Diaconal Studies
Lived Theology for the Church in North America
Edited by Craig L. Nessan and Darryl W. Stephens
Regnum Books International, 286 pages, $24
Diaconal studies are neither ecumenical nor intercultural. Denominations generally focus specifically on their own faith traditions, church histories, and theologies in training deacons. Craig L. Nessan and Darryl W. Stephens urge a rejection of such parochialism. Inspired by John N. Collins’ Diakonia Studies: Critical Issues in Ministry (Oxford University Press, 2014), this valuable collection of essays reflects a newer generation of diaconal studies that draw upon ecumenical and intercultural perspectives to promote a reenvisioned diaconate. The volume includes several essays that should be of interest to Anglicans throughout the Communion.
As Sandra Boyce of the Diakonia World Federation has observed, “far from being a secondary, subservient ministry … lowly, humble … diakonia needs to be seen as essential to the church’s mission and ministry.” In the late 20th century, this has meant something “more liberating and prophetic.” Deacon Jessica Bickford of the Anglican Church of Canada believes this is the time “to be creative and think outside of the box.”
Older models that formed the diaconate have limited those possibilities. These are reinforced when deacons are expected to serve without compensation. Deacon Daphne B. Noyes writes about Adeline Blanchard Tyler (1805-75), a woman whose attempts to bridge the gap between privilege and ministry led her to become the first deaconess in the Episcopal Church. Upon becoming widowed, Tyler was “released from the day-to-day care of her husband during her marriage, now with sharply focused dedication and more time to offer.” Deaconesses like her could devote more of their time to “nursing, social work, advocacy, teaching, fundraising, counselling, and material and spiritual support.”
Valerie Bailey, an Episcopal priest, explains the 1970 Deacons’ canon that merged the order of deaconesses into that of deacons. Thenceforth, both men and women could be ordained deacons, and deaconesses would no longer be an order of women ministering to the poor, the sick, and the needy. Instead, all deacons—men and women—engaged in outreach. Women who became deaconesses before 1970 wanted to remain deacons, while many who were ordained after 1970 saw the diaconate as a transitional order.
These different perspectives on the diaconate contributed to parallel diaconal tracts in the Episcopal Church—vocational deacons as compared to transitional deacons who will become priests after a brief period of diaconal ministry. These distinctions have, for some, contributed to the marginalization of vocational deacons as being less than priests.
Deacon Lori Mills-Curran, a former director of the Association of Episcopal Deacons, writes that specific policies enabled this diminution. Only priests could receive benefits through the Church Pension Fund, and most deacons were transitional. Perpetual deacons trained in parishes and served there exclusively. Their ordinations were not recorded, and the church “adopted a canon that required perpetual deacon candidates to vow that they would not seek priesthood and would support themselves from personal wealth or secular employment.”
As a result, “[t]hese ministry conditions created the impression that the Episcopal diaconate is a retirement ministry.” Nonetheless, there are younger deacons in the church today.
Julie Anne Lytle, associate professor and director of Distributive and Lifelong Learning Initiatives at Bexley Seabury, has suggested that Episcopal dioceses can support accessible, affordable, and flexible diaconal formation programs for candidates at all stages of life. Formation through the Deacons Formation Collaborative takes place at the diocesan level and through distance learning. The curriculum draws upon the competencies developed by the Association for Episcopal Deacons. The students’ learning experiences are grounded in their local contexts and are shaped to meet their needs and interests. Dioceses participating in the collaborative include Atlanta, California, Georgia, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Southern Virginia, Upper South Carolina, and Washington.
The Rev. Bernie Jones is a vocational deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.
The Rev. Bernie Jones is a vocational deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.
