how would you generally counsel Bob at this point of his study and preparation and the benefit of having the confession in the catechisms?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 13:47

Yeah. So I'd want to return to that conversation we had a month ago about the purposes of confessions and so on and sort of gently sort of tee up those topics again. But then I also think it'd be helpful to take him to a couple of biblical passages striking that in Acts 6, verse 5, we're told that these men are full of faith. A man is full of faith when he's also full of doctrine. You're full of faith when you know who it is that you worship, what he's done, when you know his works of creation, providence and his unique work of redemption. You're a man of faith when you know what scripture promises about Christ, his continuing session, his eventual return. These are the kinds of things that are not always packed into a creed, although the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed has a lot of that. 1 Timothy 3, verse 9 also says to hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. That suggests to me, someone who studies the Bible and can summarize what the faith is that's articulated in the Bible and a wise man uses helps like our subordinate standards. I know too that our form of government.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 15:01

Chapter 11, paragraph two. It says that a deacon's to be a man of great faith and later it says sound judgment. Again, this suggests someone who's an aspirational theologian. He doesn't need to be apt to teach, he doesn't need to do the same things with these doctrinal standards than an elder does. In a sense he's not required to be a theologian above that of a normal church member, but his calling is blessed and enriched and strengthened when he is. Which is why I think our form of government says that, and then we could go on the form of government chapter 25, reminds deacons that they are to remind people of the constellations of Holy Scripture.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 15:47

Well, those are promises, but there's also doctrines. You have richer consolation when you have a thicker theology, when you can talk about who Christ is and what he's done, not just in broad brush terms, when you can talk about the ministry of the Holy Spirit not just in generalities but in specifics. And then he's also to adorn his work with sound doctrine, we're told. So again, he doesn't need to be apt to teach, but he is to sincerely receive and adopt the confession and catechisms of this church as containing the system of doctrine. So there's all those practical reasons, there are those biblical reflections, and then there's the fact, in the end of the day, he does have to sign up to this system of doctrine. We want deacons who are on board with the ministry of the church. So those are a few things that I'd want to add to the earlier comments in these enriching conversations with Bob.

Chris Cashen: 16:42

Well, Dr Van Dixhoorn, you have sent Bob away now encouraged, ready to dig in and get ready for his exam, but also to get ready to be a deacon. So now that you've established for us that the Westminster standards are clearly significant for our deaconate, let's, if we can, just take some time and consider some particulars. How can the standards be used practically Because this is a practical podcast how can they be used practically to guide a deacon in his office? And I just had some thoughts Maybe you could touch upon if a deacon is doing some financial counseling Can we find anything in the standards which might be of help?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 17:30

I think that the Westminster Larger Catechism's explication of the Eighth Commandment is helpful. So if we were to flip to the early 140s in the Larger Catechism, just the ways in which a sort of robust understanding of the commandment that says not only don't steal, but how can we do the opposite of that, not only what are we to sort of put off, if you will, in terms of habitual sin, but what might be put on? And there the calling to financial prudence, seeking the welfare of our neighbors, the value of good work, all of these things are matters that deacons find themselves talking about. You know, there are many different reasons why people are struggling in their temporal needs, uh, in their financial situation, so on, and and people are, are often just struggling with the circumstances in which God has placed them in his own good, wise and holy providence.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 18:38

Sometimes the deacons are also put in situations where they're called to give wisdom, help and practical encouragement, and so there are sound biblical principles, with biblical texts attached to guide the deacon in his conversation about the value of work, caring for others, the legitimacy of saving and being financially prudent, looking after oneself and one's finances so well that one can also share with others who are in need. These are very biblical principles enshrined in these little summaries, summaries that launch from the commandment and roam the way through the scriptures, plundering as they go, finding out how we can not only not steal but bless with finances and a very kind of Pauline understanding of how to think about this topic. So I mean, that's how I'd think about counseling and financial matters. I mean, it's not why the document is established, but there's wisdom there for us that I'd hope our deacons would consider.

Chris Cashen: 19:49

Yeah. So I'm glad you took us to the larger catechism. It's so much fuller than the shorter. But sometimes we get limited to the confession and don't consider what helps the catechisms can be practically Well, how about serving those in the church with mercy? And then my next question is going to be what about those outside of the church? So, in the church with mercy and then outside.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 20:18

