Deacon Memories

40 Years of Deacon Memories

What are my earliest Deacon memories? When did my Deacon training begin? Why did I want to serve as a Deacon in the church? I’m writing down most of the things I can remember after serving as a Deacon for the past 40 years, before these memories totally fade away. Most of these stories are for the benefit of my children and grandchildren, however, it is hoped that other readers may glean some helpful or encouraging lessons.

This article is not complete yet, and should be considered a first draft.

How do Deacons learn to ‘Deac’? How does a Deacon learn to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ? In this article I will attempt to recover my Deacon memories — especially related to classroom training, mentoring, and failures that lead to deeper understanding and maturity. In other words: What did I learn from my Deacon training, and what lessons did I learn from my stupid mistakes? In this article my goal is to remember the key players and main events. Once the historical timeline is established, we can glean some important lessons.

The Purpose of Deacon Training

“The purpose of initial Deaconal training is to make sure prospective Deacons understand the vows they are taking, and help them to count the cost. It is hoped that Deacons will be life long learners, and grow each year as they continue serving as a Deacon.” ~ Doug Vos, October 2024

Pre Deacon Memories

My earliest memories of Deacons (as a child) were the guys at church who passed the collection plates to gather the financial offerings from the congregation. That’s all I knew.

Spiritual Awakening In High School

The story of my spiritual awakening, salvation, and regeneration as “a new creature in Christ” can be found in my other “journal writings” and songs. However, after my conversion, I began a more intense study of the Scriptures, along with various Christian books about discipleship and following Jesus. Pastor Joel R. Boot, along with my father and older brother encouraged me to continue in spiritual growth. George Verweer, founder of Operation Mobilization, was also a big influence on our family during this time period.

It was during these years that Jane and I started an after school Bible study at Edsel Ford High School, with Dr. Motillo (the physics teacher) as our student organization sponsor. UofM Football coach, Bill McCartney (who was later the founder of Promise Keepers) was a big encouragement to our student group. Starting a small group Bible study at the high school was my first encounter with “persecution” (ostracization or public shaming) for following Christ. However, rather than discouraging me, the antithesis produced a greater desire to follow Jesus, and zeal in serving Him.

SWIM Teams and Spiritual Formation

In the summer of 1976, I participated on a SWIM Team (Summer Workshop in Ministry) at the Cherry Hill CRC, in Inkster, Michigan. This was a very formative experience, as we worked closely with the pastor, teaching VBS to children, and visiting the elderly and widows in convalescent homes.

Swimming At the Ocean

The following summer (1977), I joined a SWIM Team in Virginia Beach, VA. My friend John Nyhoff (from the Cherry Hill CRC) was also on the team. Pastor John Rickers of the Oceanview CRC was our leader that summer. He led us in daily Bible studies, outreach in the neighborhood, and working with the US Navy servicemen and sailors. A few other memories of that summer are documented in my song about Oceanview Virginia. (Side note: the Oceanview CRC disbanded on July 1, 2024 and gave their building to Reformation OPC.)

Forgotten Deacon Memories

Up until this point I was still relatively unaware of the role of Deacons in a local church. Several youth leaders, evangelists, and pastors had impacted my life in significant ways, but I was mostly oblivious to the Biblical role of Deacons. Sadly, I don’t remember the names of any Deacons who helped me during the first 20 years of my life. (Perhaps there is a lesson in that also.) It would be several more years before I really understood the distinction between Elders and Deacons, and began exploring the Principles of Diaconal Ministry.

Reformed Bible College

In the fall of 1977 I began my freshmen year at the Reformed Bible College (RBC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (It’s now called Kuyper College). The full story of my 6 years at this 4 year college is too long, so I will tell it another day. However, it might be helpful context to understand why I was ordained as a Deacon at a fairly young age. My classes at RBC were the standard topics of Old and New Testament studies, Berkhof’s Systematic Theology, and J. Gresham Machen’s New Testament Greek For Beginners.

Along with this, we studied church history, and the history of missions from Jesus’ Great Commission up to the present time. In addition we had classes in anthropology, apologetics, evangelism, linguistics, cross cultural missions, and a variety of other topics. Somewhere in those years, I began to understand the offices of Elder and Deacon. Jane and I eventually graduated with BRE degrees.

