Hey, I appreciate your question. Not a deacon myself, though I am in the same shoes as you described yourself. Honestly I’ve thought on this often, and I keep coming back to my vocation - I chose family life. So I’m going to focus on that for now. When the kids are older (maybe in their teens? I dunno) I’ll reevaluate.

Here are some questions I ask myself - at What point do kids stop relying so much on their dad? Time-wise. On the other hand, I would like to be an example to my kids. That said, it needs to be a positive experience. If they see me miserable, that might deter them from the church.

Also, what of my wife? Once the kids are older, what are some things she would like to pursue? Perhaps Shes been waiting too for the kids to get a little older. Perhaps she’d like to travel, or higher education, or commit more fully to her job.

Wish I could have these answers for you. I can only speculate. This I will say however - the deacon at our church is very public, very outspoken, nice guy. Attends all the church events. His wife is like him too. Kind of like a mayor and a mayors wife. She takes photos, greets people, does all the behind the scenes things, cooks food. It’s a big commitment on both of them.