This resource for individual and group study explores what it means to be a deacon in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Addressing both the leadership and spiritual requirements of the position, Your Calling as a Deacon offers new and seasoned deacons the direction, understanding, and encouragement to serve God and church.

How Can Deacons Mobilize Service in the Church? Deacons are essential to a church's health—yet confusion abounds regarding their biblical job description. What's their God-given role in a local congregation and how do they relate to the church's overall mission? In this short book, Matt Smethurst makes the case that deacons are model servants called to meet tangible needs, organize and mobilize acts of service, preserve the unity of the flock, and support the ministry of the elders. Clearing away common misconceptions, Smethurst offers practical guidance for deploying deacons and helping churches to flourish.

With the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the 1970s, the ministry has grown in dioceses across the United States and Canada. Nevertheless, many parishes, especially the small or rural, have yet to see a deacon ministering within their territories. Does the ministry of deacon make him a "mini-priest"? Or is he a lay minister of special distinction? Deacon Rex addresses these last two questions while building understanding of the ministry of deacon in such a way that, with (1) the approval of his pastor and (2), if married, his wife, each man can decide to make the first step, contacting the deacon formation director in his diocese.

A combination of practical guidance and inspiration on character, relationship to church and pastor, stewardship, missions and more.

A theological explanation and practical handbook for those preparing for a diaconate in today’s church. All too often the time spent as a deacon is seen simply as the prelude to priestly ordination. Yet the Bible defines three orders of ministry - deacon, priest, and bishop - each with its own distinctive characteristics and responsibilities. In Being A Deacon Today, Brown explores the three places where deacons minister (the church, the world, and at the margins), the three strands of their ministry (in liturgy, in pastoral care, and as catechists), and the three actions of their ministry (praying, loving, and remembering). This book, excellent for classroom use and for transitional and permanent deacons, will restore a fuller understanding of the diaconal ministry and nurture deacons in their work and spiritual life.