5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
Interestingly, all seven names that the church chose were Greek names. The wisdom of this was that the Hellenists could not charge the church with bias. Two of the seven became great evangelists.
6:5
And the saying pleased the whole multitude.
The church agreed that the apostles were to focus their ministry on continual prayer and the ministry of the Word. The entire assembly made the selection of the seven and agreed to the proposal.
And they chose Stephen,
Stephen was a Greek-speaking Jew. All other names in this verse were also Greek-speaking names with the implication that they were Hellenists. Stephen would take a primary role in Acts 6:8-8:4.
a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit,
Stephen had sterling qualities as a leader; he was “full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” The exercise of faith and the filling of the Spirit was necessary for a dynamic ministry.
and Philip,
Both Stephen and Philip would become prominent leaders in the early church. We would see Philip’s role in reaching the Samaritans in Acts 8:5-25. He would reach an Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40.
Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte [a Gentile convert to Judaism] from Antioch,
We know nothing of Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, or Parmenas. Nicolas was not originally a Jew but converted to Judaism in Antioch, then later to Christianity. These five men played no further role in the book of Acts.
6:6
whom they set before the apostles;
The church set before the apostles the seven, and the apostles installed them to the task of serving widows.
and when they had prayed,
The two elements of the commission were (1) prayer and (2) laying hands on them.
they laid hands on them.
The laying of hands on leadership was a practice of the early church (1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6). This act was a symbol of granting ministerial authority to the seven. This act was not ordination but appointment to a specific task.
PRINCIPLE:
The local church needs organization.
APPLICATION:
Proper organization in the local church will allow the leadership to emphasize their primary roles. It will keep church unity if the congregation’s needs are adequately met.
A growing church requires constant organizational changes that address the needs of an expanding ministry. If a church remains organizationally stagnated, it will cease to grow. I used to say to my staff, “What brings you here is what keeps you here.” There is a tendency to rest on past success. Leadership must constantly change the church’s structure to meet the congregation’s size. It is normal to feel comfortable in what brought the church to its current size, but it will stop growing without further structural changes.
