Synod 2010 agreed to form a task force to rewrite the church order as it pertains to the office of deacon. The overture to which the synod was responding requested synod to look at how deacons are selected, and the mandate given to deacons. The overture said that the challenges of today's world demand that the ministry of deacons be renewed and strengthened.
According to the overture, churches and classes need to be allowed to structure diaconal ministry to address these issues:
- How to better coordinate ministry so that it's more effective and so that it can better identify and harness resources in the community.
- How to select deacons for better match of specific gifts with office and vision.
- Strengthen the leadership of deacons in helping the congregation steward its gifts for spiritual growth and for service.
- Examine tenure to encourage better consistency and continuity.
- Participation of deacons at major assemblies.
One of the main themes in the overture was the conviction that the MANDATE of the deacons is huge, while the provisions for how to work are narrow and constrained.
I don’t yet have the exact wording of the synodical mandate to this new task force, but we can hope that the spirit and scope of the overture is contained in the decision and mandate.
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