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 Christian 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. | 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 Christian 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. |