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dissertation entitled

DEACON LEARNERS

presented by

Robert J. Schultz

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DEACON LEARNERS

By

Robert John Schultz

A DISSERTATION
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulﬁllment of the requirements
for the degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Education Administration

2004

ABSTRACT
DEACON LEARNERS
By

Robert John Schultz

This study describes the perceptions of 11 deacons of the Michigan
District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod concerning their education. They
discussed actual and preferred predeacon education, actual and preferred deacon
education, changing work role deﬁnition, and the interdependent relationship of
education and work roles. They indicated that they preferred a predeacon education
that educated students in the skills of the craft. They desired a deacon education that
would continue to strengthen these skills while teaching new skills. The deacons
recognized that they had unique work roles, which, while including the historic deacon
responsibilities of charity and liturgy, also involved other responsibilities. As many
deacons pointed out, they did everything that a pastor did except marriages.

The deacons indicated that an interdependent relationship needs to exist
between education and work roles. Both worker perceptions about education and work
roles are important for the development of an educational program for predeacons. This
relationship carries over into the education of deacons, others involved with deacons,
and the church at large. Then church educators can be responsive to the needs of
workers in the ﬁeld. The end result is that adult learners, like deacons, can learn most
effectively and appropriately when the relationship of workers and educators are

interdependent.

Copyright Notice
Robert John Schultz
2004

Dedication
I thank the Triune God for leading me to learn about and study deacon ministry,
and dedicate this dissertation to the untold number of deacons who have served Him

and humanity throughout the centuries.

Acknowledgements

This dissertation is the direct result of support and encouragement from many
people. My family stood behind my continuing education and writing, with my wife
Joyce urging me on, and my children, as professional adults, helping in a variety of
ways including proofreading. My advisor, Dr. Ann Austin, was a tremendous help
with guidance and encouragement. Finally, this dissertation would not have
developed without the deacons’ willingness to be interviewed and the
encouragement from the Commission on Deacon Qualiﬁcations to bring this

research to the public.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE-Introduction to the Study ................................................... 1
Purpose ....................................................................................... 1
Art’s Ordination ............................................................................ 2
Statement of the Problem .................................................................. 5
Background Issues ......................................................................... 6
Deacons’ Perceptions ..................................................................... 33
The Research Questions .................................................................. 34
The “I” in this Research .................................................................. 38
Need for the Study ........................................................................ 40
Deﬁnition of Terms ....................................................................... 41
Overview of the Following Chapters ........... : ....................................... 45

CHAPTER TWO-Literature Review ......................................................... 47
Literature about Deacons ................................................................ 47
Related Literature ﬁ'om the Field of Adult Education ............................... 55
Summary ................................................................................... 67

CHAPTER THREE-Design of the Study .................................................... 69
Qualitative Methodology ................................................................ 69
Sample of Deacons ....................................................................... 70
The Interview Protocol and the Interviewing Process ............................... 71
Data Collection ........................................................................... 78
Data Analysis .............................................................................. 79

CHAPTER FOUR-Findings ................................................................... 82
Observations .............................................................................. 82
Introduction to the Deacons ............................................................. 83
Deacons Perceptions ..................................................................... 94

Deacons’ Perceptions of their Education Before Installation .............. 95
Deacons’ Preferred Educational Experiences Before Installation. . . . . ....98
Deacons’ Perceptions of their Education After Installation .............. 107
Deacons’ Preferred Educational Experiences After Installation ......... 111
Deacons’ Perceptions of Their Work Roles ................................. 120
Summary ............................................................... 1 32
Relationship Between Deacons’ Education and Their Work Roles. . 1 34
Chapter Summary ........................................................................ 143

CHAPTER FIVE-Meaning and Implications of the Findings ........................... 145
Introduction .............................................................................. 145
A Summary of Findings ................................................................ 145
Discussion ................................................................................ 148
Suggestions for Action .................................................................. 155

vi

Implications for Further Research ..................................................... 168

