THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: A TIME OF RENEWAL AND GROWTH
From the beginning of the twentieth century several movements within the Christian Church began to gain strength, the influence of each inextricably intertwined.
It has been said that the deaconess movement contributed greatly to the twentieth-century revival of the diaconate through its ongoing witness to the diaconate as ‘a distinctive and permanent ministry’. At the same time, the work and status of deaconesses was confronting some denominations with the ambiguity surrounding the nature of ministry and the role of women. The call for fuller participation of women in church organisation and leadership had begun and was getting louder.
For example, in the Anglican Church, the 1920 Lambeth Conference had recognised the ‘Order’ of deaconesses as having the ‘stamp of Apostolic approval’ and churches increasingly used the word ordination for their ‘setting apart’ of these women. Of course, this highlighted the fact that male deacons could proceed to priesthood whereas female deaconesses could not. Fear of seeing women in ‘priestly roles’ led to severe restrictions on the part deaconesses could play in worship - restrictions that only gradually began to be lifted after 1941.
In 1958, however, the Anglican Bishops meeting at the Lambeth Conference confronted the issues around the diaconate ‘head-on’. They recommended that:
Each province of the Anglican Communion shall consider whether the office of Deacon shall be restored to its primitive place as a distinct order of the Church, instead of being regarded as a probationary period for the priesthood.1
Ten years later in 1968, Lambeth Conference recommended that the Anglican Communion should move towards the recovery of the diaconate as a significant and operative order within the sacred ministry:
Given such a renewed attitude towards the diaconate, we believe that there would be an enrichment of the life of the Church in a renewed diaconate, open to men and women.
Conference then noted that this would require ‘a period of education and a conscious effort’ on the part of the Church since, ‘in the light of our tradition, there will be a temptation to think of those received into this order as second-class clergymen’ {sic}.2
Ecumenical Developments
On the worldwide scene, the ecumenical movement was challenging the differences between the ministries and structures of the various churches and looking for points of agreement.
It is helpful to remember that at this stage the Christian Church in the West had become very diverse in the way different denominations ordered their ministry and leadership roles. In some, ministry roles retained the three-fold shape of the traditional ordained offices while others had developed lay and consecrated leadership of various forms. For example, although some protestant and reformed churches had recovered the ministry of deacon, these deacons were not seen as part of the ordained leadership of the church in the way that they were in the Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican churches.
However, already there was sufficient ground in common for meaningful dialogue to take place among the churches on diaconal ministry and in the 1960s the World Council of Churches (WCC) produced two studies: the first on the Ministry of Deacons (1965) and the second on The Deaconess (1966). In 1982, the W.C.C. went onto formally recognise the role of deacon as part of the three-fold ministry albeit one in need of reform:
Deacons represent to the Church its calling as servant in the world. By struggling in Christ’s name with the myriad of needs of societies and persons, deacons exemplify the interdependence of worship and service in the Church’s life. They exercise responsibility in the worship of the congregation: for example, by reading the scriptures, preaching and leading the people in prayer. They help in the teaching of the congregation. They exercise a ministry of love within the community. They fulfil certain administrative tasks and may be elected to responsibilities for governance
…. Today there is a strong tendency in many churches to restore the diaconate as an ordained ministry with its own dignity and meant to be exercised for life. As the churches move closer together there may be united in this office ministries now existing in various forms and under a variety of names (in Baptism, Eucharist And Ministry, a document of the Faith and Order Commission ).3
The Twentieth Century and Beyond
Olson writes at the beginning of Chapter 7:
“to facilitate consideration of the complexities of the diaconate in the modern world, this book has three chapters on the twentieth century.”
For this topic we will begin by looking at the development of the deacons and deaconess movements after Fliedner then at developments in the Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Methodist Churches. Olson has provided us with breadth and depth in her overview of the renewal of the diaconate so it is necessary to note general trends rather than detail at this stage unless this is an area you want to follow up for your own interest.
READ
(a summary of the chapters)
Text: Olsen
- Chapter 7. The Twentieth Century: Deacons and Deaconesses. Summary on pp. 352-363 (rev. ed.) or pp 334-344.
- Chapter 8. Permanent Deacons. Summary on pp 399-407 (rev. ed.) or pp 366-369.
One of the features of the renewal of the diaconate has been the variety of ways being used to express this ministry as distinct from what has been experienced in the recent history of the church. You will come across terms such as the perpetual diaconate, the permanent diaconate, the vocational diaconate and the distinctive diaconate, as well as references to deaconesses and diaconal ministers. For a useful comment on this and the ongoing issue of the ‘transitional diaconate’ read Barnett, p.148. Again, we will explore this issue further in a later topic.
This draws our attention to another important aspect of the renewal of the diaconate in this period – renewal of this ordained ministry was taking place within the context of major change in the way some churches have considered ministry itself, lay and ordained. Plater puts it this way:
In the late twentieth century, baptism and holy orders have changed places in importance. For many members of the church, ordination and clerical status formerly represented fullness of membership in the church, while baptism was only the first stage in the journey to orders. Now in the writings of theologians, in the teachings of bishops, in revised liturgies, and even (if slowly) in popular opinion, shift is beginning to take place. We have returned to the traditions and belief of scripture and the early church, perceiving clearly that what it means to be a Christian transcends what it means to be a deacon, or a presbyter or a bishop…. [T]he great discovery of our age has been the meaning and practice of Baptism.4
In the Hanover Report of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission, (1996) a discussion of the diaconate which had begun in the Baptism, Eucharist And Ministry document continued across two denominations who aimed: ‘to offer a theological rationale which follows a clear line of argument: from Christ and the Spirit, through ministry of the whole people of God (including ordained ministry) to an understanding of the diaconate’ (p.5). Read that report in full if you can since it offers a useful summary.
SUGGESTED READING
‘Diversity and Commonality of Present forms of Diaconal Ministry’ in The Diaconate as Ecumenical Opportunity: The Hanover Report of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission, published for the Anglican Consultative Council and the Lutheran World Federation, 1996, pp.14 -19.
WORKSHEET SIX
Reminder: these worksheets require 2-3 SHORT answers each as part of an ongoing reflection on the material being read. Answers may be written out (two-three sentences at most) and posted or, preferably, sent to me directly by email as soon as they are completed. Answers will not be graded but merit will be accorded upon satisfactory completion of all the worksheets.
Please answer as simply as possible and send as soon as you complete it.
- What are some of the factors that caused the recruitment of deaconesses to fall off and the movement to decline?
- As you can see the renewal of the diaconate has resulted in a diversity of expressions. List some of the advantages and disadvantages in this diversity.
- If you have access to the internet, browse some of the websites of deacon associations and networks. If you google ‘deacons’ you will get interesting but irrelevant responses. You will need to narrow it down to ‘diaconate’ etc.
Note anything you read which you found of particular interest. Try, for example, www.diakonia-world.org - One question I have at this stage is ...