Deacon Training Curriculum: A 12-Session Plan for Reformed Churches

A good deacon training curriculum starts with the man before it gets to the ministry. Most of what Paul requires of deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 is character, so most of the training should be too: calling, godliness, doctrine, home and conduct in conflict. Then it turns to the work itself: mercy, practical care, stewardship of the church's gifts and service to neighbors. A workable plan has twelve sessions, eight on the officer and four on the office, and fits in one quarter.

Below is that plan session by session, what Presbyterian and Reformed Baptist church orders expect, how to run each class, and the practical work that should happen alongside the class.

What does your church order require?

Start with your own constitution. Both the PCA and the OPC build training into the path to office.

• PCA. "Nominees for the office of ruling elder and/or deacon shall receive instruction in the qualifications and work of the office" (BCO 24-1). The session then examines each nominee in his Christian experience, his knowledge of Bible content, his knowledge of the church's doctrine, government and discipline, the duties of the office, and his willingness to take the ordination vows.
• OPC. No one is normally eligible for election until he has been a communicant member for at least a year, "shall have received appropriate training under the direction of or with the approval of the session, and shall have served the church in functions requiring responsible leadership" (FG 25.3).
• Reformed Baptist churches. The 1689 Confession has each church choose its elders "by the common suffrage of the church itself" and its deacons "by the like suffrage" (26.9). The details of training and examination belong to each church's constitution.

Notice what the PCA examines. A curriculum that covers only logistics prepares a man for one item out of five.

What is a deacon, in Scripture and in your book of order?

The office is usually traced to Acts 6. Widows were being neglected in the daily distribution, and the apostles told the church, "pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty" (Acts 6:3, ESV). Luke never calls the seven deacons. But the problem and the answer show the shape of the office: practical mercy, done by spiritual men, so that the ministry of the word is not neglected.

Paul's list in 1 Timothy 3 is almost all character:

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. (1 Timothy 3:8-10, ESV)

The church orders say the same. The PCA calls the office "one of sympathy and service, after the example of the Lord Jesus" (BCO 9-1) and asks for men of "spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly spirit, warm sympathies, and sound judgment" (BCO 9-3). The OPC says deacons "are called to show forth the compassion of Christ in a manifold ministry of mercy toward the saints and strangers on behalf of the church" (FG 11.1).

If you need to explain how the office differs from the eldership, see elder vs deacon in the Presbyterian church.

The 12-session plan

Sessions 1 to 8 deal with the man. Sessions 9 to 12 deal with the work of a deacon. If you also train elders, the first eight can be taught to both groups together.

A few notes on the deacon sessions:

• Session 9. Read PCA BCO 9 or OPC FG 11 aloud together. Both put the deacons under the supervision and authority of the session (PCA BCO 9-2; OPC FG 11.5). A deacon who understands that early will not feel it later as an insult.
• Session 10. Mercy needs wisdom as well as warmth. Talk about how to help without humiliating, when a request needs the elders, and how to keep a confidence.
• Session 11. The PCA gives deacons the duty "to develop the grace of liberality in the members of the church" and to distribute the people's gifts (BCO 9-2). Paul handled a collection so that no one could blame him, "for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man" (2 Corinthians 8:21, ESV). Teach two signatures, clear records and regular reports to the session.
• Session 12. "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10, ESV). Both priorities are in the verse. The OPC's "saints and strangers" says the same.

How to run each class

Sixty to seventy-five minutes is enough:

1. Read the text and its context aloud.
2. Explain what the passage says before you apply it.
3. Connect it to your confession and your church order.
4. Discuss three or four questions, including one for self-examination: where does this expose me?
5. Review the assignment from the last class.
6. Pray for one another and for the people the board serves.

Keep the tone formative. The class is not the examination. A man who is afraid to admit weakness in Session 6 will hide it from the board later.

Practical work alongside the class

The OPC asks that a man normally have served "in functions requiring responsible leadership" before election (FG 25.3). Paul says deacons should "be tested first" (1 Timothy 3:10, ESV). Training is the natural time to do both.

• Let each trainee attend a meeting of the board of deacons as a guest.
• Pair him with an experienced deacon for one visit to a member who is sick or in need.
• Give him a real, anonymized benevolence request and ask how he would handle it.
• Ask him to help with one practical task the board carries, such as a building need or a meal schedule.

What the elders observe here will tell them more than any written test.

Common mistakes in deacon training

• Training only for logistics. Ushering, counting the offering and building repairs matter, but they are not the heart of the office. Acts 6 began with widows.
• Skipping the doctrine. A deacon must "hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience" (1 Timothy 3:9, ESV). He will be visiting the sick and the grieving. He needs to know what to say from Scripture.
• Treating the class as a promise. Make clear from the first class that training does not guarantee nomination or election.
• Leaving the session out. Elders should teach some of the classes and observe the practical work. They are the ones who will examine the candidates.

A next step for this week

• Read Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13 with your session and your board of deacons.
• Read your church order on the diaconate together and decide who will teach which class.
• Before the examination, use these questions to ask deacon and elder candidates.

If you want the sessions drafted for your church, the deacon track in Hokmah Expositor's church leadership training drafts the eight foundational sessions plus four on the deacon in Scripture, mercy and practical care, finances and stewardship, and holistic mission, with your confession as an optional layer. You review every session before you teach it. It does not replace your constitution, and it does not decide who is fit for office.

Sources

• Book of Church Order, Part 1, chapters 9 and 24, Presbyterian Church in America, https://www.pcaac.org/book-of-church-order/part-1-the-form-of-government/ (accessed October 26, 2026)
• Form of Government, chapters XI and XXV, Book of Church Order, Orthodox Presbyterian Church, https://www.opc.org/BCO/FG.html (accessed October 26, 2026)
• The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, chapter 26, The Reformed Reader, https://reformedreader.org/ccc/1689lbc/english/Chapter26.htm (accessed October 26, 2026)
• The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Crossway), passages checked at https://www.biblegateway.com/ (accessed October 26, 2026)