Final Summary ........................................................................... 173
APPENDICES .................................................................................. 174
Appendix One-Good Shepherd Lutheran Church: The Divine Service and Rite of
Ordination and Rite of Installation of a Pastor ....................................... 174
Appendix Two-Models of Adult Education .......................................... 179
Appendix Three-Deacon Learning Consent Form .................................. 185
Appendix Four- Interview Protocol ................................................... 186
BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................. 1 88

vii

TABLES

TABLE 1: Summary of the Background Information on the Deacons in the
Study Sample ................................................................................................... 93

TABLE 2: The Relationship Between Actual Work Role and Education ......... 138

TABLE 3: Deacons’ Work Roles and Preferred Education ............................. 140

viii

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

Pu_rp_ose

My purpose in this study was to investigate the relationship between deacons’
education and their work roles. To learn about this relationship, I asked deacons in the
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) to share their perceptions about their
education, work roles, and the relationship between their education and work roles,
based upon their personal experiences.

This chapter begins with the ordination experience of one pastor, Art. This story
provides the life experiences of one man’s path from having little connection with the
church to becoming a deacon and later ordained as a pastor. One could call this story,
“One man’s path: from faith to deacon to becoming a pastor.” Drawing on my
interviews with Art and my presence at his ordination, I present his story in a way that
suggests what I believe he may have been thinking. Also, I interspersed an introduction
to the role of the deacon in history in Art’s story. I present Art’s story as a way to set a
tone for my study. Other deacons are discussed in this study, each with their own
unique life story. Some of their experiences led to deacon ministry and others to
ordination. These stories will be mentioned later in the dissertation but not in the depth
provided in this ﬁrst chapter that highlights Art’s experiences. Rather, I will be looking
across the stories of a number of deacons to analyze and discuss the education of
deacons.

The chapter continues with more contemporary information about deacons.

Next, the problem addressed in the study and background issues are set forth, and

research questions are stated. Key terms used in the dissertation are deﬁned, and an
overview of the dissertation is given.

Art’s Ordination

“After all this time, it’s ﬁnally happening,” Art thought as he stood at the end of
a double line of pastors standing in the hallway, waiting to enter the sanctuary. The date
was October 2001. “The moment has arrived for me to become an ordained pastor in
the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. I don’t believe it!” As the music began playing,
the congregation stood with a rustle and began singing “Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng!”
The line of pastors joined the congregation in exultantly singing “Rejoice, give thanks,
and sing; Your festal banner wave on high, the cross of Christ your King. Rejoice,
Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!” as they started shufﬂing two by two into the
sanctuary.

Art thought back on his life. Who would have thought that he, who at one time
had not even been baptized, was about to become an ordained pastor? Although his
parents were nominally Christian, they were not active in a church. Like so many
families, they made sure he attended a Lutheran Sunday School and a Vacation Bible
School until he was 12. But that was during World War II, and because the congregation
had the schools but did not have a pastor, Art had not been baptized.

Then, in 1959, Art married his ﬁrst wife, who was not active in a church, even
though she claimed to be a Presbyterian. In 1970, she suffered a stroke and was blinded
and paralyzed. St. Paul Lutheran Church in Flint, Michigan, ministered to those who
were hospitalized because it was across the street ﬁom the hospital. The pastor visited
Art’s wife and shared Scripture and prayer with her. In the meantime, Art had been laid

off from work and their four children were dispersed to ﬁiends and family. Life for Art

meant sitting in the hospital all day and then going home in the evening to a house
empty of people but full of chores, what with the cows, chickens, ducks, and the other
animals that were a part of the family’s life.

Art thought his life was in ruins. He knew the Lord’s Prayer from having
attended Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. He prayed this prayer in the hope
that the Lord would heal his wife. He could do nothing else. At that point, even though
Art’s wife was a registered nurse and was receiving the best of care, the medical
profession could do little but help make her comfortable. The neurosurgeon said they
would just have to wait and see.

