When Church Growth Gets Messy: The Beautiful Chaos of Acts 6
What’s Acts 6 about?
Picture the early church exploding with growth – thousands of new believers, daily conversions, miracles happening left and right. Sounds amazing, right? But growth brings problems, and Acts 6 shows us what happens when even the best intentions can’t keep up with God’s blessing. It’s a masterclass in organizational wisdom wrapped in the story of seven deacons and one unforgettable martyr.
The Full Context
Luke is writing to Theophilus around 60-62 AD, documenting how the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Rome despite every obstacle imaginable. By Acts 6, we’re maybe 2-3 years after Pentecost, and the Jerusalem church has grown from 120 believers to thousands. The apostles are overwhelmed – they’re preaching, teaching, healing, and apparently running what amounts to the ancient world’s largest food distribution program.
But here’s where it gets interesting: the rapid growth is creating cracks in the foundation. Greek-speaking Jewish Christians (Hellenists) are feeling neglected compared to Hebrew-speaking Jewish Christians (Hebrews) in the daily distribution of food to widows. This isn’t just about logistics – it’s about the fundamental question of whether the gospel can truly unite people across cultural and linguistic divisions. Luke is showing us that even Spirit-filled communities have to work intentionally at unity, and sometimes that means restructuring how things get done.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The word Luke uses for “complaint” in Acts 6:1 is gongusmos – it’s the sound of low, persistent murmuring. Think of it like the hum of discontent that builds in any group when people feel overlooked. The same word appears in the Septuagint when the Israelites grumbled against Moses in the wilderness. Luke isn’t being subtle here – he’s drawing a parallel between Israel’s complaints about physical bread and the church’s complaints about daily bread distribution.
Grammar Geeks
The phrase “full of the Spirit and wisdom” in Acts 6:3 uses two different Greek constructions. “Full of the Spirit” (plērēs pneumatos) suggests someone completely filled, while “full of wisdom” (plērēs sophias) implies practical skill in handling complex situations. The apostles aren’t just looking for spiritual people – they want spiritually mature people who can actually solve problems.
When the apostles say they don’t want to “neglect the word of God to serve tables” (Acts 6:2), they’re using kataleipō (neglect) – the same word used for abandoning or forsaking something precious. They’re not saying table service is beneath them; they’re saying they can’t abandon their primary calling to do everything else, no matter how important.
The word for “serve” (diakoneō) appears three times in this passage – serving tables, serving the word, and the noun form “deacon” (diakonos). Luke is making a point: all ministry is service, whether it’s preaching or food distribution. The difference isn’t in dignity but in calling and giftedness.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
To Luke’s original readers, this story would have sounded revolutionary. In the Greco-Roman world, administrative work was often looked down upon by the elite, but here we see apostles – the highest authorities in the church – carefully selecting and formally commissioning people for what others might consider menial tasks.
Did You Know?
Widow care was a massive social issue in the ancient world. Without social safety nets, widows often faced destitution. Jewish communities had developed systematic approaches to widow care, but the early church was dealing with unprecedented numbers and cross-cultural complexity that traditional systems couldn’t handle.
The laying on of hands in Acts 6:6 would have been immediately recognizable to Jewish readers as a formal ordination, the same gesture used to commission rabbis and transfer authority. These aren’t volunteers – they’re officially ordained ministers of the church, set apart for a specific calling.
Luke’s first readers would also have understood the significance of Stephen’s Greek name. All seven men chosen have Greek names, suggesting they were Hellenistic Jews who could bridge the cultural divide that was causing the problem in the first place. The apostles don’t just address the symptom (better food distribution) but the root cause (cultural misunderstanding and miscommunication).
But Wait… Why Did They…?
Here’s something that might puzzle modern readers: if the apostles were so overwhelmed, why didn’t they just delegate the preaching too? Why draw such a firm line between “serving tables” and “serving the word”?
The answer reveals something profound about spiritual authority and calling. The apostles weren’t claiming superiority – they were recognizing that God had given them a specific, non-transferable commission. They had been eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. Their authority to preach came not from education or eloquence, but from their unique historical position as Jesus’ chosen witnesses.
But notice what happens next – Stephen, chosen to “serve tables,” ends up preaching with such power and wisdom that his opponents can’t argue with him (Acts 6:10). The apostles weren’t creating a rigid hierarchy where only they could preach; they were ensuring their primary calling was protected while creating space for others to discover and exercise their own gifts.
Wrestling with the Text
The transition from administrative problem-solving to Stephen’s martyrdom might seem abrupt, but Luke is making a deliberate connection. The same qualities that made Stephen an excellent deacon – being full of the Spirit and wisdom – also made him a powerful evangelist and apologist.
Wait, That’s Strange…
Stephen performs “great wonders and signs” (Acts 6:8) even though he was chosen primarily for administrative work. This suggests that spiritual gifts aren’t limited by job descriptions – God equips people for kingdom work that often extends beyond their official roles.
The charges against Stephen in Acts 6:13-14 are almost identical to the charges against Jesus – blasphemy against the temple and the law. Luke is showing us that following Jesus inevitably leads to confrontation with religious systems that have become ends in themselves rather than means to knowing God.
What’s particularly striking is how Luke describes Stephen’s face as “like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). In Jewish tradition, this likely recalls Moses’ face shining when he came down from Mount Sinai. Stephen, accused of speaking against the law, is given the same divine radiance as the lawgiver himself.
How This Changes Everything
Acts 6 revolutionizes how we think about church structure and spiritual calling. The apostles don’t solve their problem by working harder or ignoring complaints – they restructure. They recognize that effective ministry requires both spiritual maturity and practical wisdom, and they’re willing to share authority to accomplish God’s purposes.
This passage destroys any notion of a two-tiered Christianity where some people do “real ministry” while others handle the “practical stuff.” The seven deacons receive the same formal commissioning as the apostles, and Stephen’s ministry demonstrates that faithfulness in one area often leads to expanded opportunities in others.
“Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is reorganize.”
The story also shows us that unity doesn’t happen automatically, even in Spirit-filled communities. The Hellenistic widows weren’t complaining because they were unspiritual or divisive – they had a legitimate grievance. The apostles didn’t dismiss their concerns or spiritualize the problem away. They took practical action to ensure everyone was truly cared for.
For modern churches, Acts 6 provides a blueprint for handling growth-related problems: acknowledge legitimate concerns, restructure when necessary, choose leaders based on character and competence, and formally recognize different types of ministry calling.
Key Takeaway
When ministry gets overwhelming, the solution isn’t to do everything yourself or ignore the problems – it’s to multiply leadership by empowering others to use their gifts. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is reorganize so that everyone can fulfill their calling and everyone gets the care they need.
Further Reading
Internal Links:
External Scholarly Resources:
- The Book of Acts (New International Commentary on the New Testament) by F.F. Bruce
- Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Darrell Bock
- The Acts of the Apostles (Pillar New Testament Commentary) by David Peterson
Tags
Acts 6:1, Acts 6:2, Acts 6:3, Acts 6:6, Acts 6:8, Acts 6:10, Acts 6:13, Acts 6:15, church leadership, deacons, Stephen, church growth, unity, spiritual gifts, ministry calling, practical wisdom, church structure, cultural diversity, widow care
