Abstract:
This article attends to the theological foundation of the diaconate from the missio trinitatis Dei and
its implications, especially for the Afrikaans-speaking Reformed churches. The missio Dei, of the
Father, Son, and Spirit is directed at the realities of this life. The new heaven and the new earth
are not mutually exclusive. The earth is sanctified anew, man has created anew [recreated], and
our bodies are raised anew [revived]. This new earth, a new man, and new life come through the
merciful dikaiosune of the Father, the diakonia of the Son, and the koinonia of the Holy Spirit. The
diaconate and the missionary ministry of the church are caught in the essence of God and
therefore belong to the essence of missionary ecclesiology. From the trinitarian perspective, the
purpose of the diaconate is described as well as the relationship between the diaconate, the
church, and the kingdom. The last part of the article deals with salvation and diaconate and the
implications of a trinitarian understanding of the diaconate for the understanding of salvation.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : This article makes an interdisciplinary
contribution to the theological discussion within the Afrikaans-speaking churches from the
perspective of systematic and practical theology.
