Category Archives: The Diaconate

Deacons in the Diocese of Fredericton

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Since early Christian times, there have been different types of ministry within the Church. Since the time of the New Testament, three distinct orders of ordained ministries have been known in the Church – bishops, priests, and deacons. Each order has its specifc duties, but all work together. Somehow, over time, the ministry of deacon has become one of transition; the hands-on experience of those waiting to be priested. But that is not the original intention of that order. The role of vocational deacon is to exemplify the servant church.

A vocational deacon is a person who personifies the servant church in the secular world. This person will already be employed (or retired from) a service-related profession — so will have that important connection of bridging the Church and the world.

Because the deacon is employed, their ministry in the church is non-stipendiary. Expenses will be determined on an individual basis, but generally include such items as gas, travel, and outreach projects. A (vocational) deacon is not seeking further ordination, is not called to be priest — it is a permanent ministry.

The ministry of (vocational) deacon is primarily a ministry of service. It exercises the ministry of Christ to those beyond the church proper by serving as a catalyst, encourager, and guide for lay members engaged in outreach ministries. Deacons also assist bishops and priests in proclaiming the Gospel message and in the administration of the Sacraments.

By word and example, deacons are to make the redemptive love of Christ known in the places in which they live, work, and worship.
Deacons, by virtue of their call, are the prophetic leaders who challenge the Church to always look beyond itself. They are the living models that illuminate Christ as the model of servanthood.

Deacons will be the leaders who have a visibility to the needy and will strengthen the servant ministry of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Fredericton.

This ministry is carried out in five different, but interdependent, means:
a. to model servant ministry in the workplace;
b. to enable the servant ministry of the Church;
c. to witness to the Gospel by articulating to those served that this is a ministry of the whole Christian Church;
d. to interpret to the Church the needs, hopes, and concerns of the local secular community; and
e. to assist bishops and priests in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church.

The primary responsibility for recognizing a vocation to ordained ministry lies with the parish. Discerning a call is not a private matter, but the proper concern of the entire Church.

The discernment process is essential. It is the Church itself that discerns in the individual the work of the Holy Spirit. The Church, through our Baptismal Covenant, is committed to support one another in ministry - whatever form that ministry takes. The Church, as a corporate body, must recognize, test and affirm an individual call. The first step in this process is for the individual to meet with his/her incumbent priest to ask for affirmation/ information/support. Then a PDC (parish discernment committee) is formed.

An Archdeacon will chair the first meeting that Committee. The PDC will offer a summary report to the parish corporation. The role of the PDC is clearly defined in Directive 7.1 The Parish Discernment Committee. The discernment process should not be rushed, can take up to six months, but with due diligence can be completed in three.

The rector/priest-in-charge of any parish has a critical role in guiding an inquirer to respond to God's call.
He/she is in a good position to recognize people whose gifts call them to 'servant ministry'. Because the first step in the discernment process is this initial conversation between the inquirer and rector/priest, the incumbent clergy must be supportive of the ministry of deacon.

It would be almost impossible for an inquirer to proceed without this support.
After preliminary discussions, if the incumbent clergy concludes that, indeed, this person is called, then that clergy would initiate the formation of a parish discernment committee.

The educational component is a four-part program.
1. A certificate in theological studies, available by distance education from an accredited theological institution. This includes four course units; Old Testament, New Testament, Survey of Theology and Theology/Spirituality of Ministry.
2. Tutorials offered within the diocese. These will be held as a group, to build community. Topics include The Diaconate, Liturgical Formation, Ministry of Deacons, Anglican Polity, Church History, and Sacramental Theology.
3. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or other studies in pastoral and religious care.
4. Post-ordination studies, which include Prevention of Sexual Misconduct, Canons, Diocesan Policies and other pertinent topics.

Upon completion of the discernment process, the parish commendation, and application from the individual, the Inquirer moves to Aspirant status. Upon completion of the educational requirements, the Aspirant, with the Bishop's permission, moves to Postulant status.

Upon acceptance by the Bishop and the Commission on the Diaconate, the Postulant moves to Candidate status. Upon completion of pre-ordination documentation and a ministry appointment, details of the ordination are arranged. The Candidate is ordained a (vocational) deacon, and is licensed by the Bishop.

All ordinations will take place in the Cathedral. This is a diocesan event. The deacon's parish will hold their own celebrations following ordination.

from a brochure on the vocational diaconate
Diocese of Fredericton, 2009

Deacon Competencies

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Potential deacons and priests in the Diocese of Fredericton both enter into a discernment process that helps to clarify if they are being called to ordained ministry.

