I have two staff at church who I believe are deacons in the biblical sense of the term. They may not use the term themselves, but if I wanted to introduce the concept to people unfamiliar with the term, I’d give them as first examples.
What’s a deacon? I’m glad you asked! In our tradition, a deacon is someone called to the ministry of Word & Service. In other words, they connect the gospel to service in community.
For a long time, our denomination (the ELCA) designated only one “called” position in the church: the pastor (a minister of Word & Sacrament). Both the denomination and local churches hyper-focused on this role as the primary “everything” for professional ministry.
This has had a few unfortunate consequences, and one of those has been an inadvertent lowering or even denigration of other kinds of calls to ministry. I can still remember people coming to seminary who were called to youth ministry, for example, and they would often be encouraged to still study to become a pastor because the church both compensated clergy better, had more open calls for clergy, and elevated that position far above other roles.
Over the past decade or so, the ELCA has hosted a very intentional and thoughtful dialogue on the role of deacons in the church (to read quite a bit of background material, see the Word & Service Roster Information Page). At it’s last denominational gathering, it designated deacons as another “rostered leader” in the church, on an equal footing with pastors.
The ministry of deacons is recognized by churches throughout history and around the world. The earliest deacon of the Bible was Stephen, and in the texts that describe the emergence of deacons, they indicate the deacons were called to serve at table so the apostles could focus on their apostolic work. The ELCA and other Christian traditions continue this tradition, designating as deacons those who serve at the intersection of church and world, especially focusing on the ways the church responds to the needs of people.
Our two deacons focus on very different intersections. One is the founder of The Transition Closet, and they serve non-binary and transgender clients in need of gender-affirming undergarments and clothing. The other founded our ministry serving the Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas.
Both are deeply spiritual people who see their service to these communities emerging out of their faithfulness to Jesus and the gospel.
That’s what makes a deacon. It’s that combination of a focus on the Word of God that then inspires them for loving service in the world.
You may ask yourself: Am I a deacon? You certainly don’t have to call yourself that, but you may be a deacon if you are theologically curious, committed to the life of the church, and then intentionally connect how you serve in the world to that spiritual center.
The church has had a long-standing discussion happening about the various roles or functions in the life of the church. The apostle Paul at one point names positions like apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher. In other places the church has focused on the specific spiritual gifts various members of the body receive.
I don’t tend to get very hunkered down in an analysis of the taxonomy of Christian ministries. I think there is more than one way to peel an orange. But attending to the diversity of ministries in the church does have the benefit of creating space for diversity. It can facilitate reversing the unfortunate and long-standing trend of hyper-focusing the entire call to church ministry in one specific office: the pastor.
I like the church of Sweden’s description of the call of deacons. “The vows made at ordination involve seeking and helping anyone in bodily or spiritual need, defending the rights of all, standing beside the oppressed, and exhorting God's people to all good works so that the love of God is made visible in the world. An ordained deacon's charism includes visits, helps, and supports those in bodily or spiritual need; gives Christian nurture and teaching in the faith; is a sign of merciful kindness in the parish and society at large, and in all things serves Christ in the neighbor."
I started out as an "Associate In Ministry" or "AIM" in the ELCA. I was in charge of Confirmation, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, and played guitar in worship, youth gatherings, and other settings. It was clear that my "colleague" considered the ministry that I was called to as a "hired position" even though I had a letter of call from the congregation. Some people in the church thought of me as clergy because I was expected to preach and lead liturgy. Others wanted me to do their biding as a parish hireling. After trying for 6 years, I went back to seminary and got an M. Div. At least then I was recognized as someone with some power and deserving of respect in future congregations I served. The Deaconate was a good step forward for the ELCA. I'm pleased about it.