So the first is a little more straightforward. You know the, the communion of the saints chapter, just a wonderful chapter. Chapter 26 of the westminster confession reminds us, reminds us, that if we're united to jesus christ, we're also united to each other. If we have fellowship with Jesus Christ, in his graces, his sufferings, his death, resurrection and eventually his glory, then we're also united to one another in Christ's graces, in suffering. We're united to one another in love, very practically, and that means that we share with one another in the gifts that God has given, in the graces that God has given, in the resources that God has given. And we're obliged the confession reminds us in this wonderful, sweeping summary of biblical teaching, teaching we're obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce, as do sort of work towards effectively their mutual good, both in inward and the inward and outward man. In other words, we're caring about people, we're praying for them, we're looking for their spiritual good, but we're also concerned about the outward man. Is someone hungry in our church? Is someone grieving, which has inward and outward aspects to it? Is someone in need, is someone weary, they're moving, they've got a difficult job, their marriage is tricky. There are ways that we could just encourage that are practical as well as spiritual. This is what the community of the saints calls us to these kinds of things. And then paragraph two kind of amplifies that, yes, we are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in our worship. Preeminently that's where we're showing our communion with each other, but again, we're trying to edify each other, we're trying to relieve each other in outward things according to our different abilities and necessities. As god gives opportunity, we're to extend that kind of love to everyone who calls on the name of the lord jesus. So that's just right there in this wonderful summary, and again sort of richly supported with biblical texts on which these comments are based.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 22:34

And then you asked that the other question, that is, how about those outside the church? Right, right? So I think, if we are to consider seriously Paul's call in Galatians that we're to be especially mindful of the household of faith, the needs of the household of faith, the needs of the household of faith, everything I've said so far would angle in that direction. But the especially suggests that we are also caring for those who are outside the household of faith. Now there's two different views in the Reformed world.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 23:09

I suppose to be a little bit simplistic. One just says, yeah, that's the job of ordinary Christians to care for those who are in the household of faith and then also those who are outside the household of faith. The especially is not a limiter, it's a focus there to help the people of the church in their own needs and to help facilitate them in their broader ministry of mercy. Then if it's the job of an individual Christian to also care for those perhaps in the community who are not members of the church, then maybe it's the job of the deacons to facilitate that. Do that make sense? Yes, of course. So if a deacon is not in a restrictive sense just to care for the saints, but it's also to facilitate the work of the saints in ministry, well then a broader view would suggest that we want to think about how our deacons might. If they have the work of the church in hand, if you will, if they are minding the household of faith, how can they help others? Now, what's complicated about that?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 24:31

I think Van Damme is onto something and I want to own that in a way that I you way, that I think really just in the last couple of years I've been persuaded the rightness of that view. But I'm still mindful of 1 Timothy 5 and the way in which the Apostle Paul is very careful about who gets help. Even in the church there are widows who are more deserving than others, and so, given the discerning take on the deployment of financial resources that we see in 1 Timothy, I would think that where the church's resources are limited, given the care that the Apostle Paul mandates within the church, we need to be very discerning about how we're going to deploy resources outside the church. So I don't want that sort of general reflection that I think may be good consequence that Van Damme is drawing out to trample over the very specific care that Paul calls for in 1 Timothy 5.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 25:32

So it needs to be done wisely and carefully, given what the Apostle Paul says about care of widows.

Chris Cashen: 25:39

That's very helpful and insightful. I'm glad you brought Van Damme in as well. Well, another aspect of the practicality would be whether or not the standards give any help for the deacon, as he's ministering mercy, to also keep the spiritual needs and issues in mind for those that he's working with.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 26:10

I suppose the only way in which I see the standards speaking to that subject is just in the preeminence that they give to spiritual concerns, spiritual needs. That is to say, there's one relationship that lasts to eternity, yeah, and that needs to be established first. That is what we are caring about. And when you look at the directory for public worship and its paragraphs on the visitation of the sick so this is, this is not part of our current westminster standards, but the original westminster standards there's a real focus there, uh, when it comes to visiting the sick, on doing the six spiritual good. Now, that's in part because not many of the sick who are getting a visit from their pastor or their deacon are going to recover. Uh, this is uh before antibiotics and good medical care, but nonetheless it's also a reflection, a reflection of the preeminence of eternal concerns.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 27:08

So I don't see the Westminster Standards, the Confession and Catechisms really saying anything directly. But I think Thomas Peck is a 19th century Presbyterian. It's helpful when he reminds us that the deacon is involved in temporal concerns for a spiritual body, and there he's thinking both the persons whom the deacon is particularly focused on and there are two there too. I think he's also focusing on the fact that that, uh, even as we care about temporal matters, I always have the spiritual good of the body and mind, so I hope that's fair to him. Certainly, I think it's a helpful reflection.