Discernment leading to the diaconate
Discernment leading to priesthood

While the roles of deacons and priests are different, the qualities required for ordination are similar. The Diocese seeks to ordain people who are:

Gatherers and builders of the community
Rooted in Christ-centred spiritual practice that is Anglican in approach
Emotionally and relationally mature
Able to offer strong leadership and to work collegially under the authority of others
Good listeners and lifelong learners
Good stewards of their body, mind and spirit, and of the other relationships in their lives

The Iona Report was helpful in delineating diaconal competencies to guide in both the discernment and function of the ministry of the deacon. Competencies are arranged into seven areas each of which are described as they are aligned with the deacon at the 1) time of selection, 2) the time of ordination and, 3) in life-long learning.

Area A: DIAKONIA AND THE DIACONATE
Area B: HUMAN AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING
Area C: SPIRITUALITY AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Area D: PRACTICAL TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Area E: CHURCH POLITY AND DIACONAL MINISTRY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE
Area F: SCRIPTURE
Area G: CHRISTIAN HISTORY

Download, view or print the Competencies for Deacons

The Ministry of Deacons – Diocese of Fredericton

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Role and Function of Deacons
A deacon needs to have the character of a servant, and this character should be visible in the deacon’s life and ministry. Ordination to the vocational diaconate is not a way to recognize or validate existing ministries, but a means of forming living icons who illuminate Christ as the model of servanthood to all the baptized. Deacons are not ordained to do the outreach ministry for the Church, but lead all in the church community into servant ministry in the world. They are prophetic ministers who are called to challenge the Church to always look outside and beyond itself.

Deacons are under the authority of the bishop and of the supervising priest under whom they work. The liturgical functions of a deacon are not their primary ministry, but are symbolic and expressive of their central ministry:

  • serving all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely;
  • interpreting to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world.

The fundamental difference between priests and deacons according to the late Archdeacon Ormond Plater of the Diocese of Louisiana is that “priests tend to the ‘Church gathered’, deacons tend to the ‘Church scattered.’” Deacons will normally serve 80% of their ministry in the community and 20% with the church. Deacons will be servants who have a visible ministry to the dispossessed, are willing to undertake the role of prophet, and will strengthen the servant ministry of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Fredericton.

A deacon is encouraged to attend meetings of the [church] Corporation; without vote but reporting regularly and when requested on the on-going work. A deacon assigned to a particular parish is considered “assistant clergy” and, as such, will resign should the incumbent resign his or her
appointment. A deacon may be re-appointed by the bishop to serve during the interim under the direction of the bishop and/or the territorial archdeacon and church wardens. Upon the appointment of a new incumbent, the deacon's covenant may be re-negotiated, or the bishop may
appoint the deacon to another ministry.

from Bishop's Directive 8-3 The Deacon in the Parish
Bishop of Fredericton: Directive 7.2 Discernment Leading to Ordination to the (Vocational) Diaconate
See the Diocese of Fredericton pamphet "The Ministry of Deacons"

The Diaconate of All Believers

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by Craig L. Nessan

Diaconia belongs to all the baptized as “a dimension integral to the nature and mission of the church” (World Council of Churches and ACT Alliance 2022, p. 10). Called to Transformation gives new ecumenical attention to “the diaconate of all believers, based on the view that God’s spirit graciously empowers and equips for discipleship, from the youngest to the oldest, men and women (Acts 2:17)” (World Council of Churches and ACT Alliance 2022, pp. 16–17).

From this follows that the diaconal vocation in the first place relates to everyday life: the family that cares for its members and in particular children and the elderly, the neighborhood and the workplace, civil society, and other arenas for social action (World Council of Churches and ACT Alliance 2022, p. 17).

There is clear recognition that “diaconal activities organized by local congregations and other church structures, including professional diaconal agents, depend on and are largely borne by the diaconate of all believers” (World Council of Churches and ACT Alliance 2022, p. 17). How can the church be mobilized by intentional focus on equipping the baptized for the diaconate of daily life?

While these ecumenical affirmations of the universal diaconate are crucial for the revitalization of the church, they have remained largely undeveloped beyond these formal acknowledgements. The homeostasis that strangles the vitality of the institutional church—which can be called “churchification”—remains a formidable challenge to reconstituting the church’s mission through the service of the baptized diaconate. In North America, a deep rift exists between what happens in the name of the institutional church and the rest of people’s lives. In this regard, the churches of the North have much to learn from the churches of Africa, South America, and Asia about validating and equipping all the baptized for their vocations in daily life (Jenkins 2006).

Baptism and confirmation constitute the ordination of the laity

The primary vocation of Christian people is to live out the covenant God in Christ made with them in baptism: “To live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth”. At the time of the Reformation, the universal priesthood was a radical claim about the equal status of all believers before God based on baptism. It was designed to overcome the dependency of the Christian people (laity) on the ministrations of a clerical hierarchy.