Going Deeper at Grand Rapids Reformed Baptist Church

Grand Rapids is a city with a lot of churches, and many interesting preachers. RBC students would frequently trade notes about “the best preachers” in town. (College students tend to go “church hopping”.) Around 1979, I was growing disillusioned with the deteriorating hermeneutic of the CRC. (The URC did not yet exist.) Sam Waldron was one of the elders at the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids. This church was really serious about good doctrine and great preaching. The preaching was exceptional, and I looked forward to every Sunday with great eagerness. I recall hearing a great sermon series based on the Canons of Dordt. Do you see the irony here?

Why I didn’t hear about the Canons of Dordt while growing up in the CRC is an unresolved mystery. Maybe they never taught about it, even though it’s a confessional standard. Perhaps it was my hardness of heart as an early teenager. Or perhaps I had beans in my ears. On the other hand, maybe it went in one ear, and out the other. Whatever the case, this Reformed Baptist group was vigorously teaching the Reformed Doctrines of Grace, and carefully explaining many details from Scripture.

Hungry For the Word

In 1980, after I was married, one of my friends told me about the Mt. Olive Tape Library. (This was before the days of the Internet, when they would ship you a box full of cassette tapes to listen to.) The Deacon at the G.R. Reformed Baptist Church also loaned me many sermons by Pastor Albert N. Martin. Al Martin (a champion of the London Confession) was viewed by many Baptists and Presbyterians as the Charles Spurgeon of our generation. Years later, Pastor Martin would train many Reformed Baptist Deacons (and some OPC Deacons). When Pastor Martin retired from his pulpit in New Jersey, he moved to Grand Rapids and attended Harvest OPC for a while.

I was working as a night janitor — a poor, married, college student. I would listen to 4 or 5 sermons or lectures every night, and kept growing in my understanding of the scriptures. The Technidyne hip-pocket cassette player (similar to a Sony Walkman) was one of my best investments. My Baptist Deacon friend hooked me up with rechargeable batteries too.

Extra Listening Time

This was a time of feasting on the word — listening to over 20 sermons or lectures per week — and sometimes learning more as a janitor in one night, than I learned in college that day.

As I continued studying Reformed Theology and Covenantal Theology, I determined that I did not really fit in with the Reformed Baptists. But where would I go next?

“My special destiny as a believer is to be part of the church; and it is the church that is the big player in God’s wider plan, not me.” ~ Carl Trueman

Deacon Memories at the Christian Reformation Church

Before our first child was born, we joined the “Christian Reformation Church” (notice the spelling). This was a pre-cursor to the “United Reformed Church“. In the late 70’s and early 80’s some congregations were stepping away from the “Christian Reformed Church” (CRC) and forming new groups with names like “Orthodox Christian Reformed Church“. Eventually (in 1996) these independent Reformed churches became a new denomination called the United Reformed Churches of North America (URCNA).

Early Deacon Memories – Deacon Ordination – 1984

My memory is a bit fuzzy and faded, however, I was ordained and began serving as a Deacon sometime between 1982 and 1984, in the Christian Reformation Church of Grand Rapids. (I was 25 years old in 1984.) My Diaconal ordination vows included an affirmation of the Three Forms of Unity.

Rev. Claude DePrine

Pastor Claude DePrine was an excellent preacher, and also a good mentor. I recall many Saturday mornings when we would meet in the Pastor’s study — in his home across the parking lot from the church building. Typically, there were two or three students, gathered near the pastor’s desk, eating a few donuts and drinking coffee. Every week we would read books together, and discuss what we were learning. Bob Bass and Jon Keen were my frequent companions on these visits to Pastor DePrine’s office. Bob Bass later moved to Australia where he was a pastor.

Tony Bower was another young Deacon, and there was an older Deacon who was probably between 65 and 75 years old. I’m sorry I can’t remember his name. The older Deacon was trying to help us learn how to be faithful servants. (That’s me now. I’m the old Deacon — hoping to teach a few younger Deacons ‘how to Deac’.) The Deacons would meet at least once a month, in the church library, to count money, review the financial statement, write checks, and talk about current needs in the congregation.