Chris Cashen: 27:49

Yeah, thank you. Any aspect of the standards which might be used by deacons as they conduct their Board of Deacons meetings Is it practical in that way.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 28:00

Well, I suppose the standards, uh teaching on the church, uh, could potentially be useful. Paragraph six of chapter 25 reminds us there's no other head of the church but the lord jesus christ, and so any authority, if you will, that a head of the deacons is trying to exercise in a meeting needs to remember that that authority that's being used, the way the meeting is being run, should be exercised in a servant fashion. Elders, not to lord their position over the flock. Surely a deacon should not be lording his position over, let's say, other deacons, uh, if he's the, you know, the elected head of the deacon board or committee, or over the people whom he's seeking to minister, he's a shepherd, uh, or he's a servant of the head of the church, and always remember that that any authority that he has to do his work, uh, the power and the gifts and the graces, they're all coming from Christ that are intended to honor the head of the church, and I think that's that's helpful. No other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chris Cashen: 29:19

Yes, that is helpful. One last practical question, and kind of getting back to ministering to those outside of the church the deacons are often the leading edge with regard to engaging those outside of the church, because many folks come to our churches for material assistance. So how might the standards be of help to a deacon who encounters a person who has, maybe, a false hope in their own righteousness, or maybe from a tradition other than ours which denies the divinity of Christ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 29:56

Well, we could take that in a lot of different directions.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 29:58

I suppose they could start with a catechism question, right, and at least in their own minds, helping someone understand what their real purpose is, why they exist at all, orienting them toward their Creator. They could reflect on the rich doctrine we find in chapter 8, where the person and work of Christ is summarized. They could take people to the clear doctrine enunciated in chapters 11, 12 and 13 which sort of explain what it means to be justified by God. What it means to be forgiven. How we recieve those graces. You could take them to chapter 12 and say it's so much better to be part of the family of God. Consider what life would be like if you knew yourself as not one facing the judgment of God, but as a member of the family of God. And I also think that reflection even on chapter 13, considering the importance of holiness, God's standards, what God requires of us, the trickiness of the Christian walk, that we're people who are on the way, and so on. So, whether you're helping a weak Christian, a person who's making up his own religion as he goes along, someone who's not sure what the purpose of life is, there's just rich doctrine there and I think the better we know that, the better we know the scriptures on which these summaries are based, the more effective we're going to be in those moments of unexpected witness or comfort.

Chris Cashen: 31:32

Yeah, that's excellent, thank you Well, last question, and that is how might the standards be used as a means of encouragement to our diaconate? And this is really just wide open.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 31:45

Yeah, yeah, I like that question, Chris. As we think about deacons, I think about deacons as those preeminently occupied with good works. Good works are undervalued in many ways in the Christian world, I should say in the evangelical world, in part because we're nervous to protect a doctrine, a salvation by grace alone, and so we get nervous about the idea of good works. And a deacon is all about trying to honor the Lord, not to earn a crown of righteousness, but to get the good commendation of our Savior that well done, good and faithful servant. We're seeking to please the Lord. Is that okay to do? Is that something that's worth doing?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 32:41

Chapter 16 is one of my favorite chapters, just emphasizing the way in which good works have so many useful purposes. How useful it would be for deacons to see that good works done in obedience to God's commandments are the fruits and evidences of a lively and true faith. That through these things, works deacons are doing and works deacons are encouraging because our deacons are facilitators, they're coordinators that through these good works, people are showing their thankfulness, strengthening their assurance, edifying others, adorning their profession of the gospel, stopping the mouths of the critics, glorifying God. We are created in Jesus Christ for good works. We're demonstrating all of that. This is just wonderful, and of course, we want to be mindful of the fact. So this chapter is also helpful to remind us that these works are not signals of our glory, testimonies of how wonderful we are, not signals of our glory, testimonies of how wonderful we are, evidences of our inward strength. No, we're depending on the Lord, but these are worthwhile. And then, finally, Chris, just to end this little ramble, we're also reminded here that not only are our persons accepted in Christ because we're united to him, but once we are accepted in Christ, even our works, our attempts to do good are also accepted in Christ, not just our persons, but also our works.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 34:14

And so when a deacon is trying to visit someone and he actually says something that he feels was really useful, he doesn't go home and just say, wow, I'm like the power deacon, I'm amazing. No, he says that work was acceptable because of Christ. When a deacon has a conversation with someone and he gets home and thinks I really botched that, I don't know how that could possibly be useful, he goes home and reads this and is just reminded no, actually this work is acceptable in Christ and the Holy Spirit can make it useful, in spite of who I am Not just me, but that last visit to the hospital that attempt to help that person in financial distress. I really need to get better at that, but that was acceptable in Christ. I think chapter 16 is a good deacon chapter. The deacons can help us all see what's rich and helpful in that chapter.

Chris Cashen: 35:07

Well, chad, this has been a blessing for me and I'm fairly certain it's going to be a blessing for our deacons. Thank you for taking the time to discuss the Westminster Standards with us today. It's been a great blessing to hear your answers to these good questions and just a blessing to know how useful these standards are for us today. Thank you for being with us.

Chad Van Dixhoorn: 35:29

Well, thank you for asking questions that have prompted reflections that I might not otherwise have had. So thank you, Chris.

Chris Cashen: 35:36

Well, Deacons, we hope this episode was and will be encouraging to you and your labors for the Lord, and please continue listening.