Art remembered that he, like entertainer Danny Thomas, could just say, “Lord,
ah, here I am, would you please help?” That was on a Saturday. The next day, his wife
wiggled a toe on her leﬁ foot! Within a few days, her eyesight returned and the
paralysis left her! After four more weeks, she came home. Her memory returned, and
within a year she was back to work full time. Art’s family attributed her healing to a
miracle of the Lord, as did the Jewish neurosurgeon. The neurosurgeon later wrote a
paper on her remarkable progress.

As a result of that experience, the family began attending church. Art and his
four children were baptized on February 28, 1971, at Trinity Lutheran Church in
F enton, Michigan. He also was also conﬁrmed that day as an adult member of the
church. Within a few months, Art became a trustee in the church, and the Lord kept
working in his life to develop him into a mature Christian.

In September 1980, Art’s wife was killed in an automobile accident, but his son,

who was in the car with her, survived. Again, the church ministered to Art, brought him

to the cross of Christ, and helped him see how the Lord would sustain him. But now he
was a widower with two children—a 15 year-old daughter and an llyear-old son—at
home. The pastor of Art’s church helped him through his grief and loss.

Two years later, Art married Gail, a Baptist who had been trained as a New
Tribes Missionary. She became a Lutheran and they joined Holy Cross Lutheran
Church in Linden, Michigan. Gail, who had been having disabling back pain and
emotional problems, was killed in an automobile accident in 1986. According to Art,
the Lord brought him through that ordeal day by day.

Shortly before her death, Gail had wanted to go to the Michigan Lutheran
Ministries Institute (MLMI) to learn Old Testament history. Art’s present wife, Marge,
Gail’s friend, had encouraged her to go. Art was working for General Motors at the
time, and had been scheduled for overtime for the whole next year. They discovered
that Dr. Walter Stuenkel, a well-known former LCMS college president, would be
teaching the class, and Marge wanted someone to go with her. Art could not go because
of work. However, the Wednesday before the Saturday the class was set to begin,
General Motors canceled all overtime and Art was sent home. He called Marge and
said, “Well, the Lord has freed me up to go with you, so we’ll go.” As Art took the
class, he found that he wanted to help his pastor. He became an elder of the church and
decided he would be willing to give teaching a try. As Art taught the Old Testament as
he had learned it from Dr. Stuenkel, he saw the love of God unfold before his students
again and again. What a great, loving God He is! Art had never realized before the love
story of the Old Testament. He found himself drawing closer and closer to God. But he

never dreamed he would go ﬁirther than teaching.

After Gail’s death that fall, Dr. Stuenkel announced that he would be teaching
New Testament. A dear friend, who had been best man at Art’s wedding to Gail and
pall bearer for his ﬁrst wife, telephoned Art. Jerry said, “Art, I’ll pick you up at 8 in the
morning. We’re going to MLMI.” He didn’t ask, he simply told Art what he would do.
Not wanting to disappoint him, Art was ready when Jerry stopped to pick him up.
When Art walked into the class, Dr. Stuenkel and some of the other students who had
been to Gail’s funeral were surprised to see him. But immediately they gathered around
him and shared a few moments of prayer. From that time on, Art let the Lord unfold
Himself continuously. The homework load was so heavy that it limited Art’s time for
grieving. Art continued to take classes, riding to MLMI with Jerry and Marge.

In 1988, General Motors closed the plant where Art had been working. With
more free time, Art accelerated his class load to catch up with Marge and Jerry, and in
1989 he graduated from MLMI.

After graduation, Art and Marge began to date. God led them to an internship in
which they began planting a church in Leslie, Michigan, starting with laying the
groundwork and gathering demographics. During that time, Art realized he was
uncomfortable being alone. He needed a wife to help plant the church, and with love
growing between them, he hesitantly asked Marge to marry him. He thought, “Well,
may the Lord give us one day of happiness. If something happens to her, I’d rather have
a broken heart and be widowed again than live without her.” Two weeks after the church
opened, they were married in Linden with Dr. Stuenkel ofﬁciating. Art and Marge

agreed that they would do the Lord’s work ﬁrst, and then let God bless the marriage.