Elders and Mentors at the Christian Reformation Church

There were several Elders watching over and guiding the Deacons. Three Elders I remember are Claude Wieringa, Donald Braam and William Pols, Sr. We would frequently meet with the Elders in the ‘consistory room’ in the church basement. I don’t recall if Don Vander Klok (1942-2021) was an Elder yet. However, I remember going with him to the Mel Trotter Mission in downtown Grand Rapids. He was preaching a fiery evangelistic message, and an old drunk threw a hymnal at him.

The Generosity of Elder Donald Braam

The Braam family was very kind to Jane and our young family. I still remember the day Donald Braam took me out to lunch and asked how he could help me get started in the computer publishing business. At the end of our meeting he wrote a personal check for several thousand dollars and told me to visit a certain attorney to get things set up. He asked for nothing in return.

Later on, the Braam family left the Christian Reformation Church and joined the G.R. Reformed Baptist Church. (The reverse of what our family had recently done.) It was very confusing at the time, and some people were critical of him. However, God was teaching me important lessons though all of this.

Publishing The Reformation Sentinel

The Christian Reformation Church published a magazine called the Reformation Sentinel. Some articles were based on the sermons of Pastor DePrine, and other articles were reprints of Puritan writings. All of the articles had to be typeset. Eventually I was asked to lead the project to typeset, print, publish and mail the Reformation Sentinel to the subscription list. Jane and I were richly blessed to participate in this process. We learned a tremendous amount of Bible doctrine by typesetting and printing these magazines.

Where Did Everyone Go?

My friend Bill Pols grew up in the Christian Reformation Church (G.R.), and is now a pastor serving Cornerstone URC in Edmonton, AL. (Back in 1982 we were just young couples trying to figure out life. Fun fact: the first time I ever remember eating nachos with melted cheese and spicy salsa was at Bill and Diane Pol’s house after church one Sunday evening.) Today, you can hear the sermons of Rev. William (Bill) Pols on Sermon Audio.

Other members helped with the planting of Harvest OPC, and Redeemer OPC. The reason I relate some of these stories from my years in Grand Rapids, is to highlight the powerful impact and long lasting influence — of the small group mentoring and discipling sessions led by Pastor Claude DePrine.

Later on, Pastor DePrine took a call to Providence OPC in Mantua, NJ. Elder Claude Wieringa suggested we join the OPC when we moved back to the Detroit area. Many years later, upon retirement, the DePrines moved to Birmingham, Alabama and joined Briarwood PCA. Unbeknownst to any of us, Pastor Harry Reeder at Briarwood was mentoring an inquisitive young man named Harrison Perkins. More about that later…

Joining Oakland Hills OPC

In the fall of 1988, after Jane and I moved back to the Motor City, we became members at Oakland Hills Community Church (OHCC, OPC). It was a small church plant at the time (not yet particularized), and was called “New Hope Presbyterian” at the time. Pastor Ralph Rebandt was the church planting pastor. There were only 3 other OPC churches in all of Michigan and Ontario at the time. New Hope (OHCC) was small, but we were blessed to have three elders serving alongside of Pastor Rebandt: Tripp Martin (a Westminster Seminary grad), Fred Stokes (a Detroit Bible College grad), and Richard Wagner (a mature Christian and wise churchman). There were no Deacons at the time, which is typical for a new church plant.

Deacon Ordination at Oakland Hills OPC

Some time around 1992¹ I was ordained as a Deacon again, this time in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I was called to stand up in front of the church next to Pastor Rebandt. He asked me the standard questions:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice?
2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and Catechisms of this Church, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures?
3. Do you approve of the government, discipline, and worship of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church?
4. Do you promise to seek the purity, the peace, and the unity of the church?
5. Do you accept the office of Deacon in this congregation, and promise, in reliance on the grace of God, faithfully to perform all the duties thereof?

The Elders prayed over me, and I remember the weight of their hands on my shoulders during the prayer. I don’t recall the exact words that day, but Pastor Rebandt might have said something similar to this:

“I now declare that Douglas Vos has been regularly elected, ordained, and installed a deacon in this church, agreeably to the Word of God, and according to the constitution of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church; and that he is entitled to all that honor, encouragement, and obedience in the Lord to which his office entitles him.”

