Difference between revisions of "Deacon"
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== Deacons and vestrymen today == | == Deacons and vestrymen today == | ||
| − | These two parallel understandings of the office of deacon persist today. The [[Church of England]], under the leadership of King [[Henry VIII]], retained all the hierarchical forms of the Roman Catholic Church from which it had broken away. The [[Lutheran Church]], the [[Reformation]] equivalent in continental [[Europe]], retained little of that structure. The modern [[Baptist Church]] retains ''no'' such structure, because it never had it. Thus only the hierarchical churches have the extended apprenticeship program for priests that the diaconate has come to mean in those churches. | + | These two parallel understandings of the office of deacon persist today. The [[Church of England]], under the leadership of King [[Henry VIII]], retained all the hierarchical forms of the Roman Catholic Church from which it had broken away. The [[Lutheran Church]], the [[Reformation]] equivalent in continental [[Europe]], retained little of that structure. The modern [[Baptist Church]] retains ''no'' such structure, because it never had it. Thus only the hierarchical churches have the extended apprenticeship program for priests that the diaconate has come to mean in those churches. Yet both kinds of church recognize the need for a function performed by laymen. |
| − | + | === Election and term of office === | |
| + | In the Baptist Church, such men are still called deacons and perform the same function that deacons in the early church once performed. Typically a pastor, or a committee of long-standing members answering to the pastor, will nominate deacons who shall take office upon confirmation by election of the membership. Some churches might hold multiple rounds of deacon elections, with the first election serving as a sort of informal nominating convention in which a member may "nominate" anyone he wishes. The usual term of office of a deacon is three years, and a deacon would at the end of that time not be re-eligible for another year. | ||
In hierarchical churches, including the [[Anglican Communion]] (and in [[America]], the [[Episcopal Church]]), these lay ministries persist, though under a different name: the '''vestry'''. An individual belonging to the vestry is called a '''vestryman''' (or a vestry-woman). The vestry typically has a '''senior warden''' as its head and often a '''junior warden''' as deputy to the senior warden. | In hierarchical churches, including the [[Anglican Communion]] (and in [[America]], the [[Episcopal Church]]), these lay ministries persist, though under a different name: the '''vestry'''. An individual belonging to the vestry is called a '''vestryman''' (or a vestry-woman). The vestry typically has a '''senior warden''' as its head and often a '''junior warden''' as deputy to the senior warden. | ||
| + | === Duties === | ||
In both churches, the function is the same. Deacons (or vestrymen) generally handle all the "business" functions of the church. These include: | In both churches, the function is the same. Deacons (or vestrymen) generally handle all the "business" functions of the church. These include: | ||
Revision as of 12:43, March 8, 2008
A deacon (Greek diakonos a servant who waits on the table of his master) is a member of the clerical order next below that of a priest in hierarchical churches. In non-hierarchical churches, a deacon is a layman, one of a group (called the Board of Deacons) varying from one to five percent of the church membership, charged with the day-to-day management of the church and the occasional provision of church-member services.
Contents
In the early church
The term deacon and the office it represents has its origin in the earliest days of Christianity. The Bible specifically says:In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." Acts 6:1-4 (NIV)
Thus originally, a deacon was not a preacher at all, but a social worker, a treasurer, and a business functionary.
Toward the end of his ministry and life, Saint Paul set forth specific qualifications for the office of deacon. These qualifications extended even to the sort of wife that a deacon ought to have, and a declaration that man and wife both ought to conduct themselves in a manner not deserving of reproach.[1]
The Roman Catholic Church
During the reign of the Emperor Constantine, the Roman Catholic Church established itself, with essentially the same hierarchy of priests that the old polytheistic Roman state religion had had. The RCC developed a multitiered clerical order, with the Pope (essentially a renamed Pontifex Maximus, hence the nickname "pontiff" often applied to the papal office) at its head, Archbishops (literally, "lead overseers") next, then ordinary bishops, then priests, and finally the lowest rank in the order, to which the Church gave the name deacon. From that day to this, in the Roman Catholic Church, a deacon is a seminary-trained individual and usually a type of apprentice to the pastor (called vicar in the Church of England and rector in the Episcopal Church) of a parish.
The Anabaptist movement
In contrast, the Anabaptist movement disdained the hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic Church. In that movement, a deacon remained what he was in Paul's day: a lay social worker, treasurer, and eventually a building-and-grounds manager (not actually a sexton, who actually did the physical labor of building and groundskeeping, but perhaps one who hired the sexton and gave him his day-to-day orders and instructions).
Deacons and vestrymen today
These two parallel understandings of the office of deacon persist today. The Church of England, under the leadership of King Henry VIII, retained all the hierarchical forms of the Roman Catholic Church from which it had broken away. The Lutheran Church, the Reformation equivalent in continental Europe, retained little of that structure. The modern Baptist Church retains no such structure, because it never had it. Thus only the hierarchical churches have the extended apprenticeship program for priests that the diaconate has come to mean in those churches. Yet both kinds of church recognize the need for a function performed by laymen.
Election and term of office
In the Baptist Church, such men are still called deacons and perform the same function that deacons in the early church once performed. Typically a pastor, or a committee of long-standing members answering to the pastor, will nominate deacons who shall take office upon confirmation by election of the membership. Some churches might hold multiple rounds of deacon elections, with the first election serving as a sort of informal nominating convention in which a member may "nominate" anyone he wishes. The usual term of office of a deacon is three years, and a deacon would at the end of that time not be re-eligible for another year.
In hierarchical churches, including the Anglican Communion (and in America, the Episcopal Church), these lay ministries persist, though under a different name: the vestry. An individual belonging to the vestry is called a vestryman (or a vestry-woman). The vestry typically has a senior warden as its head and often a junior warden as deputy to the senior warden.
Duties
In both churches, the function is the same. Deacons (or vestrymen) generally handle all the "business" functions of the church. These include:
- The treasury.
- The roll of members.
- Building and grounds keeping.
- Music.
- Member social services. This function might include disbursement of charitable funds to members having especially severe financial needs
- Pastoral and other staff salaries. (Deacons normally serve without salary.)
- Paying the equivalent of honoraria to guest speakers. The members usually fund such honoraria through "designated love offerings."
- Direct support of missionaries, in addition to such support as an individual member might provide.
- Capital improvements, including the construction or expansion of a building or buildings.
- Educational functions. These include adult and children's education on Sundays ("Sunday school") in matters of faith and might include keeping a day school for the children of members or other residents in the community.
Pastoral vacancy
In a non-hierarchical church, whenever the office of pastor falls vacant, the Board of Deacons is primarily responsible for filling that vacancy. They may do so directly, by advertising the vacant position and inviting interested applicants for interviews, in a manner similar to that in which a board of directors at a joint-stock corporation might select a new president/chief executive officer. Or they may seat a special search committee to which they then delegate this responsibility.
In either case, the deacons have the sole power of "impeachment" of a pastor. Pastors are often subject to removal from pastoral office on impeachment for, and conviction of, apostasy, embezzlement, or other conduct to the prejudice of their office or mission. Such removal occurs rarely and is often the culmination of long-standing discord.
In hierarchical churches, pastoral (or rectoral) vacancies and, when necessary, pastoral discipline are matters for the local bishop to handle. But in rare cases, vestries have forced the resignations of rectors and insisted that the bishops send replacements.