After two years in Leslie, the church had become strong enough to call its ﬁrst
pastor. The next few months Art and Marge were without an assignment, so they
moved back to their house in F enton. When presented with the opportunity, they
interviewed with Pastors Davis and Shelton about planting a church in Coopersville,
Michigan. A number of people were driving from Coopersville, 15 miles away, to
worship at an established LCMS church. Marge and Art began meeting with that group
of people to start Grace Lutheran Church. In nine months the church called a pastor,
and Art and Marge moved back to Fenton to await another assignment.

The couple accepted two more assigmnents. The ﬁrst came a year later when
they were asked to plant Peace Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Having a
good core group from St. Paul’s, in nine months the church grew to the point of calling
and receiving its own pastor. Art and Marge again returned to F enton to await for
another opportunity to serve the Lord. The second assignment came shortly, when the
district invited Art and Marge to work full time in church planting. In 1995, after Art
became a deacon, they were sent to Kinross in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Art was
proud to be the second deacon approved for service in the Michigan District. He found
that being a deacon helped him with receiving more respect from the congregational
members, gave him the opportunity to serve in a fuller capacity (much more like a
pastor), have easier access to the prisoners he visited in the nearby prison, and closer
connections with the prison ofﬁcers in his congregation and who lived in the
community. Alter Marge and Art had served for 20 months, the congregation was
strong enough to call a pastor, and Marge and Art immediately were assigned to

another struggling church.

Ossineke, their next place of ministry, is located 15 miles south of Alpena,
Michigan, on the west coast of Lake Huron. An active summer vacation spot, the area
also has some year-round residents. About 25 people came to worship each week at the
beginning of Art and Marge’s work among them. Under Art’s preaching and Marge’s
compassionate encouragement, weekly attendance quickly jumped to 50 and then 80
people. Art could do everything as a deacon, including preaching and administering the
sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, but he could not perform marriages. Art
and Marge bought a home in Ossineke, knowing that God wanted them to stay there
and work with these people.

At about that time, Art heard of the colloquy process, a way in which men apply
to become pastors without going through a normal four-year seminary education.
Marge fully supported Art in his desire to become a pastor. He compiled transcripts
ﬁ'om MLMI, a list of seminars he had attended, and grades from seminary courses he
had taken throughout the years of his ministry, and he sent in his paperwork to the
Colloquy Committee. Several months later, the committee ﬁnally invited him to come
to St. Louis, Missouri, for an interview. During the interview, Art demonstrated his
knowledge of the Scripture, the church, and ministry. His greatest joy was being able to
share his faith in Christ. The committee accepted his application and pronounced him
ready for ordination without any further education! On October 21, 2001 , Art stood at
the end of a line of pastors in Ossineke, Michigan, singing with them the introductory
hymn. He was somewhat apprehensive about joining the ministerium of the LCMS to

fulﬁll the Ofﬁce of the Public Ministry, but he trusted the Lord in all activities of life.

The singing continued as the pastors, dressed in their white robes and red stoles,
ﬁled into the sanctuary. As Art passed Marge, who was standing in the second row with
their families, they smiled encouragingly at each other. The pastors moved into the
front pews just as the hymn ended. Art stepped around and in front of the chair placed
in the center aisle in front of the altar and prepared for the next step. The liturgist left
his seat, stood in front of the altar, and intoned, “In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Rite of Ordination-Appendix 1). Art, the pastors, guests,
and all the members of the congregation, which ﬁlled the church to capacity,
responded, “Amen!” The liturgist continued with the Psalm of Praise, Psalm 100. The
congregation gave appropriate responses. Then everyone sat down for the reading of
the Scriptures and to hear choral presentations between the lessons.

(As the service proceeded, Art realized that many thoughts were ﬂying through
his mind. The following information is an attempt to organize and ﬁll in the missing
pieces of information concerning what thoughts Art might have experienced during this
rite of ordination.)

