Question i (2) - Faithful Deacon

In a meeting about recent ministry efforts, a Presbyterian deacon once sheepishly asked the group if it was okay that she brought a meal to a widower on her street, despite the fact that he was not a member of the congregation. This common example—crossing boundaries, encouraging and not disparaging unofficial ministry—draws attention to the deacon’s important role in “urging concern” among the congregation.

The Book of Order’s foremost function for deacons makes it clear that such a ministry is never limited to the members of the congregation. Previous editions of the “Form of Government” even included the phrase “within and beyond the congregation” in the description of the ministry of deacons. Indeed, most deacons will soon find that the practice of charitable ministry for “anyone in distress” will take them on an adventure of new directions, new relationships, and new opportunities. “Those in need” and “the friendless” are rarely confined to congregations, and so deacon training should include exploration about the shape of ministry beyond the familiar boundaries of church membership.

Additionally, Christian ministry frequently happens without the prompting of ordained leadership. Given their calling to urge concern among the flock, deacons can celebrate ministry taking place in informal or unofficial ways, rather than making the institutional mistake of insisting that every effort of concern must be sanctioned, led, or supervised by an official body. When care is taking place without them, let the deacons rejoice! But let them be trained to then ask: Who is falling through the cracks of the congregation’s or community’s concern? Who is not being served in our current models of ministry or social support networks? The Book of Order makes this clear: “The existence of … ordered ministries in no way diminishes the importance of the commitment of all members to the total ministry of the church” (BOO, G-2.0102).