Reviving the Diaconal Impulse of the Church

The evangelical movement is encountering a bit of a theological and structural awakening to the significance of justice and mercy. This is progress. Yet while there is a new openness to understanding the nature of following Christ and doing church while prioritizing our collective role in compassion, we must admit that in this regard we are at best like children learning to ride our bikes, with training wheels.

Some of us have dabbled in the ministry to the poor, only to grow frustrated with the enormity of the task and to return to our more narrow instincts of word ministry. Some have dived headlong into the challenge, and learned much valuable insight for the church at large through our successes and failures. But the evangelical church, or at least it's suburban enclaves, admittedly is more interested in the insights of wealth development and management - through Dave Ramsey seminars and the like - than we are to sit and listen to community development experts and missionaries as they advise us toward strategies to help the poor.

It is not enough to believe that mercy is an important tenant of our faith to which we give theological assent - it is also important to internalize and act upon that biblical instinct - to program and develop purpose toward that end. The role of the pastor, overseer is critically important in the church - worthy of much structured preparative study and diligence.

Yet one might argue that the task of accomplishing justice among the poor requires at least as much theological/sociological insight to do with excellence. Protestant churches that grow, instinctively apply their resources to the replication of more pastoral ministry. We hire professional elders/pastors/overseers - but among protestants it is rare to see churches hiring professional deacons - giving oversight to ministries of recovery and community development. We thus reflexively assume that missions is primarily a ministry of the word - exporting our theological framework to a world that has not yet heard.

But if we look to Christ as our example, we see - not only a didactic ministry of teaching - but a diaconal ministry - one of healing, recovery and justice. To follow Christ in His ministry paradigm means not only to convey the truth of the gospel in words, but also in sacrificial deeds. We should not only be focused on the establishment of churches - but also schools for the poor, physical infirmaries and clinics, mental health facilities and other community development works.

Where am I wrong?