The Ministry of the Diaconate
Jeremiah 18:1-11; I Timothy 3:8-13
Today we ordain two—Beverly Olmsted and Andrew Sivak—to the office of deacon. The office of deacon is clearly defined in our church, though it has many expressions throughout the broader church. In the Roman Catholic Church, for example, a deacon is a member of the clergy and can baptize, witness marriages, officiate at funerals, and deliver the sermon. In the Catholic Church, becoming a deacon is a step toward becoming a priest. It is similar in the Episcopal Church. Deacons go through three to four years of study and examination, and if they are found acceptable, the bishop ordains them. In the Presbyterian Church, deacons are laymen and laywomen who take care of practical matters. In the Presbyterian Church where my wife grew up, the deacons function like a maintenance or grounds committee. In some Baptist churches, deacons are the decision making body of the church, tending to budgets, buildings, and personnel matters. As one of my deacons in a former church used to say, they were the law!
Here at Weatherly our deacons are the heart, not the law. They are called to provide care to the congregation. Our deacons serve a two-year term. Each year, therefore, half the council rotates off and a new group comes on. Each deacon is assigned 12-15 families for whom they are expected to provide direct, personal care. They will call you, visit you, pray for you, and encourage you to be involved in the life of our church. What we’ve done is create a series of “care nets” to provide care to our congregation. Sometimes I am the last one to learn of a need. Maybe your friends here will know, and they will provide care. That’s one care net. Maybe you will choose to confide in your Sunday School teacher and class and receive care from them. That’s another care net. Or maybe you will turn to your deacon. Or maybe another minister or I will know and will provide care. Sometimes it is all of the above. The goal is to have a series of nets to catch people and provide care. We believe that that care is so important that we cannot allow it to be haphazard.
We do not expect our deacons to be perfect any more than we expect anyone else to be perfect. This is what we look for in deacons. This is from I Timothy 3. The writer, possibly Paul, has been describing the qualifications for bishops. Then he says this. This is The Message translation.
The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.
Beverly and Andrew, this congregation and I believe you will be good deacons. Therefore, today we set you aside for this ministry by the laying on of our hands. In a moment, I will invite you to come and kneel facing the congregation. I will then invite the congregation, all for whom it would be meaningful, to come forward, place their hands upon your head or shoulders, and offer a prayer or say a word of encouragement to you. There is no magic or superstition in this act. Instead, our hands will be infused with love and encouragement.
When you come forward for the laying on of hands, please form a single line stretching down the middle isle. When you are finished, return to your seat by way of the side isle.
Beverly and Andrew, you may come forward, stand behind our kneeling rails, and join me in the Litany of Ordination.
Beverly and Andrew, you may kneel.
You now may come forward for the laying on of hands.
