wfn.org | TCN Editorial: Rethinking "diakonia" and how it relates to modern society

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>2997 Edition

>August 3~9, 2009

Editorial: Rethinking "diakonia" and how it relates to modern  society

>Translated by Lydia Ma

According to the Presbyterian Church tradition, the role of  deacons or

"diakonia" is to take care of the church's general affairs,  including assisting

church elders and pastors in teaching believers and managing the  daily activities

of the church. Consequently, many have assumed that deacons have  special

status within a church and being chosen to become a deacon is a  necessary

step or process before one can be "promoted" to the position of an  elder.

Such a misconception is actually misleading and brings us back to  the way

things were before the Protestant Reformation. Before that time,  the Catholic

Church saw deacons as the Pope's helpers during mass. However, the  founder

of Presbyterianism, John Calvin, gave deacons a new direction and  role based

on his understanding of the Bible's teachings.

In Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, IV.3.9, Calvin  taught that taking

care of the poor was the duty of deacons. If we accept this  teaching, and we must

accept it, then, it follows that there are two kinds of deacons.  The first kind is

responsible for organizing help for poor people while the second  kind is

responsible for actually helping them. Calvin also taught about  this and went on to

claim that being elected as deacon is a permanent, life-long  calling.

As we celebrate Calvin's 500th anniversary, it is very important  to re-examine the

role of deacons, especially in the context of contemporary  Taiwanese society.

Like religious leaders in Jesus' time who asked Him who was their  neighbor, we

must also ask who these "poor people" deacons are called to help  really are. Are

they people the borough leader has listed as "low income  families"? Are they

people earning less than $500,000 NTD per year?

As we ponder on the "poor people" we are called to help, we must  look beyond

the financial or economic aspect of being poor. "Poor people" come  in different

shapes and sizes. There are "emotionally poor people" who never  find

contentment in their hearts. There are "physically poor people"  who are always

worried about illness, growing old, and the illnesses that  accompany old age.

There are also "environmentally poor people" who consume so much  energy and

waste precious resources without knowing it, and the list goes on.  The role of

deacons is to think of ways to help these people and then go out  and help them.

That being said, we must admit we oftentimes run into the  aforementioned "poor

people" in our lives but choose to look the other way because it  is simply more

convenient to do so. We behave much like the priest and the Levite  in the

parable of the Good Samaritan. It is more convenient to simply  cross over to the

other side of the street, instead of stopping by to help and  bandage the wounds

>of these "poor people".

The role and responsibilities of deacons should not stop with  having mere "head

knowledge" of what they must do, or be dismissed as a duty of the  selected few

at church. We must examine it anew in light of the Reformed church  tradition,

which emphasized on the priesthood of all believers. As we accept  our roles as

priests and relish in our reconciled relationship with God, we  must also take up

our calling from God and start planning how to help poor people  and go out and

help them. This is what makes us really reconciled to God and this  is how we

>bring God's kingdom to earth.

Let us reflect on the true meaning of diakonia and apply it in our  daily lives.

>********************

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