Diocese of New Jersey | Discernment | The Diaconate

Diakonia and the Church The order of deacons is the oldest of the orders of ordained ministry, having reached a stage of definition earlier than that of the better known orders of priest (usually rendered presbyter, from the Greek presbuteros, or elder) or of bishop. The word 'deacon' derives from the Greek word diakonia. It had a variety of meanings, from service at tables to that of an agent entrusted with authority to negotiate a contract or treaty. Incorporating these multiple meanings, the concept of diakonia defined the early church in its first centuries.

Baptism provided entry into the Christian community, whose members were called and sent to serve. Jesus himself expresses an awareness of his call to serve, as described in his visit to the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). In turn, he commissioned and sent the Twelve, as well as the Seventy. Essential to this was a call to serve. As Jesus put it, 'I am among you as one who serves' (Luke 22:27) and 'the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve' (Luke 12:37). The diakonia of Jesus and the Apostles was the inauguration of the reign of God in which the hungry would be fed, the blind would see, and the deaf would hear.

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