How are deacons called and formed?
The usual assumption about how a person becomes an ordained minister in the Anglican Church is that they go through a triple process of call, discernment and formation. First they receive some kind of call from God to be a minister, then, they join a programme through which the Diocesan Church authorities try to discern whether this call is authentic, and finally, accepted as an ordinand, the candidate goes through various formation programmes to gain appropriate education and training, before being ordained by the bishop of the diocese.
There are a number of points to make about this triple process, particularly in relation to the factors that influence whether a person who receives what they think is a call by God actually gets to end up being ordained.
The Call
A call from God to be one of his ordained ministers of the Gospel can take many forms. For some it may come within a direct spiritual experience, for others it may be the result of a long period of thought and prayer. However, the form the call takes will usually be influenced by what you think God sends an ordained minister to do.
Perhaps for a majority of people called, they have a general idea that they are called to be a servant of the Gospel, "a minister", and what experience they have had of ministers will usually have been of parish priests. Most will have little or no experience or knowledge of deacons (except perhaps of so-called transitional deacons, people ordained as deacons but who after a year will be ordained as priests and who in reality are simply apprentice priests).
It is vital that (not only in respect of deacons but also for people called to the priesthood) that there is information (and visible role models) available on the ministry options open to those who are called. Are they called to be a deacon or priest? Will they be self-supporting (non-stipendiary) or Church supported (stipendiary)? Currently there is very little of such information on ACSA diocesan websites. People called need to examine whether the call they have received is directing them to ministry as a deacon or a priest. In many cases it is only after they have been through a process of theological education and church training that they will come to a definite conclusion about this. Indeed in many cases it is only after they had been ordained as deacon that some people understand that it is to this particular ministry that thy have been truly called.
The person called also has to make a realistic judgement on whether they have the capabilities that are currently required of all seeking ordination in the Anglican Church in Southern Africa. Some of these capabilities relate to a person's physical and mental health, their level of education, the likelihood that they can engage in theological studies at a post-school level (which in practice also assumes fluency in English) over a long period.
An authentic call should normally be accompanied by or soon develop some evidence of the following:
- a strong commitment to and deep love for Jesus Christ and the Church
- an ability to speak about one's faith
- a confirmed adult member in good standing with the understanding of one's already existing duties to minister as a baptized person
- a spiritual life marked by the habits of worship, prayer, the study of the Bible
- a desire to serve and enable others to serve
- empathy for the powerless, marginalised and oppressed
- a history of satisfactory employment (if applicable) and interpersonal relationships
- a willingness to undertake extensive preparation, including theological education, spiritual formation, and practice of ministry
- a clear understanding of the ministry of a deacon
- an awareness of Anglican tradition and practice and a willingness to work within this framework and process.
It certainly helps that the inner sense of call has persisted for some time and has been affirmed by others who have recognised a potential vocation to the diaconate and can give grounds for their support. There should be support of the local church, and perhaps wider community, for the vocation.
In some dioceses there will be an expectation that a candidate for the orained ministry will first have served as a Lay Minister.
Discernment
The person called will usually approach the priest at their parish church and, after consulting the Parish Council, be directed to a guild for prospective ministers, usually called The Fellowship of Vocation. In some dioceses the candidate will also have to register with a Ministry and Theological Education office.
The candidate will be expected to provide certified documents of the following:
- Birth Certificate or Identity Document
- Driver’s Licence (where applicable)
- Baptismal Certificate
- Confirmation Certificate
- Marriage Certificate (where applicable)
- Divorce or Separation papers (where applicable)
- School education certificates (Senior Certificate or highest standard/grade passed in school)
- Post school education and training certificates of any other Course, Degree, Diploma or Certificate you may have completed. These need not necessarily be theological studies. (Please note that any non- South African qualifications must be accredited with the South African Qualification Authoriy (SAQA)).
- Certificates related to being a Lay Minister, etc. (where applicable)
- A current photograph of you and your family (where applicable)
- List of any education or training studies you are currently engaged in.
The Fellowship of Vocation (FOV), led by a senior minister as Warden, will meet on a regular basis, often monthly or at least quarterly, and the candidate will also be expected to attend an annual weekend workshop. In the Fellowship of Vocation candidates for ordination will be given talks and other instruction related to the work of ordained ministers.
The engagement with the Fellowship of Vocation is meant to enlarge a candidate's knowledge of what a minister is, and hence also strengthen his or her reflection on their own call, and also give the person in charge of the Fellowship of Vocation time to assess, through observation and interviews, the suitability of the candidate. A programme of study may also be prescribed as well as being linked to spiritual director.
The discernment process will take some time and it will only be after engagement with the Fellowship of Vocation, for at least a year, and a series of interviews, at least one of which will be with the Bishop, that a decision will be made that the candidate is now officially an ordinand and directed to engage in studies to be completed before they are ordained (the candidate may of course already have started such studies).These studies can be study at a university, theological college or a diocesan programme. Currently the theological colleges mainly used by the Anglican Church are the College of the Transfiguration (COTT) in Makhanda (Grahamstown) for full-time face-to-face study, and the Theological Education by Extension College (TEEC) in Alberton, for part-time distance education study.
What does the discernment, the process of gaining insight into and making a good judgement on the candidate's suitability, involve? What is looked at? Usually at least the following aspects are looked at in deciding whether persons should be ordained at a deacon:
Character - What character do they have, are they a mature and stable personality of integrity? Will they be resilient and persistent?
Commitment to a spiritual life of faith
Spouse/Family - Do they have the support of those closest to them? Are there complications here?
Communication skills - Do they have adequate communication skills (for conversation, preaching, teaching)?
Academic knowledge - Are they intellectually capable of theological study, ministerial preparation and the demands of
ministry? Is their educational background adequate for theological study at a post-school level? Can they demonstrate what they have gained so far from theological study?
Embedded in the Anglican Church - Do they have sufficient knowledge about, and engagement with, the Anglican Church and its diversity?
Understanding of ministry - Do they have an adequate sense of what ministry involves?
Understanding of the diaconate - If they are to be a distinctive (permanent) deacon, do they know what being a deacon involves and its distinction from being a priest?
Discipleship - What are they doing as a disciple of Christ?
Relationships — Is there evidence of a sound human awareness and understanding? Is there the capacity to build healthy personal, professional, and pastoral relationships?
Leadership and collaboration - Do they have the potential to lead in an effective way and colloborate with others?
Societal context - Do they have a basic understanding of society and how it works (and does not work)?
Social justice - Do they have a passion for social justice?
Mission and evangelism - What is their experience of and commitment to these?
Practical competence - Do they have specific requiired competencies?
Various competency grids have been developed to provide greater detail on these aspects of diaconal competency.
Formation
A major component of the ongoing formation of the candidate for ordination as a deacon will be theological education. Currently a potential deacon will study for from four to seven years, usually to gain a Diploma or degree in theology, and usually at a university or the College of the Transfiguration (COTT) in Makhanda (Grahamstown) for full-time face-to-face study, and the Theological Education by Extension College (TEEC) in Alberton, for part-time distance education study.
In addition there will be ongoing support from the Fellowship of Vocation of the Diocese and often the candidates will be assigned mentors or spiritual directors.
A problem is that currently most theological training institutions assume that their students will become priests and very little effort is given to the history, theology and liturgical role of deacons. This situation may be slowly changing.
Formation continues after ordination with various forms of post-ordination training, usually delivered by the diocese, and usually for a period of three to four years via occassional workshops and meetings.
In the longer term, deacons are expected to be a lifelong learners, constantly ugrading their knowledge and skills.
