Can deacons dismiss or fire a pastor ? What are the roles of deacons?
Answer
There is no provision in the scriptures for firing elders who have been properly ordained. If, however, you are using pastor in the non-bilbical way, to refer to a preacher, then it makes sense that whoever hired the man would have the right to fire him. If the elders hired the preacher, they would have the right to fire. If the congregation as a whole chose the preacher, then the firing would be a right only of the whole congregation. If the deacons did the hiring, then they would be the ones to do the firing.
The Bible does not list specific duties of deacons, other than being servants of the congregation. (The word deacon comes from a Greek word meaning a servant or an administrator.) If the men assigned in Acts 6 could be said to be deacons then the duties of the deacons would include the physical maintenance of the church, as opposed to the spiritual aspects which are the duties of the elders (Hebrews 13:17). Please see Misunderstood Deacon for my previous article on this subject.