Diaconal Theology and Practice

This course is an introduction to the diaconate, what it is and what roles it fulfils. Since the publication of Baptism, Eucharist And Ministry in 1982, the Western church has been developing its understanding of diaconal ministers and their part in the life of the church. Lutherans and Anglicans have done much of this work together, in a series of ecumenical documents which we will read alongside the Candidacy Manual of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and The Iona Report of the Anglican Church of Canada. This course will focus on diaconal ministers as ministers of Word and Service, whose call is to serve the needy in the community and address the church with a prophetic call to social justice. We will probe the theology and history behind the contemporary diaconate and address issues in contemporary practice, with a particular emphasis on the Canadian context.