(Tim) This e-mail just went out to the members of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City over the signature of the church's pastor, Tim Keller. The e-mail's purpose is to solicit nominations of men and women for church office. Nominations are to be sent to Jenny Chang, Redeemer's Director of the Diaconate. And for those not keeping track, Tim Keller is the main proponent of woman officers in the Presbyterian Church in America.
What's written here is one more indication of a promotion and practice of woman officers at Redeemer that's contrary both to Scripture and to our denomination's Constitution.
If anyone's still lost in wishful thinking that the practice of woman officers by Redeemer and her sister churches is nothing more than the implementation of deaconesses defended by Calvin and Warfield, please repeat after me: Deeks. Deeks. Deeks...
Reading this to my wife just now, she thought I'd made the word up. Then, I arrived at Tim Keller's e-mail below and, with shock and disbelief, she exclaimed, "I thought you were making it up. That's astounding!"
Indeed.
New words are hard to learn, aren't they? Speaking only for myself, it took forever to get the hang of 'waiter' for 'waitress' and 'actor' for 'actress'. So I'm not looking forward to the next half a year learning to avoid 'deacon' and 'deaconess', trading them in for the gender-neutered 'deek.'
But hey, Redeemer's hip...
and who wants to be Left Behind?
On the other hand, how will we ever know which deek has been ordained and which hasn't?
Things fall apart, don't they?
* * *
From: Tim Keller [mailto: _______@redeemer.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 ____ PM
To: (Redeemer's members)
Subject: November is Officer Nomination Month
November 2, 2009
Dear Redeemer Member:
As you probably know, November is Redeemer’s officer nomination month. Once a year members have the privilege and opportunity to recommend other members for the offices of elder, deacon and deaconess.
As we enter an exciting chapter in our ministry in NYC through the RENEW Campaign, there are more opportunities to serve than ever before. Identifying new leaders within our congregation has always been a priority at Redeemer, and we need your help to find members who have the right gifts and experience to serve on the Session and the Diaconate.
There are 49 men and women currently serving on the Diaconate and 20 men serving on the Session as ruling elders. These men and women have been elected by the congregation and have gone through theological and practical training to master the skills and the information necessary for these positions.
Elders are men who serve on the Session and provide spiritual and administrative leadership to the congregation through oversight of Redeemer ministries, leaders, and members. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.
The primary work of the Diaconate is practical deeds of mercy. Deacons and deaconesses (deeks) [sic] minister to those in our church family who find themselves in distress, crisis or emergency situations caused by illness, job loss, long-term unemployment, or other immediate physical, material, spiritual or emotional needs. Deeks also assist elders with membership interviews, and deaconesses provide input and support to elders working on complicated shepherding situations. Acts 6:1-4 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Your faithful giving to the Mercy Fund over the years enables the Diaconate to care for our congregants during this economic recession. In addition to nominating deek candidates, you can help this ministry by encouraging congregants facing hardship to call the Diaconate Helpline – 212-726-1334.
Accepted nominees will begin training in January of 2010. We are looking for men and women who are members of Redeemer and willing to co-labor with us in these ministries. Please read the description and qualifications of the offices of elder, deacon and deaconess on this pdf or online.
Please prayerfully consider your elder, deacon and deaconess nominations and place a nomination form, with your signature, in the offering basket at any service during the month of November or mail/fax to:
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Jenny Chang, Diaconate Director
1359 Broadway, 4th floor
New York, NY 10018
Fax 646-572-0020
You may also submit a nomination online.
May God give you discernment as you consider those who may be qualified to serve in these vital roles.
Sincerely,
Dr. Timothy J. Keller
Senior Pastor
