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Saint Stephen, one of the first seven deacons in the Christian Church, holding a Gospel Book in a 1601 painting by Giacomo Cavedone.. A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions.
Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders.Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session (or consistory), though other terms, such as church board, may apply.
Elizabeth Catherine Ferard, first deaconess of the Church of England. The ministry of a deaconess is a usually non-ordained ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a limited liturgical role.
To be ordained deacons, the latter must be at least 25 years old, if unmarried; if married, a prospective deacon must be at least 35 years old and have the consent of his wife. [81] In the Latin Church, married deacons are permanent deacons. In most diocese there is a cut-off age for being accepted into formation for the diaconate. [citation ...
In the late 20th century, the diaconate was restored as a vocational order in many Western churches, with deacons gaining recognition as equals to presbyters. [5] Accordingly, the Methodist Conference of 1998 admitted all existing members of the renamed Methodist Diaconal Order into "full connexion"—becoming ordained to a full-time, life-long ...
The "Session House" of the Edisto Island Presbyterian Church was used by the Session and for small meetings.. A session (from the Latin word sessio, which means "to sit", as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called consistory or church board) is a body of elected elders governing a particular church within presbyterian polity.
The deacons are a congregational-level group whose duty is "to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress both within and beyond the community of faith." In some churches, the responsibilities of the deacons are taken care of by the session, so there is no board of deacons in that church.
Some Presbyterian denominations distinguish between Teaching Elder (aka Minister of Word and Sacrament or Pastor) and Ruling Elder. Teaching Elders are ordained by the Presbytery and fill the role of pastor. Ruling Elders are ordained by the local church and serve on a board that leads the church. Deacon: Priestess