Giving With Dignity at Christmas (and Beyond!)
Before you put the finishing touches on those Christmas giving projects, please take some time to consider the why, if, and how of giving.
Being a deacon involves a lot more than passing the offering plate. Let's discuss all aspects of being a deacon.
Here you'll find resources posted by individuals, churches, and ministries. Add comments, give a 'thumbs up', or post your own. Can't find something? Use the chat box to let us know.
Before you put the finishing touches on those Christmas giving projects, please take some time to consider the why, if, and how of giving.
As we wonder about schools and their reopening plans, are congregations involved in crafting creative community solutions and ideas to make education for all students a fair and equitable priority?
Deacons exist to act as conduits through which God blesses others. In very practical terms, what does this mean as COVID-19 continues to spread?
What are you doing to check-in on your church and community members? Here are some resources, and we would love to hear your stories.
Wondering how your church will meet the needs of its members and community? You can lead the way to create a system of response and hope.
This post provides a reminder of the resources available for orienting new deacons as churches begin a new program year.
Does your church council talk regularly about the spiritual health of your congregation? Here is a set of twelve devotionals that will lead your elders and deacons to focus on your church's flourishing.
Best Christian Workplaces Institute is an employee engagement ministry "dedicated to helping Christian leaders and organizations achieve their full potential." Here are some great resources they have shared.
This article helps a diaconate think through how to respond to their call to "be prophetic critics of the waste, injustice, and selfishness in our society" and provides helpful links to a host of resources.
This article serves as a quick resource for deacons thinking through their response to their justice mandate. Find links to key resources for orientation, as well as helpful worship resources!
This article articulates the leadership calling of Deacons at all levels of church governance and ministry. It relies heavily on the 2015 Diakonia Remixed report.
The voice of the Deacon is needed at Classis and at Synod. Diaconal Ministries Canada gives us seven reasons why this is true.
Is your church struggling through the orientation for new deacons, or wondering how to sustain good leadership practices? This short article is full of links and ideas to help your church do this well.
In 2019, a brand new Youth Justice Initiative will be launched! Teens from across Canada will be encouraged to work with the deacons in their church as they identify an injustice in their community.
If churches aren’t creating and executing their ministries out of a place of genuine love and care, people will quickly become ‘problems to solve’ and our ministries will become solely needs-based.
What if, as deacons, we actually took the time to sit down and listen to the people we are trying to serve? This could potentially change the entire way churches engage with their communities!
As part of our mission to inspire deacons in the work that they do, we want to share various deacons' experiences. Today we'd like you to meet Mrs. Rene Wall from John Calvin CRC in Truro, Nova Scotia.
Here are two articles that I especially appreciated and think that all CRC deacons would benefit from reading.
Synod 2015 voted to include deacons at future Synods, along with expanding the role of the Office of Deacon.
If you're a deacon, elder, or pastor in the CRC, I encourage you to read the full report of the Task Force to Study the Offices of Elder and Deacon. Additionally, I've shared other resources to dig deeper!
If you’re new to the role of deacon, or gathering helpful tools for those who are joining the council, you’ll find plenty of helpful resources on The Network.
According to Karl Barth, "Deacons cannot be expected to meet all the material needs of society, but they should be permitted to look deeper into the roots of the social issues causing those needs." This and other insights by Barth are shared with us by Dr. David Guretzki in this online article.
Faith & Finances is a biblically integrated financial education curriculum designed specifically for low-income people.
In a globalized world, those needs “are always close to us,” and we have the call and duty to respond to them in the name of Jesus our Lord. We could say that the biblical teaching leads to a simple but wide ranging fact: Our fundamental vocation is the "Deaconship (diakonia) of all believers."
With powerful stories and solid biblical exegesis, Amy Sherman unpacks what it means for the church to be a Preview of the coming Kingdom attraction!