A Deacon's Heart

In volume offers insight and guidance regarding this new ministerial order both to those who are called into the diaconate, and those among whom they will minister. The book begins by locating the office of deacon within the larger United Methodist understanding the ministry of all God's people and of ordained ministers. Drawing on the stories of those whom God has called and ordained to the ministry of deacon, the authors portray the crucial link between the worship of the church and service to the world that is central to the office of deacon. The book concludes with answers to common questions asked by deacons and the churches in which their ministry takes place: Who pays for insurance? What about pensions? What responsibilities do deacons have to the congregations that hire them, and what to the conferences of which they are members?


About the Author
Seymour, Jack L.: - Jack L. Seymour is Professor of Religious Education at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois and Editor of Religious Education.Crain, Margaret Ann: - Margaret Ann Crain was ordained in 1997 and is a deacon in full connection in the Northern Illinois Conference. She served churches in Missouri and North Georgia before joining the faculty of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary where she taught Christian education and qualitative research. As Director of Deacon Studies, she created a program that supported, advocated for, and trained many deacons when the new order was created in 1996. Crain retired as Professor Emerita. Her most recent book is The United Methodist Deacon: Ordained to Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.