Elder Tripp Martin worked closely with me as a mentor for several years, and served along side me as an Elder/Deacon. The Vos family would frequently join the Martin family for a Sunday afternoon meal and fellowship during those years.

Deacon Training With Al Martin and Frank Barker in 1995

In 1995 I was asked by Pastor Rebandt to attend a Deacon Training Conference at Trinity Baptist Church in Montvale, New Jersey. A couple Deacons from the Reformed Baptist Church in Canton invited me to ride along in their van. We drove all night to arrive in time for the training conference, held April 21-22, 1995. As I recall, more than 200 deacons from various Reformed and Presbyterian churches gathered for this special Deacon training conference. I met some Deacons from OPC churches in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. My notes indicate I met Deacons from Florida, Montana, British Columbia, and Trinidad. During my review and research for this article, I discovered that audio MP3 recordings are available online. Below are four recordings from the conference – by Al Martin and Frank Barker².

A Biblical Framework For The Diaconate – by A. N. Martin

God’s Character Revealed in the Diaconate – by A.N. Martin

Christ’s Ministry Revealed in the Diaconate – by Frank Barker

Divine Encouragement for Deacons – by A.N. Martin

Trinity Reformed Baptist Diaconal Manual

We received a 40 page Diaconal Manual (notebook). The first half of the notebook was scriptural teaching regarding the office of Deacon. Next was a section on practical matters regarding care for widows, orphans, and the poor. Another section explained good policies for working with Elders and caring for church property, etc. (Three sections: Ministry to the Poor and Needy. Ministry to the Congregation. Ministry to the Elders.) An appendix was also included with examples of financial statements, and other practical items and policies of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church.

Key Take Away – An Unforgettable Lesson

One of the main things I remember from the 1995 Deacon Training Conference was Pastor Al Martin’s emphasis of 1st Timothy 3:13 “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (NKJV) In fact, nearly every year since then we have used this verse in our annual report to the congregation, asking for prayers that we might serve well.

More Deacons and Deacon Memories At Oakland Hills

Job Description for Deacons

In October of 2006, at the request of Ralph Rebandt and Tripp Martin, I wrote a Job Description for Deacons. My email from October 30, 2006 had a first draft of this document that was used at Oakland Hills. We might have had an officers training class in 2007, however, no new deacons were ordained until 2010.

Michigan Ontario Presbytery Deacon Conference – January 2010

Harvest OPC in Wyoming, Michigan hosted several Presbytery Deacon Conferences over the years. Douglas A. Felch was a teacher at one such conference held on January 16, 2010. A few notes from the training that day, defining our role as Deacons:

• A servant waiting on tables. A foot-washing servant at the banquet table, busboy in God’s wedding hall.
• A minister of mercy. Encouraging the congregation in works of mercy.
• Being present with your people. Having sufficient margin in your schedule. Gift of time and availability.
• Cheerleaders of good works. Cheerleaders of mercy ministry.
• Question: Why does this happen? “We hear you, but we don’t listen to you, because we don’t trust you.”

Another Officer Training Class and Two New Deacons – March 2010

In the fall of 2009, Oakland Hills enrolled several more men in an officer training class, to provide instruction for potential new Elders and Deacons. Dave Mitchell and Harrie den Boer were ordained on March 7, 2010.

Embers to a Flame Conference – 2016

The Oakland Hills officers had an opportunity to attend an Embers to Flame Conference (now called Lampstand) in the spring of 2016. This was held at Redeemer OPC, in Ada, Michigan on April 21-23. Jane and I were blessed to be able to attend with several of the Elders and their wives. Greg and Charis Weigler attended that same weekend. The Lampstand Conference is about church planting, church acceleration and revitalization.

Development of the Oakland Hills Deacon Policy Manual: 2014 – 2018

In January of 2014 some situations came up that caused us to re-examine the scriptural guidelines for dispensing Diaconal (mercy ministry / benevolent) funds. We wrote a one page guideline that was discussed with the session.

The OHCC Deacons Policy Manual was drafted in 2017, and approved by the session in 2018. Deacon Harrie den Boer and Elder Mark Rebhan were the primary writers and editors of the policy manual. The OHCC policy manual and other examples are available on the OPC Diaconal Committee website.

