The role of deacons

When leaders of the early church needed help providing meals for widows, they appointed seven deacons who could care for the physical needs of the body of Christ. At Atlanta Westside, deacons are appointed, trained, and installed every other year to serve the church. Our diaconate is organized into three groups focused on welcome and connection, benevolence, and finance. 

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WELCOME & CONNECTION

The heart of the Welcome and Connection team is to promote an aroma of Christ for all who enter the doors at Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church. From the parking lot, to the sanctuary and everywhere in between, we want to find and create ways for people to be seen and known. 

We want to encourage connections for those individuals who desire to take the next steps into membership, find the right spot to volunteer and serve and ultimately be engaged through Church community.

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BENEVOLENCE MINISTRY

The Benevolence Ministry exists to live out the good news of Jesus by holistically and practically assisting and encouraging our members and neighbors. We do this through providing immediate, practical relief as well as through partnerships with other agencies on the Westside. 

Immediate relief might be related to a member’s needs for food, shelter, clothing, or physical health that are due to a sudden illness, trauma, or other emergency. For ongoing needs, we attempt to connect individuals to partners and agencies that may be able to assist them. 

Because Atlanta Westside prizes the heart, some financial assistance is available for counseling when a member needs it. Every month, two deacons serve as the “Deacons On-Call” to receive and respond to any members requesting assistance. 

If you are in need of assistance, fill out our Benevolence Form, or contact one of our deacons to assist you. If you’d like to learn more about our approach to benevolence, one book that has helped influence or decisions is When Helping Hurts. 

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FINANCE TEAM

The Finance Team serves by prayerfully managing the church’s finances. We do so by developing the church’s annual budget and by discerning expenses, needs, and overall financial health by carefully considering all financial requests and responsibilities. 

We have the privilege of meeting regularly with church planters, missionaries, campus ministry staff, community ministries and other church missionary opportunities, and we carefully and prayerfully allocate available church finances to people and organizations that expand the Lord’s Kingdom.  We also oversee the Financial Stewardship Crown Ministries finance course, “Managing Our Finances God’s Way.”

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For more information about church leadership at Westside, visit our About Us page or reach out to any member of the staff, session, or diaconate. 

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Sincerely, 

The Atlanta Westside Deacons