Deacon as an office but not Deaconess

The word for " deacon" -- that is various forms of diaconos is translated deacon or deacons four times in the KJV . The rest of the 26 or so other times it is used it is translated servant or minister and refers to all classes of people Christians and non Christians, men and women alike. Consequently all men and all women in the church are servants or ministers. There would have been no distinction between the words deacon and minister or servant for those reading the original Greek Bible.

But just as all old people would be elders only men occupied the office of "elder" Even though 1Tim 5:2 uses the feminine form of presbyter. We do not conclude therefore that there was an office of "presbyteress" or "eldress"

Since there are qualifications for diakonoi and they are men who are set apart to be officially deacons or servants and not all servants or ministers were set apart to an office it should not follow that there is an official office of deaconess because all Christian women, like Phoebe, are ministers or a "deacanon." The Greek form for Phoebe is deacanon. It seems to me to be a neuter form. I do not know what that means.

All Christian men are ministers or servants but it does not follow that all Christian men are officially set apart to be deacons or ministers.

So also since all Christian women are servants or ministers it also does not follow that they have all been set apart officially to an Office.

I do not think that not having an office will keep Godly men and women from doing work that needs to be done in the church. Most of the serving responsibilities in the church can and should be shared by all Christians without holding an office. In England the indigenous churches of Christ have always had women song leaders and those who prepare and pass communion or the collection. All share the responsibilities of worship (except that women to not "preside")

I do not see the qualifications for deaconeses in the NT so there doesn't appear to be an office. There are qualifications for deacons' wives but these too are to qualify the deacon for his office not for the wife's office. The fact is that women in the N T served in the Lord's work in worship, and evangelism, but it would take some real stretching to find an office for women in the New Testament. I believe that all men and women in the N T were evangelists but I don't believe there was any women who had the hands of the elders laid on her to set her apart and who held the Office of evangelist. Let us do the work whether we have officials or not. Me, I have always been in favor of and always called on women to lead in prayer, and I am in favor of women and men sharing the responsibilities of doing what is needed in a worship service except for preaching.

There are other things about authority that might be said but I will reserve that for another time so as not to confuse what I have just written.