Abstract
In the early 1990s an ecumenical consultation was convened in Scotland focusing on the diaconate. Recognizing that the term diaconate itself means different things in different Churches, one firm conclusion still emerged: there is effectively a diaconal movement which has had an impact on most of the mainline Churches. This phrase was used advisedly, picking up resonances with the liturgical and ecumenical movements. Some 25 years on, interest in the diaconate has not abated, and this collection of essays issuing from an inter-church consultation in Canada in May 2018 is further evidence of this.
Including contributions from Lutherans, Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Ukrainian Catholics, the book contains 19 short chapters within seven separate sections covering theology, the transitional diaconate, women deacons, ecumenical background, prophetic diaconal ministry, deacons in the liturgy and finally the formation of deacons. There are 13 contributors from a variety of traditions and the collection is a gathering together of the conference papers. Unavoidably this leads to a certain amount of repetition, where contributors pick up strands from an earlier piece. The book is edited by D. Michael Jackson, the longest-serving deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada.
The theological section focuses on the work of the Australian Roman Catholic theologian John N. Collins, which broadens the theological base of the diaconate, moving it from a unique ministry of service, deriving from Acts 6, and pointing to other early understandings that see deacons as ambassadors and messengers. Collins’ analysis has not gone without criticism, notably from the New Testament scholar Paula Gooder. Nonetheless, his work has broadened theological understanding, and the essays included here take that as an established fact.
The next section investigates the issues raised by the parallel existence of transitional deacons (who will later also be ordained priests) and permanent or distinctive deacons (the preferred term for many). The argument for direct ordination to the priesthood is rehearsed, and baptism is seen as the seminal focus for a theology of ministry. Part Three discusses the vexed question of women and the diaconate; there is clear evidence of women deacons in the early Church and writers from across the traditions here argue strongly for an ordained diaconal ministry for women.
In Part Four there is set out a wealth of background to the diaconate in different traditions – this includes a fascinating outline of the various patterns in both the Chalcedonian and Oriental Orthodox traditions. Following this is a focus on the ‘prophetic’ ministry of deacons, rooted in a theology of the Church as servant, and placing diaconal work in a crucial position on the boundaries of the church community. The final two sections focus on the deacon’s role in the liturgy and the formation of deacons. On worship, theology is seen to require a liturgical role that is best exhibited in the Roman Catholic tradition and in a rather different pattern in Orthodoxy.
This is an immensely rich and helpful collection, although there are some surprising lacunae. Both the 1978 and 2001 Church of England reports on the diaconate include some fundamental theological work that would have strengthened that section of this volume. Taken together, however, with those reports and with other more recent material, this book is an essential resource for the burgeoning diaconal movement!