Original Research

Nuut gedink oor die wese en inhoud van die dienswerk van die diaken

Gert Breed
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 68, No 1 | a1059 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v68i1.1059 | © 2012 Gert Breed | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 04 April 2011 | Published: 20 July 2012

About the author(s)

Gert Breed, Department of Practical Theology, North-West University, South Africa

Abstract

The essence and content of a deacon’s service revisited. In many congregations, there is great uncertainty about the precise duty of the deacon within the congregation. Nowhere in the Bible is the essence and content of a deacon’s service clearly spelled out. The suitability of the Scriptural passages that are often referred to to determine the essence and content of a deacon’s work is widely questioned. Through the ages and in various traditions, the deacon has been entrusted with a wide variety of duties. All of the above necessitates a revisitation of the essence and content of the deacon’s service. This article aims to extract the applicable aspects of the latest research on the diakon word group and apply its meaning to the work of the deacon within the overall ministry of the congregation. In order to achieve this objective, the applicable findings within research, conducted over the last 20 years, on the diakon word group is provided. Then the traditional Biblical substantiation of the essence and content of the deacon’s service is critically reviewed. In conclusion, recommendations are made concerning the meaning of the latest research on the diakon word group for the deacon’s service within the overall ministry of the congregation.

Keywords

Deacon; diakonia; service; Church

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Crossref Citations

1. The meaning of the diakon word group in John 12:26 applied to the ministry in congregations
Gert Breed
Verbum et Ecclesia  vol: 35  issue: 1  year: 2014  
doi: 10.4102/ve.v35i1.844