Challenges and tasks of deacons. Introduction to groupwork on the seminar; Challenges to Human Dignity. Kari Jordheim The deacons and the deaconesses in the society. In this lecture I will not make a difference between deacons and deaconesses, so I choose to use the word deacons for both groups. I will start by going back in history and pointing out some lines through the history of deacons, before I go closer into the theme of this lecture. In the early ancient church there were not one understanding of the deaconal service. It seems as if it has been different organizations at different times. In the 2. 3. century we can see a threefolded ministry with bishop, priest and deacon see: Fil.1.1 strong connection bishop deacon It seems as if the deacon is an assistant for the bishop both in service and in the caring work in the congregation. As we have read in the New Testament there was a lot of deaconal activities in the first church like caring for the sick, the widows, caring for the needy in different ways etc., but it was probably not especially the deacons responsibility. During the Middle ages, we know that the diaconal tasks were taken care of by the monasteries. Nuns and monks were doing all kinds of diaconal work. We make a new jump to the reformation. The caring service is part of the church, and according to the will of God, but it is a part of the tasks of the priests. In some writings it may seem as Luther himself wanted the deacons to be responsible for the caring service, but this thought was not followed, probably because there were other main focuses for Luther at that time. It was a new awakening in the history of diakonia in 1800 1900 in Europe. In Germany especially there were several important persons who started to do deaconal work, like Fliedner and Wichern for example. Deaconal institutions are established Deaconesses, deacons are educated in the protestantic tradition to do deaconal work in church and society 1
A social movement in the churches from Germany to many other countries in Europe The church has to meet people in different needs. From here the churches have had different focuses on their deaconal activity. Today we find a strong movement in different parts of the world that underline that diakonia is a part of the gospel and it is not possible to say that diakonia is something the church as an activity if they have the time and recourses. God loves all humanity. Because God loved us first, we ourselves are able to love and respect the dignity of any person. Diaconal thinking and acting focus in particular on those whose dignity has been offended. This presupposes a spiritual basis, rooted in God s work and service of Christ. Therefore, the Church has the mandate to testify for all mankind God s love for the world in Jesus Christ. Deaconal activity is one form of this testimony. (DIAKONIA CHARTER of Eurodiakonia 2000) Also in the definition of diakonia in the Church of Norway we can find the same focus: Diakonia is the caring ministry of the church. It is the gospel in action and is expressed through loving your neighbor, creating inclusive communities, caring for creation and struggling for justice. (Plan for diakonia, 2008) The tasks of the deacons may change according to time and context, but the deacons fundament is always the same: The faith we confess in the Triune God The ministry is from God To serve each other To be responsible for the creation To be an instrument of rightousness to God (Romans 6,13) To do the gospel in action What is the deacon s competence to do diakonia? First I want to say something about what competence actually is, and I want to present a theory by Greta Marie Skau from Norway. 2
In this model she uses three concepts which I will explain a little bit further: Theoretical knowledge facts and scientific knowledge about concepts, models, not personal. Professional skills the specific elements connected to the profession, practical skills, techniques, methods that belong to a specific profession, and used to act in this profession Personal competence what we are as a person, alone and in relation to others. Combination of human qualities, abilities, skills, personal, related to our experiences. Another way of presenting this way of thinking is to say that the personal competence always will make the fundament, and the theoretical knowledge and the professional skills will build upon the fundament, like a house on the foundation wall. 3
Further development of the competencemodel Theoretical knowledge Professional skills Personal competence Gathered competancy in a person as the time goes by Tk, Ps and Pc can develop through our whole life a spiral of knowledge and development. Greta Marie Skau also developed her model to a third step, and she says that as the times go by, a person s competence may be presented as a spiral where the three different aspect of the concept are making a wholeness of knowledge and development. 4
A few years ago there was done some research among Norwegian deacons to see what they are actually doing. The tasks they mentioned were put into 6 different profiles. The caring profile (local needs in focus) The cooperating profile (cooperation with society institutions etc.) The church profile ( religious activities such as services, prayer groups, bible studies etc) The institution oriented profile (the church runs their own deaconal institutions together with the state/community) The political profile engage in political issues the church standing up in political issues The need oriented profile (crisis and catastrophy work and international political work) Some years ago I found a small booklet about diakonia from Sweden, and in this booklet they made a presentation of the deacons tasks in an original way. They presented six different tables as symbols of what the deacons are doing: The kitchen table symbolizes the everyday life and here the caring function of the deacon The alter/communion table symbolizes the church service functions The teacher s desk symbolizes the educational function The living room table this table invites for more personal talks and symbolizes the pastoral care The writing desk symbolizes the administrative function The pulpit is not a table, but is a symbol of a table in an upright position and expresses the prophetic function of the deacon. The deacon is a leader The deacon in our context in Norway is the leader of the deaconate in the congregation. I know that deacons have different roles in different countries in Europe, but I think it is important for the deacons to take their responsibility as leaders. Therefore I want to talk a little bit about what the deacon as a leader needs: Profession Formal competence Acceptance 5
Spiritual dimension - More than just care Work out into the community Recruiting volunteers, mapping the context, establish new contacts Leading groups of different kinds groupdynamics see the individual and the wholeness Supervision to the fellow workers in the church and in the community Encouragement individual and in groups Evaluation and documentation - writing plans and reports, application for funding money Receive supervision and pastoral care yourself Encouragement individual and in groups In the Church of Norway there are some written arrangements for the service of the deacons, and I want to share some of the main points from paragraph 2 and 3. 2 Diakonia is the caring ministry of the church. It is the gospel in action and is expressed through loving your neighbor, creating inclusive communities, caring for creation and struggling for justice. (definition in Plan of diakonia) The deacon is the leader of the deaconate in the congregation and have joint responsibility to recruit, equip and supervise the volunteers 3 The deacon has to follow the plans and priorities the parish board has decided in accordance to the plans and the programs that are established by the Church of Norway The service has to be done in the congregation 6
The employer decides which tasks the deacon shall do within the framework of the the existing plans. Within these frames the deacon has independant responsibility to do his tasks. The deacon has responsibility to take care of his/her professional updating and personal renewal The deacon shall do his/her job according to the arrangements in the Church of Norway Questions for discussions in the groups: 1. Discuss the concept of Diakonia as the Gospel in action. 2. Diaconal profiles: a. Caring profile b. Cooperating profile c. Church profile d. Institutions oriented profile e. Political profile f. Need oriented profile What do you think about these profiles? Do you recognize them from your church? What do you think would be the most typical profile for the deacons in your church? Which do you think is least typical? Is there anything that you are missing here? 3. Discuss and share your experiences on the following question: i. Is the deacon a leader in your church? 7