The Diaconate
in the Diocese of New Jersey:
Resources
Lifting Up the Servants of God: The Deacon, Servant Ministry, and the Future of the Church, by Thomas Ferguson
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The Deacon in the Twentieth Century Since the 1960's the diaconate within the Episcopal Church has undergone a remarkable rebirth. Prior to this time, the diaconate as a lifelong ministry did exist and manifested itself in three distinct forms. Deacons were ordained to minister to Native Americans and other ethnic groups (such as David Pendelton Oakerhater).
Women were set apart as 'deaconesses' and performed diaconal ministry, even if not recognized at the time as 'deacons.' The 'perpetual' diaconate of the 1950's, created deacons who performed primarily liturgical tasks at a time when demand for priests outstripped the supply particularly in growing areas such as California. In 1962, the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church voted to restore a permanent diaconate. Building from this foundation, the 1968 Anglican Lambeth Conference likewise passed a resolution commending the restoration of the diaconate throughout the Anglican Communion.