Why Ordain Deacons

Even with their "limited" functions (compared to a priest or bishop), the diaconate is still a degree of holy orders, and requires ordination for that reason.

Deacons typically engage in service of a consecrated religious nature in the Lutheran tradition. They evolved from the 19th century deaconess, which was sort of a religious social worker.

The deacons I know of visit people in hospitals or their homes as chaplains.

Deacons are the Representatives of the Church in that area, they might be the only contact someone has with the Church, therefore it must be understood by those in Authority that the Deacons are faithful to the Teachings of the Church before they are allowed to Represent the Church to the populace.

Also I believe it is the first step one would take in becoming a Priest.

FireDragon76 said:

Deacons typically engage in service of a consecrated religious nature in the Lutheran tradition. They evolved from the 19th century deaconess, which was sort of a religious social worker.

The deacons I know of visit people in hospitals or their homes as chaplains.

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I look at deacons as professionals. Representing the church always in the correct way is very important.
M-Bob

Arcangl86 said:

This is something that's been bouncing around my head due to discernment stuff. Why do traditional churches ordain deacons? I know that the role of the deacon is service, but isn't service a fundamental part of everybody's baptismal vocation? Priests are ordained to preside at the sacraments and only somebody ordained as a priest can confect the Eucharist, absolve sins or pronounce God's blessing (That one seems to differ a lot among traditional churches.) Bishops are ordained to serve as overseers of the church and to ensure good order, part of which is to ordain. But what unique role in the life of the Church do deacons fulfill?

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In our church we have a Board of Managers who look after the practical running of the church and the church property. These are the equivalent of deacons here. This has allowed our ministers to concentrate on their ministry without having to be burdened with everything else to do with running the church.

The main reason a lot of ministers burn out is that congregations expect them to be the jack of all trades in the church, while the members turn up and pew sit on Sundays. The more sensible pastors have a team of elders to assist him or her with the spiritual and pastoral side of the church, and a team of deacons to deal with the practical side.

Remember also that deacons are specifically mentioned in Scripture - along with the qualifications to join he Diaconate. Also, take a look at Acts of the Apostles 6 (vs 1-6), both for evidence and need for deacons. All members of the Church are called to serve, but specific members were designated to help lead that service and historically, to help the bishops wherever it is needed - to assist and serve.

Arcangl86 said:

But what unique role in the life of the Church do deacons fulfill?

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I was on a discernment committee a few years back for one of our parishioners who was considering the diaconate, and I realized that I couldn't quite put my finger on the answer to the question you've asked. How is the vocation of a deacon different from the vocation of a lay person? Deacons serve people in the world in the name of Christ -- but that's the vocation of lay people as well. In the Episcopal Church's baptismal vows, we promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

All that is to say: I really like your question, but I don't have an answer.

A followup point: I see that we're in the "Traditional Theology" forum, and not in STR. My puzzlement applies mostly to the Episcopal tradition. In the Baptist tradition of my childhood, there were bunches of deacons in my church, maybe 20 or 30, and they served as a board of elders, something like the vestry in the Episcopal tradition; they made decisions about the day-to-day running of the church. That role makes sense to me.

Arcangl86 said:

This is something that's been bouncing around my head due to discernment stuff. Why do traditional churches ordain deacons? I know that the role of the deacon is service, but isn't service a fundamental part of everybody's baptismal vocation? Priests are ordained to preside at the sacraments and only somebody ordained as a priest can confect the Eucharist, absolve sins or pronounce God's blessing (That one seems to differ a lot among traditional churches.) Bishops are ordained to serve as overseers of the church and to ensure good order, part of which is to ordain. But what unique role in the life of the Church do deacons fulfill?

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They are to serve. Literally they are table waiters, lowly slaves. From Acts we know they were commissioned, and that is why they are ordained. All of us are to serve each other and our larger communities, but these guys are to do so with our blessing. Prison ministry, food shelf work, a bit of preaching maybe, they can baptize and officiate weddings. The higher orders are generally ordained from the diaconate. For example, every Catholic priest was first a deacon, every bishop was first a deacon and priest. The pope even has a title of 'servant of the servants of God'.

I guess my puzzlement is that, as you say, all of us are to serve each other and our larger communities. In my parish, the people who participate in prison ministry are lay people. The dozen or so people who cook dinners for the guests in our church's homeless shelter are lay people. The members who participate in the distribution of groceries to local poor families are also lay people. So I'm still not distinguishing the vocation of the laity from the vocation of the diaconate.

Is the difference the amount of time deacons invest in their ministries? Is it that they also serve as a kind of assistant pastor, preaching and officiating at services?

PloverWing said:

I guess my puzzlement is that, as you say, all of us are to serve each other and our larger communities. In my parish, the people who participate in prison ministry are lay people. The dozen or so people who cook dinners for the guests in our church's homeless shelter are lay people. The members who participate in the distribution of groceries to local poor families are also lay people. So I'm still not distinguishing the vocation of the laity from the vocation of the diaconate.

Is the difference the amount of time deacons invest in their ministries? Is it that they also serve as a kind of assistant pastor, preaching and officiating at services?

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My experience knowing a few Catholic deacons is that they can be full time deacons or part time deacons with other jobs. They do marriages sometimes, baptize sometimes, preach sometimes, assist at mass sometimes, staff the parish office sometimes as well. I knew one who worked at the diocesan offices in a marriage tribunal. Others who work in prison ministry.

