The deacon ministry at Memorial is open to men 21 and older who have given evidence in their speech and behavior that they are committed to following Christ. The deacon ministry consists of four components:
- Deacon emeritus. These are ordained men who for a variety of reasons are no longer able to fully serve in all aspects of deacon ministry and have effectively "retired" from active status.
- Elected Deacons. This is a body of 21 ordained men who are elected by the church for three year terms. Those terms are staggered so that 1/3 of the elected group rotates into non-elected status each year. These men meet monthly with the pastoral staff to review the spiritual and physical status and needs of the church and to make decisions, where appropriate to deal with those needs.
- Non-elected Deacons. This the entire body of ordained men who have not chosen emeritus status and are not part of the 21 elected men. These men are still active in serving on the Deacon of the week team, Wednesday night security and are available as needed at the call of the Deacon chairman or Senior Pastor.
- Deacon-In-Training. These are non-ordained men who are serving a one year training period designed to determine if they and the church believe they should be ordained as a Deacon.
Candidates to be selected for the deacon-in-training program or the elected body of 21 are annually nominated from either the church membership at large or from the Deacon Body itself.
The qualifications for deacon ministry are as contained in the Scripture in I Timothy 3:8-13.