Diakonia and diaconate in the World Council of Churches

Bibliographic Data

ID23213345
AuthorsKjell Nordstokke (corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume13
Issue4
Pages286-299
Publication date2013-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal for the Study of the Christian Church (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1474-225X • E-ISSN: 1747-0234
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1474225x.2013.867653
OpenAlexW1990600999
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited1

Since the World Council of Churches (WCC) was founded in 1948 both diakonia and diaconate have been on the agenda of the organisation. As time has passed the understanding of these concepts has changed, and the theological importance given to them has varied due to external and internal factors. In this article I shall describe this development. My basic hypothesis is that the reflection on diakonia and diaconate has followed two separate tracks, the first considering diakonia as inter-church aid in contexts of human need, while the entry point of the second has been the ecumenical perception of the Church's ministry and within it a possible renewal of the diaconate. It is my hypothesis that these two tracks to a large degree have not been interrelated, but have mainly been isolated from each other. In my opinion this has limited the reflection on both concepts, and consequently both have lost momentum in ecumenical theology.

Christian ministry · Ecclesiology · Epistemology · Political science · Reflection (computer programming) · Sociology · Theology · Christian Theology and Mission · Computer Science · Law · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious studies

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