CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

The Diaconate

A deacon is someone who has pledged themselves to the service of Jesus Christ and His Church, and has been selected, trained and ordained according to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of Scotland.

The office of deacon is recognised by the Church to be a distinctive, life-long office within the ministry of the Church, and to be agreeable to the Word of God.

What is the role of a Deacon?

Deacons have been ministering within the Church of Scotland for more than 120 years. At present there are 58 deacons in active service, the majority of whom work in parishes.

Deacons tend to serve in areas of great need and scarce resources. They discern the gifts and the needs of the community; work with individuals and groups at grassroots level, nurture relationships, offer pastoral support, training and education; build bridges between church and world; and contextualise the gospel in our daily lives.

In your ministry as a deacon … be ready to be a pioneer, revealing needs not fully acknowledged, bringing to light injustices easy to overlook, pointing to tasks most avoid. May your work encourage and enable the church to discover new patterns of service, and challenge it to raise a prophetic voice against those things that destroy community and deaden the spirit. Build bridges between church and world, that gifts may be shared to the benefit of each, and that people in all situations may know that the Gospel speaks to them.

Church of Scotland’s Ordinal and Service Book

https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/serve/ministries_council/partnership_development/the_diaconate

Good to bone up before the DIAKONIA conference in June! If you fancy meeting up with deacons from all over the world, and listening to John Bell, then this is the conference for you:  http://drae.diakonia-world.org/en/main/AssemblyPages/Assembly2019.shtml