Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.  They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.  They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.  In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.  A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.  Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 3:8-13

Diakonos (dee.ak'.on.os), (Eng., "deacon"), n.
Primarily denotes a "servant," whether as doing servile work, or as an attendant rendering free service, without particular reference to its character. It occurs 29 times in the NT: of the followers of Christ in relation to their Lord, John 12: 26, Eph. 6: 21, Col. 1: 7, 4: 7; of the followers of Christ in relation to one another, Matt. 20: 26, 23: 11, Mark 9: 35, 10: 43; of those who serve in the churches, Rom. 16:1, 1 Tim. 3: 8, 3: 12; etc. 

The Qualifications of a Deacon:

With fatherly concern for the health of young Timothy's struggling church, Paul offered wisdom and painted a portrait of the servants of this struggling congregation. Teaching and preaching and visiting the sick and caring for the widows began to overwhelm this young pastor, and--for his sake and for the sake of his church--something had to be done; Timothy needed guidance from his apostolic mentor.  Paul established what would be for centuries to come the profile and qualifications of a deacon for any holistic missional Christian community.  The prerequisites that Paul authored are as follows:

• Worthy of respect
• Sincere
• Not indulging in much wine
• Not pursuing dishonest gain
• Keepers of the deep truths with a clear conscience
• With a spouse worthy of respect
• Not a malicious talker
• Temperate
• Trustworthy in everything
• Monogamous
• Faithful and diligent parent

The Role of a Deacon:

Along with the other few New Testament writers, Paul was wise in withholding specifics regarding the duties of a deacon.  He knew that the deacons were called and worked as the servants of the body, the hands and feet of the apostles and elders.  The deacons clean when something is dirty.  Visit when someone is lonely.  Feed when someone is hungry.  Pray when someone is sick.  Help when someone cannot do it alone. The boundaries are not set; the role of a deacon was left unwritten to provide much freedom for the global church and its ministers.
   
"As the terms (deacon and elder) and the order in which they are placed indicate, deacons are subordinate to overseers (elders, pastors, shepherds).  Overseers perform certain functions that deacons as a corporate body do not, but the overseers can perform all the deacons' functions.  Unlike deacons, however, elders are responsible for the overall leadership, supervision, and teaching of the congregation.  From the example of the seven in Acts 6, we learn that deacons provide a complementary service to the elders who bear the overall burdens of administration and teaching.  Deacons bear some of the elders' load, freeing them to concentrate on the essential aspects of their ministry-prayer, teaching, and protecting.  So, the deacons' work ought to be done in harmony with the elders and complement the elders' work… The New Testament intentionally lists no fixed duties for deacons.  As their name indicates, deacons are good servants who serve in whatever capacity they are needed.  They adjust to meet the needs at hand.  There is great latitude in their work." ~ Alexander Strauch