Art tried to focus on the liturgy until the reading of the Scripture. He wanted to
listen to God’s Word, yet his thoughts, upon hearing the Scripture, shifted to the impact
of the readings. “How important the Bible is,” he thought. “God speaks and we listen.”
The scriptural passages led him to consider the line of people into which God had
called him. From Scripture, throughout history, and into recent times, some deacons
had become ordained pastors, whereas others had chosen to remain deacons. He

thought about this lineage.

Art remembered the history of the diaconate from his study of the New
Testament (Olsen, 1992). Diakonein means “to serve,” and this word describes Jesus’
service in Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, and Luke 22:27 (New International Version),
“The Son of man came not to be served but to serve.” The term is also translated as to
minister, to provide for, or to help someone. The term diakonos or deacon appears 30
times in the New Testament.

The term is used in referring to an ofﬁce in Acts 1 as the Church considered
replacing Judas, whereas Paul alluded to a variety of ways to serve in I Corinthians
12:5. The ministry of the Word is mentioned in Acts 6:4, whereas the ministry of
reconciliation is touched upon in II Corinthians 5:18. Philippians 1, written between 53
and 58 A.D., addresses the deacons as holders of an office, stating, “T 0 all the saints in
Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” The greatest detail
about the attributes of a deacon is given in I Timothy 3:8-13:

Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, nor addicted to

much wine, not greedy for gain; they must hold the mystery of the faith

with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested ﬁrst; then if they

prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons.

“Yes,” Art thought, “God has been good to me. He’s placed me in this line of deacons
and chosen to use me for His kingdom and glory.” After all those at the ordination
service repeated the Apostle’s Creed and loudly sang, “Hark the Voice of Jesus
Calling,” Art focused on the preacher’s words about how he would serve as a pastor.

Art’s supervising pastor was the guest preacher. Basing his sermon on 11
Timothy 2:8-9, he began to talk about the meaning of a pastor and the ways a pastor

serves, under the topic, “Remember Jesus Christ.” Art thought about the early church.

He remembered learning about Ignatius, an early church father from about 110 A.D.,

who considered the church to have three ofﬁces: bishop (overseer), presbyter (an
ordained leader), and deacon, together known as the monepiscopate. These three ofﬁces
governed in the early church (Olsen, 1992). One of the ﬁrst to describe the role of
deacon was Justin Martyr (153-155 A.D.), who wrote, “When the president has given
thanks and the whole congregation has assented, those whom we call deacons give to
each of those present a portion of the consecrated wine and water, and they take it to
the absent” (Olsen, 1992, p. 32.). Hippolytus of Rome (215-217 AD) took the cup of
the Eucharist away from the deacons if enough presbyters were available (Olsen, 1992,
pg. 32). However, Tertullian permitted deacons to celebrate the Eucharist and baptize
in cases of necessity (Olsen, 1992, pg. 32). The role of the deacon in leading the
church, conducting the Eucharist, and administering baptism remained strong, unless
the number of presbyters increased and they took over these duties from the deacons.

As the sermon continued, Art pondered the controversy about whether deacons
should or should not preach. He knew that the messages of Stephen the Martyr (Acts 7)
and Philip the Evangelist (Acts 8:26-39), neither of whom was ordained, were indeed
preaching, and he also knew that all the preaching he had done in previous churches
and this one had been done to honor and glorify God. People accepted his preaching.
Because of the way Philip taught, Art was sure that preaching was a part of the
diaconate.

The preacher mentioned the importance of the congregation supporting their
pastor. In the early church, deacons were in‘volved in collecting and distributing
money. Art thought about the words of Justin Martyr,

Those who prosper, and who so wish, contribute, each one as much as
he chooses to. What is collected is deposited with the president, and he

10

takes care of orphans and widows, and those who are in want on account

of sickness or any other cause, and those who are in bonds, and the

strangers who are sojourners among [us], and brieﬂy, he is the protector

of all those in need. (Richardson, 1970, p. 287)

Deacons provided a framework to maximize the coverage of charity. As
churches moved out of homes and into their own buildings, deacons became involved in
property management as well. Deacons representing the church acquired cemeteries in
the third century (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7, n.d., p. 437).

