THE DEACON:
Biblical foundations for today’s
ministry of mercy
By Cornelis Van Dam
Reformation Heritage Books. 252 pages. £8.12
ISBN 978 1 601 785 114
The place and work of deacons is examined in this useful work. Van Dam starts by looking at the poor and how they were cared for in Old Testament times. He then moves on to Christ’s teaching on the poor and needy before examining early church practice. The crucial Acts 6 passage is described in detail and flowing from that he discusses ‘Deacons as Office Bearers’ and then asks, ‘Are Female Deacons Biblical’?
He does a short, but insightful, tour of church history and the office of deacon in various church traditions. He concludes by describing the possible current functioning of the Office today. He particularly tackles the issues of Diaconal ministry both within and outside of the congregation.
Great neglect
The positives are that he makes all leaders think about the role deacons have in helping the poor and needy. There is a great neglect in many churches with either there not being deacons at all in the organisational structure of a church and hence this care may not be expressed as it could be, or deacons are present as Office Bearers but not functioning with this biblical priority as part of their duties. This book should give any eldership and diaconate much food for thought about how deacons could function far more effectively than they often do.
The negatives are that the style feels dated, that he doesn’t interact with contemporary church practice other than Presbyterian and Reformed, and though suggestive of good practice it doesn’t feel as grounded in actual workaday church life as most would want. Not all will agree with his conclusion about women deacons, and he could have done more to explore the role women can play in organised ministries of mercy.
So, worth reading for what it is, but more as a valuable platform for further discussion.
