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Educational Requirements | Internship Requirements | Leadership | Acceptance | Accountability Grandparenting | Participation | Future Issues . |
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1.1 The diaconate is a group of people committed to service in and for the Church, a group which has its roots in the New Testament, and has a history of development and usage in the Church catholic from its beginnings to the present time.
1.2 The diaconate has had a variety of definitions in times past and present, and has included a broad range of people, privileges and responsibilities throughout its history. Sometimes it has included in large part people who were taking a step toward the Office of Pastor or Priest. At other times it has been seen and thought of as an order of people who represented the Church in service to her members and to the world through works of mercy and witness, thus supplementing the Office of Pastor, as well as amplifying and supporting the ministry of all the baptized. It is in this latter sense that we define the synodical diaconate.
2. Purpose of the Synodical Diaconate
2.1 The purpose of this synodical diaconate is for the coordination and support of those engaged in diaconal ministry: to provide some basic and uniform standards for preparation, education, and accountability; to offer opportunities for continuing education, collegiality and support; to encourage excellence in ministry; and to be a forum for mutual concerns and needs.
2.2 The synodical diaconate also serves to coordinate and facilitate the oversight and leadership to be exercised by the Bishop over the various diaconal ministries of the synod, whether in congregations or agencies, or on special deployed mission assignments.
2.3 The synodical diaconate is not an official ministerial roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the same sense as the ELCA Associate in Ministry or ELCA Diaconal Minister. However, the 1995 ELCA Churchwide Assembly amended the ELCA bylaws to read,
“When needed to provide for diaconal ministry as part of a congregation or ministry of this church where it is not possible for such ministry to be provided by appropriately rostered lay ministry, the synodical bishop -- acting with the consent of the congregation or ministry, in consultation with the synod council, and in accord with standards and qualifications developed by the Division of Ministry, reviewed by the Conference of Bishops, and approved by the Church Council -- may authorize a non-rostered person who is a member of a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to offer such non-sacramental ministry. Such an individual shall be supervised by an ordained minister appointed by the synodical bishop and shall be trained and authorized to fulfill a particular ministry for a specific period of time in a given location only. Authorization, remuneration, direct supervision, and accountability are to be determined by the appropriate synodical leadership according to churchwide standards and qualifications for this type of ministry. Authorization for such service shall be renewed annually and renewed only when a demonstrated need remains for its continuation.” (ELCA bylaws 7.61.02.)
The Synod Diaconate functions as a support ministry and standardization tool for the ministries of deacons under the authority and care of the Metropolitan New York Synod. At present there is no official transferability from MNY Synod diaconate to any other ELCA judicatory or ministerial category, though a number of synod are developing their own synodically authorized ministries, and may indeed seek common standards and processes in the future.
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