Deacons also worked as intermediaries for their bishops, often reporting matters
needing discipline, and they conveyed messages from the bishops. They were often
compared to the Levites of the Old Testament. By the third century, some deacons close
to the bishops were called archdeacons (Bingham, 1878, 1:98). Others were called
subdeacons, deacons who were in training and limited in their activity until they
mastered certain skills.

Art’s wandering thoughts returned to the preaching of his supervising pastor.
These two had a close relationship, meeting for lunch, Bible study, and prayer at least
once a month. Art knew that this pastor was always ready to give him a helping hand.
This man was not only a supervisory pastor, but also a mentor and a friend.

As Art thought about how much help this pastor had been to him as a deacon, he
reﬂected on how, historically, this close relationship had not always existed for
deacons. The Christian church received legal status in 313 A.D., two years before the
Edict of Constantine. As the church stabilized, it organized, and in so doing provided a
clearer deﬁnition of orders. The Roman emperors relied on the bishops to help in many

ways, and in turn the bishops relied on the deacons. But as the church organized,

bishops and other leaders often assumed some of the deacons’ duties. For example, the

11

Council of Arles in 314 AD. took away deacons’ privilege of presiding over the
Eucharist (Stephenson, 1957, p. 324). Instead, presbyters came to be regarded as the
normal heads of congregations. Thus the closeness of the team-in-ministry of presbyter
and deacon was broken.

Later presbyters began to be called “priests.” (Bradshaw, 1983, p. 27). Some
deacons continued to be important, occasionally even administering great estates for
their bishops. Deacons also continued to help take care of the poor. Their role in
worship increased as liturgy became more elaborate. In some churches, deacons took
over the reading of the Gospel from the readers, and they chanted parts of the liturgy
(Ante-Nicene Fathers, n.d., p. 7:421). However, the publication of the document
Apostolic Traditions denied deacons the right to conduct baptisms to deacons. Pope
Gregory (590-604 AD.) later forbade deacons to chant the liturgy (Echlin, 1971, p. 68,
79).

For the care of the sick and dying, the diaconate developed an order of men
called parabolani. These men were most active in larger Eastern churches such as the
church in Alexandria, Egypt. They served in hospitals that had begun as homes of
Christians to accommodate travelers. The tradition of hospitality extended beyond the
local bishops’ personal accommodations, and deacons shouldered the responsibility for
taking care of them (Bingham, 1878, p. 12118-19).

Some of the other work of deacons at that time included being oeconomi and
record keepers. Oeconomi were archdeacons who had a managerial role over the
revenues of the bishop. When responsibility for this income declined, so did the

diaconate (Uhlhorn, 1883, p. 267). Record keepers were deacons who worked as

12

notaries. They helped with keeping minutes, transcribing sermons, preparing legal
documents, and interpreting languages (Bingham, 1878, p. 1:127-8).

The establishment of these ofﬁces led to the ofﬁce of deacon becoming for
some a stepping-stone to a “higher ofﬁce”—that is, the priesthood—in a number of
ways. The deacon ministry became a form of apprenticeship that gave the church an
opportunity to select quality men for its clergy. Another way for a deacon to seek a
higher ofﬁce was to live with clergy, for it was understood that younger men could
learn from older clerics. In Spain in the ﬁfth century, some parents gave their children
to the bishops to raise. This practice was the foundation for monasteries (Bingham,
1878, p. 1:107). Some, like Ambrose (373 A.D.), may have waited to be baptized until
they completed their secular or governmental employment, retired, and then moved on
to full-time church work. Because of their background and their knowledge of the faith,
these men were highly desirable and quickly moved toward ordination (Freud, 1982, p.
179). Therefore a man would sometimes be in the diaconate for only a short time before
being ordained as a priest. Rather than having a ﬁrm knowledge of faith, the Bible, and
the ways of the church gained through study and experience, these men often were
more adept at the ways of the world than the church. Business methods rather than
other hallmarks of the church, such as compassion, were the foundations of their work.

