Abstract:
Churches hold different views
regarding the office of deacon and role of deacons in the church. Churches also use different
terms for their social ministries. This lack of a common language regarding the church’s diaconal
ministry often creates confusion in the ecumenical discourse on the diaconate of the church. This
article explores the hypothesis that the conceptualisation of a church’s diaconal ministry is
influenced by a specific frame of reference, be it a historical perspective, a specific theology or
tradition. In this case study of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) it is shown how a specific
historical and theological understanding of diaconal ministry determines not only this church’s
preference for the term ‘service of compassion’ but also its diaconal praxis. The article concludes
with a suggestion to the DRC to consider the use of the concept diakonia in contemplation of more
active participation in ecumenical disourses regarding the diaconate of the church.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : The article describes how a specific
historical and theological understanding of diaconal ministry determines not only the DRC’s
preference for the term ‘service of compassion’ but also its diaconal praxis. The suggestion to
more actively participate in developing a common understanding of diakonia ecumenically has
implications for the DRC’s ecclesiology, as well as its missional and social ministries.
