Deacons

How do deacons "weigh the needs of causes and use of church resources discerningly?"

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The "charge to deacons" in the CRC includes a phrase, "weigh the needs of causes and use the church's resources discerningly."  What is the best criteria or questions used to weigh the needs of causes? 

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Janice Visser

Posted On

September 29, 2011

Updated On

November 29, 2011
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Melissa Van Dyk on September 29, 2011

Wow, what a great question!  I love that you're engaging with the charge to deacons and have a desire to faithfully live into that calling! 

A good starting place may be found in a resource created by Diaconal Ministries of Canada, it's called  Guidelines for Benevolence.  It's a helpful tool to work through as a deacon team, to get a sense about who you feel called to serve, what your community may need, and how you as a team are equipped to serve.  Having a good idea about who/what God is calling your team to, is part of the discernment process, and may provide you with a starting point as you "weigh the needs".

I'd love to hear thoughts from other deacons on how their deacon boards/teams handle this!

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Janice Visser on September 29, 2011

thanks, Melissa.  I want to clarify:  does the word "causes" refer to ministries or agencies? 

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Janice Visser on September 29, 2011

Or do you think the word "causes" means "people"?  I'd hate to think someone would call me a "cause".  hmm...

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Melissa Van Dyk on September 29, 2011

I usually think of "causes" as anything that we can give support to... so, yes, I would consider people as causes for the purpose of understanding the charge to deacons- though I too don't like the word choice - perhaps we can blame it on outdated language!

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Terry Woodnorth on September 29, 2011

The denomination has already done some of this work for deacons. See the "Nondenominational Agencies Evaluated for Support 2012" in the booklet at http://www.crcna.org/site_uploads/uploads/Ministry%20Shares%202011%20booklet.pdf.

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