Three New Deacons – 2018

Another training class for prospective elders and deacons was held at Oakland Hills in 2017. Phil Brink, Mike VanDyke, and Steve Walsh were approved as new Deacons at the congregational meeting on January 21, 2018 ; then ordained and installed on Feb. 25, 2018.

Orthodox Presbyterian Church – National Deacon Summits

OPC Diaconal Summit 1 – Wheaton, June 2010

OPC Diaconal Summit 2 – Wheaton, June 2012

OPC Diaconal Summit 3 – Wheaton, June 2017

Steve Walsh attended this Deacon Summit along with me in 2017. Steve was pondering whether to become a Deacon at that time. Since he was from Chicagoland, it made sense to check it out.

OPC Diaconal Summit 4 – Wheaton, June 2022

Presbytery Diaconal Work

Presbytery Diaconal Committee

As of 2024, there are 17 presbyteries in the OPC. Presbyteries have a Presbytery Diaconal Committee (PDC), that is typically made up of several elders and deacons. I served on the PDC for a couple terms, from 2017 to 2022 (???).

Presbytery Diaconal Summit IV – 2019

Pastor John Belden and I represented the Michigan/Ontario Presbytery at the 2019 Presbytery Diaconal Summit. This gathering was held October 10-12, 2019 in Geneva, Illinois. A Presbytery Diaconal Summit is different (smaller) than a general (larger) Diaconal Summit. A general Diaconal summit is typically held every 3 to 5 years in the OPC, and each church can send as many Deacons as are willing to attend. Whereas, for the presbytery diaconal summit each presbytery typically sends two or three delegates (elders or deacons; members of the presbytery diaconal committee) that represent the whole presbytery.

OPC Disaster Response

In the spring of 2011, I began worked with David Nakhla on the first OPC Disaster Response website.

Oakland Hills OPC Officer Training – 2024

In the fall of 2024, Oakland Hills OPC began preparing to hold a new training session for potential new Elders and Deacons. Pastor Harrison Perkins developed a purpose statement for the class:

“Training for potential officers aims to outline Scripture’s qualifications for officers, the doctrinal standards that our officers must hold, principles of presbyterian polity, and the responsibilities of each office.” ~ Dr. Harrison Perkins, October 2024

Michigan / Ontario Presbytery Diaconal Training – 2025

In February of 2025, I attend a Deacon training session hosted by Cedar OPC church in Jenison, Michigan. The main presenter was a consultant from the Chalmers Center. Here are the video recordings from that those sessions:

• Friday Evening Session
• Saturday Session
• Recommended resource: https://playspent.org – a poverty simulation game

Related Links and Resources For Deacons

• OPC Diaconal Ministries – Deacon Training Videos – on Vimeo
• OPC Diaconal Ministries – Recommended Reading List
• OPC Ordained Servant Online Magazine – Resources for Elders and Deacons
• OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries – Official Website
• Outward OPC – Resources for Outreach
• The Reformed Deacon Podcast

Lessons Learned From Deacon Memories

Insert “lessons learned” here…

Footnotes

1. My personal copy of the OPC Standards of Government, Discipline, and Worship (FOG; Book of Church Order) was printed in 1992 ↩︎
2. There are several preachers with the name Frank Barker. One of the teaching elders at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in New Jersey was named Frank Barker. He was the one who spoke at the Deacon training conference I attended at Trinity in New Jersey in 1995. Not to be confused with Frank Morehead Barker, Jr. (1932-2021) – the church planter of Briarwood PCA, in Birmingham, Alabama. ↩︎
3. Discovered a letter in my Deacon notebook, from Richard Wagner (RE) dated April 28, 1995 that began as follows: “We are excited about the possibility of the deacons moving forward in ministry at OHCC. Would you be willing to teach one of the 12 sessions, during the elder/deacon training for the candidates? The session would be 2 hours long.” ↩︎
4. A document titled OHCC Officer Training, from 1998, indicates that 9 training sessions were scheduled for prospective officers. Beginning Sunday, January 25, 1998 and ending Sunday, April 5th. The training was scheduled from 1 to 5pm each Sunday afternoon. D. Vos & K. Donovan were assigned to teach the class on Sunday, March 22 on qualifications for Elders/Deacons. ↩︎

Published on 11-Nov-2024; updated on 19-Jun-2025