The Deacon’s Ministry is a collection of essays by a variety of authors from differing church traditions. They have in common the conviction that the diaconate has a vital part to play in clarifying the meaning of the ministry of the whole Church, ordained and lay. It is offered to the Church, in the hope that it will stimulate and encourage reflection on an Order which has been subjected to neglect for centuries and which the Church of England is now in danger of misunderstanding and undervaluing.

This book fills an important gap; it is intended for all deacons (women and men) as they search for their role, for ordinands and their teachers, for incumbents and bishops, as well as for lay people and indeed all who take seriously the servanthood of Christ in the contemporary Church.

“an important, positive and timely contribution to a fuller and deeper understanding and appreciation of the diaconate in the Church of England. I much hope that these essays will stimulate further thought and discussion in the Church of England and beyond; so that the diaconate, irrespective of the outcome of the proposed legislation on the ordination of women to the priesthood, far from being lightly regarded, will come to be seen as vital and central to what lies at the heart of the ministry of the whole Church, ordained and lay, within the world – I am among you as one who serves”. Most Revd & Rt Hon David Hope, Archbishop of York

Christine Hall is Director of Bishop Otter Centre for Theology and Ministry.