Diaconal Resources

Readings

• Crossbridge Diaconal Manual: Crossbridge Diaconal Manual
• What is Wholistic Ministry? Ron Sider: Wholistic Ministry
• Assessing Your Church and Community: The Church as Community Asset
• Assess Your Church's Foundations for Outreach
• If Jesus Were Mayor – Transformation and the Local Church, Bob Moffitt (abridged edition)
• Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road, Tim Keller
• God’s Reconciling Love: A Pastor’s Handbook on Domestic Violence, Nancy A. Murphy, FaithTrust Institute
• Churches That Make a Difference: Sider, Olson, Unruh
• Serving and Challenging Seniors: To Encourage Ministry to and by Seniors, George Fuller
• A Bibliography for Mercy Ministry
• A Bibliography for Stewardship
• Thoughts on Holistic Ministry
• The Church as Community Asset, Dr. Amy Sherman
• Why Servanthood is Bad
• Wholistic Ministry (expanded version)
• Sharing God’s Heart for the Poor — Meditations for Worship, Prayer and Service, Amy Sherman
• Church Self Study (Understanding Your Congregational Context for Ministry)

Sermons

• The Meaning of Shalom, Tim Keller (mp3) ,The Meaning of Shalom (Notes)

Resources for Understanding Millennials

• The Values of Generation Y/Millenials That Will Help Transform Work and Church
• Ministry & the Millennial Generation
• How Will the Millennials Worship?: A Snapshot of the Very Near Future – Reformed Worship website
• The Millennials Are Coming!
• Understanding Millennials: Powerpoint Presentation with lots of stats and research.

Deaconess Discussion (2009 PCA General Assembly)
A major issue at this year’s assembly was women’s roles in local church ministries of mercy. 1 The present PCA Book of Church Order (BCO) does not allow for women to be ordained as deacons but does allow for Sessions to appoint godly women to assist the male diaconate in mercy ministry (BCO 9-7). Some PCA churches call such women “deaconesses” to describe their function and some do not. Also, some PCA churches publicly “commission” such women, but do not ordain them. There have been differences regarding the nature or necessity of ordination and the distinction between ordination and commissioning. As candidates for ordination in the PCA have indicated that they differ with the PCA’s present policy on deaconesses, as more churches have sought to involve women in mercy ministries, and as some churches have chosen not to ordain either men or women for diaconal ministry, the issue has come to the attention of the General Assembly by several overtures and a judicial complaint. The complaint (Case 2008-1, Session of Crossroads Community Church v. Philadelphia Presbytery) is before the Standing Judicial Commission. Overtures from several Presbyteries asked the General Assembly to take action on the issue:

• Philadelphia Presbytery (Overture 9) [seconded by Overture 15 from Western Canada, and Communication 2 from Northern California Presbytery] asked for the assembly to form a study committee to study the biblical evidence concerning the role of women in mercy ministries.
• Rocky Mountain Presbytery (Overture 17) then asked the assembly to expand the scope of the proposed study committee to include all matters regarding establishing guidelines where women may serve in the Church whether ordained or unordained.
• Central Georgia Presbytery (Overture 19) expressed the opinion that a study committee should not be formed and additionally asserted that “commissioning” people to do diaconal ministry is unwarranted.

The Overtures’ Committee (OC) Majority Report was that no study committee be formed (as proposed in either Overture 9 or 17). A Minority Report, submitted by about 40% of the members of the OC, asked that there be a study committee on the women’s roles in diaconal ministry only (Overture 9), providing biblical and historical evidence as well as pastoral advice. The proposed committee was to include scholars representing a range of opinion. After the longest discussion of any issue at the assembly, the Minority Report requesting a study committee was not adopted and the Majority Report was adopted by a margin of about 60% to 40% of those present and voting. Overture 19 from Central Georgia was answered by referring to the assembly’s action on Overture 9. The Majority Report advised Presbyteries to send up specific BCO amendment proposals (BCO 26-2) or references (BCO 41) to the General Assembly.

[For some helpful historical sources see www.pcahistory.org ]

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 12:14 PM in Justice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.