I think you have something that it's not obvious what the difference is between an ordained deacon who works in a homeless shelter and a lay person who works long hours in a homeless shelter.

I think it may come down to something I thought I understood from Athanasius, who had been deacon to Alexander in Alexandria. He was at the time the bishop's servant, doing what the bishop needed done in terms of service. Maybe that is the way to understand it. The bishop sees a need and sends the deacon, who is able to represent the bishop even if he does not have the ordination as presbyter or bishop, but he does have an ordination for the kind of service he is assigned. I donno.

I think that Episcopal deacons are expected to support themselves through a job outside the church, so in that way they're still like the laity. (One of our deacons was a nurse, for example.)

But I agree that the relationship with the bishop is one of the differences. In the Episcopal church, deacons are assigned to various parishes and ministries by the bishop; it sounds like the Catholic church has the same custom. Lay people, by contrast, get to choose their parishes and their ministries. So maybe that's a significant difference in vocation: you're acting as an agent of the bishop, instead of an independent agent.

PloverWing said:

I think that Episcopal deacons are expected to support themselves through a job outside the church, so in that way they're still like the laity. (One of our deacons was a nurse, for example.)

But I agree that the relationship with the bishop is one of the differences. In the Episcopal church, deacons are assigned to various parishes and ministries by the bishop; it sounds like the Catholic church has the same custom. Lay people, by contrast, get to choose their parishes and their ministries. So maybe that's a significant difference in vocation: you're acting as an agent of the bishop, instead of an independent agent.

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It works the same way in the Orthodox Church. A Deacon may be assigned to a parish - but ultimately he is attached to the bishop, not the priest. He serves however and wherever the bishop directs.

In my diocese it is as under Holy Order most deacons are transitional deacons which simply means it is a step prior to ordination to priest. Used properly I believe they play an important role in pastoral service within the parish or diocese. These days what we call Liturgical Assistants sacramentally play the same role as a deacon, we also have to be licensed within the parish and diocese. The LA license is can also include a license to preach the word of God and perform funerals.

It's true that in my tradition there is nothing a deacon may do that a lay person may not. But it's also true that even priests and bishops spend the vast majority of their time doing things a competent lay person could do. I think it's a mistake to boil an order down to the specific tasks exclusive to that order, but rather to look at the life as a whole.

So, for example, look at the exhortation in the ordination of deacons:

"Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ lived and died as the servant of God.
All who follow him are called to serve God in the world,
setting forth Christ's kingdom through the power of the Spirit.

Christ has called you to the office of deacon.
You are to be an ambassador of Christ,
serving God as you serve others in Jesus' name.
Proclaim the good news of God's love,
so that many may be moved to faith and repentance,
and hearts be opened to do justice,
love mercy, and walk humbly in the presence of God.
Let the transforming love of Jesus be known to all
among whom you live and work.
Strengthen the faithful, teach the young,
search out the careless and indifferent.
Encourage the members of Christ's body by word and example,
ministering among the sick, the needy and all who are oppressed or in trouble.

Together with your bishop, priest and people,
you are to take your place in public worship,
assist in the administration of the sacraments,
and play your part in the life and councils of the Church.
You are to preach the word of God in the place to which you are licensed,
and to pray and work for peace and justice in the world.

As a deacon, you are to model your life according to the word of God.
Study the Scriptures, reflecting with God's people upon their meaning,
that all may be equipped to live out God's truth in the world.
Put away all that does not make for holiness of life.
Be faithful in prayer, that you may have strength to run the race that is set before you."

And then the service goes on with the examination.

But that is a portrait of a deacon. And even though it has been nearly five years since those words were said to me at my ordination, I can't type them without tears in my eyes. "Christ has called you..." and this is what you are to be.

It is more specific than a baptismal vocation, which can be served in any number of ways and contexts.

Back in the old days, I was friendly with several "deacons" in my Southern Baptist ecclesial community. Several of the deacons in that community adhered to theology which, to be charitable, I found specious (even from an evangelical perspective).

However, you can generally be sure of what a Catholic deacon believes by virtue of the fact that he's ordained. A deacon in the Catholic Church has usually prayed for about a year over his calling, undergone a multi-year training process (including theology, philosophy, the scriptures, counseling, etc.) and then gone through another year of formation after being ordained.

Meanwhile, over in evangelical land, the process is slightly less rigorous. It seems to be something like "Hey, you seem like a nice guy. So even though I totally don't know you or what you believe, wanna be a deacon? We have cake!" The process usually required about a month to complete.

At that SB ecclesial community, it was common for some percentage of deacons to quit after about a year and a half, either officially or else by simply no longer attending the monthly meetings.

My dad was a deacon in Southern Baptist churches when I was a child. I remember that he did a lot of hospital visitations, for one thing. I don't think he had any sort of administrative duties, and since this was a Baptist congregation, business decisions were voted on by the whole congregation.

I also remember that new Deacons were "ordained" by the laying on of hands by other Deacons (and the Minister I think).

Actually, thecolorsblend hints at a good point which I hadn't quite thought of yet; one thing about ordaining deacons is that we then take oaths of obedience etc. In theory, an ordained person is much more bound by the discipline of the church than a lay person.