The Diaconate as Dual-Skilled Ministry

Since Vatican II, a number of Christian groups have sought to reclaim the diaconate in the service of the gospel. Roman Catholic deacons led the way in the United States but diaconal forms of ministry are now part of the structure in the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and The United Methodist Church. Each ecclesiastical entity is still shaping formation programs appropriate to its form of diaconal ministry. This paper argues that the formation for deaconesses, diaconal ministers, and deacons who will seek to build compassionate communities must include skills in discernment that are learned through theological education and the tools for analysis, intervention and change that come from training in social work. The complexities of understanding systems and other factors that create oppression and the necessity of understanding deeply the call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) require creative approaches to formation such as dual d

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