Baptism needs to be understood as a rite of ordination to the ministry for all Christian people. “Baptism and confirmation constitute the ordination of the laity, which makes it possible for them to participate in Christ’s ministry in and for the world” (Apostola 1998, p. 9). Affirming baptism as the primary ordination of Christian people grants significance and status to all the baptized as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By teaching baptism as ordination to ministry in the diaconate of all believers, the formation of the baptized for their service to others in daily life must be taken as seriously as theological education for deacons and pastors. The formation of believers for the universal diaconate begins with focused attention in the church’s worship, education, community, and leadership practices.

Read the full text from The Diaconate of All Believers: Theology, Formation, Practice, MDPI Journals, 4 June 2023

On the Ministry of Deacon

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The Order of Deacon is of New Testament and apostolic origin. The Book of Acts contains what has traditionally been seen as the institution of the diaconate in the selection and appointment of “the seven” through prayer and the laying on of hands for service and distribution of food among widows in the community. The letters of Paul to the Philippians and to Timothy refer to deacons as officers alongside bishops in the life of the emerging church. Deacons became important figures in the administrative life of the church, often acting as the chief administrating officer to bishops and in particular in overseeing the temporalities of the church.

In the Middle Ages, the use and the influence of the office of deacon was diminished, as many of the roles and functions of deacons were taken over by presbyters or members of the minor orders (e.g., lectors and acolytes). During the English Reformation, the major orders of bishop, priest, and deacon were retained, while the minor orders were eliminated. Unlike the Eastern Churches, which preserved the Order of Deacon, the diaconate continued in the West as a transitional order in preparation for the priesthood. While Anglicanism claimed to continue the historic threefold orders of the Church Catholic, it was not until the 20th century that it gave serious consideration to the redevelopment of the diaconate as a permanent and distinct order of ministry.

The redevelopment of the diaconate has recalled the church to a fuller and more vital expression of its ministry as agents of mercy, healing, and justice in the world, especially among those living at the margins of systems and society, restoring the image of Christ who came “to bring good news to the poor.” Women and men called to this ministry of sacramental presence in the world serve as a reminder to the people of God that all are likewise called to follow Christ’s example of diakonia.

Ordination as a deacon is an affirmation by the church that an individual is being called to this distinctive ministry of service and agency, gifted and equipped to inspire and mobilize others into ministries of service, healing, and justice. They become sacramental signs of the presence of Christ in places of need and risk and vulnerability, in the faces of strangers and friends alike.

from The Iona Report pp. 18 and 19
The Diaconate - Anglican Church of Canada

The ministry of deacon: servant ministry of the whole church

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The Anglican Church officially recognizes three orders of ministry: bishop, priest and deacon. These “ordered” ministries each have their own function and character. Bishops are called to be the “overseer” in the diocese. Priests are called to “sacramental, preaching and teaching” ministries. Deacons are called to personify the servant church in the secular world.

Perhaps it goes without saying that deacons are not priests. Through the history of the Church, priests, have been ordained deacon (often recognized for a time as a “transitional deacon”) and most claim the responsibilities of that order in addition to the priestly role and function. A “vocational deacon” is not seeking further ordination, is not called to be a priest — it is a permanent ministry.

Many deacons are employed in (or retired from) a secular service-related profession or career, having that important connection enabling bridging the Church and the world. Because the deacon is often employed, their ministry in the church is non-stipendiary and limited to the time available. Expenses are usually determined on an individual basis, but generally include those directly resulting from ministry duties and allowances for continuing education.

The ministry of a (vocational) deacon is primarily a ministry of service. It exercises the ministry of Christ to those beyond church walls by serving as a catalyst, encourager, and guide for lay members engaged in outreach ministries. Deacons also assist bishops and priests in proclaiming the Gospel message and in the administration of the Sacraments.

Liturgically, elements of worship usually reserved for the deacon are: proclaiming the Gospel, prayer, preparing the eucharistic table and the Dismissal – all symbolic of the function to which they are called. In worship, deacons can be identified by their wearing a stole over the left shoulder.

By word and example, deacons are to make the redemptive love of Christ known in the places in which they live, work, and worship. By virtue of their call, they are prophetic leaders who challenge the Church to always look beyond itself. They are the living models that illuminate Christ as the model of servanthood.

Deacons are servant leaders who have a visibility to the needy and are intended to strengthen the servant ministry of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Fredericton. Appointed by the Bishop, they operate under the supervision of the incumbent priest. Before an appointment is made, a covenant is created outlining the parameters of the ministry with the requirement that it be renewed regularly.

The ministry of deacon is carried out in five different, but interdependent ways:

• to model servant ministry in the workplace;
• to enable the servant ministry of the Church;
• to witness to the Gospel, articulating that this is a ministry of the whole Christian Church;
• to interpret to the Church the needs, hopes, and concerns of the local secular community; and
• to assist bishops and priests in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church.

For more information:
See the Ordination of a Deacon, Book of Alternative Services, p. 652 or
The Diaconate: Anglican Church of Canada