Disciple: Deacons - In the Church and in the World

By The Venerable William H. Joyner, Jr.

Deacons aren’t ordered the least;
They don’t take a back seat to the priest.
They’re better, they’re stronger,
They’ve been around longer,
And key to a full, holy feast.

This is a rather provocative verse of unknown origin. But does it remind you of someone in your congregation, or perhaps even yourself? Someone who may be feeling the beginnings of a call to the ancient and sacred order of deacons?

Deacons have long played a critical and unique role in The Episcopal Church. Deacons are ordained, but they are not priests. Deacons are trained and formed, but not in seminary. Deacons serve, but they are not normally paid and often have secular employment. They are in the church and in the world, working always to assure there is a connection between the two. The Book of Common Prayer may offer the best description of the role deacons play in the Church. In the Deacons’ ordinal, the Bishop says, “God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood…[i]n the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely. . . . At all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ’s people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.” (BCP, p.543)

The life of a deacon can be frustrating and exciting. It is frustrating to explain you are a member of the clergy but not a priest, to be asked when you are going to be “fully ordained,” and about what you are authorized to do rather than who you are called to be. But it is exciting to be called to this “special ministry of servanthood,” to work outside the church, to minister to the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely, to strive to stand with our feet on the ever-changing and often nonexistent line between the church and the world.

More than 40 deacons serve in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. You’ll find them working in hospitals and prisons and nursing homes, serving as advocates for children and the elderly, working with people who are hungry and disabled, working for peace and justice, and serving on the committees and commissions of the diocese and its congregations. Most importantly, you’ll find them out in the world, bridging the gap between the Church and the secular community and demonstrating how seamlessly integrated vocation and ministry can be.

They try to stay true to their name,
Not less than the priest, not the same.
They’re angel and waiter,
And no one’s the greater,
To serve, and to work, and proclaim!