Art thought about his installation as a deacon. If the church had followed the
ways of the early church, he would have been ordained as a deacon. He remembered
that Paul Bradshaw (1990) in Ordination Rites of the Ancient Churches of East and
West quoted from the Canons of Hippolytus after Canons 2 and 3, which described the

ordination of bishops, the prayer said over them, and the order of the liturgy. After

13

Canon 4, which described the ordination of presbyters, came Canon 5, entitled
“Concerning the Ordination of Deacons.” Here Hippolytus stated,

When a deacon is ordained, one is to do for him according to the same
rules, and one is to say this prayer over him. He is not appointed for the
presbyterate, but for the diaconate, as a servant of God. He serves the
bishop and the presbyters in everything, not only at the time of the
liturgy, but he serves also the sick of the people, those who have
nobody, and he informs the bishop so that he may pray over them or
give to them what they need, or also to people whose poverty is not
apparent but who are in need. They are to serve also those who have the
alms of the bishops, and they are able to give to widows, to orphans, and
to the poor. He is to perform all the services. So this in truth is the
deacon of whom Christ said, “He who serves me, my Father will honor
him.” The bishop lays his hand on the deacon and says this prayer over
him, saying:

0 God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we beseech you, pour
out your Holy Spirit on N.; count him among those who serve you
according to all your will like Stephen and his companions; ﬁll him with
power and wisdom like Stephen; make him triumph over all the powers
of the Devil by the sign of your cross with which you sign him; make his
life without sin before all men and an example for many, so that he may
save a multitude in the holy Church without shame; and accept all his
service; through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom be glory to you,
with him and the Holy Spirit, to the ages of ages. Amen (p. 111).

The Apostolic Constitutions, about 380 A.D., also supported the ordination of
deacons. After describing the ordination of bishops, and then Presbyters in article 8.16,
articles 8.17 and 8.18 directed,

Concerning the ordination of deacons, I Philip make this constitution:
you shall appoint a deacon, O bishop, laying hands on him, all the
presbytery and the deacons standing around you, and you shall pray and
say:

Almighty God, true and faithful, bestowing riches on all who call upon
you in truth, fearful in counsels, wise in understanding, powerful and
great, hear our prayer, Lord, and give ear to our supplication, and let
your face shine on this your servant who is appointed to you for
ministry, and ﬁll him with spirit and power, as you ﬁlled Stephen the
protomartyr and imitator of the sufferings of your Christ. And grant that
he, acceptably performing the sacred ministry entrusted to him,

14

steadfastly, blamelessly, and irreproachably, may be worthy of a higher

rank through the mediation of your Christ, your only-begotten Son,

through whom [be] glory, honor, and worship to you in the Holy Spirit

for ever. Amen. (Bradshaw, 1990, p. 115).

Art smiled to himself. He had not moved through any ranks. He had not
received ordination as a deacon. He simply had served for 15 years in a variety of
ministries. Even with his extensive background, it still had taken a long time for him to
be considered for ordination as a pastor.

The preacher was continuing with his message. Art glanced at a friend, a deacon
who did not desire ordination. He thought about St. Francis of Assisi, in the 13th
century, whom had not become a priest. “For some, this was the right way,” Art
thought, “but it’s not God’s will for me.”

When the preacher mentioned Marge’s support for Art, Art nodded his head in
agreement. “I’m so glad the Lutheran Church does not support celibacy, which the
Roman Catholic Church adopted as a requirement for priests in the fourth century,” he
thought. He remembered learning about the Council of Elvira (305 AD.) that ordered
bishops, presbyters, and deacons to forgo conjugal relations (Stevenson, 1957, p. 307).
Marge made all the difference in his world and his ministry.

When the preacher mentioned the responsibility of helping with the poor and
needy as a part of the pastor’s and congregation’s joint ministry, Art thought of the
continued outreach that had typiﬁed the church throughout the centuries. Strong leaders
like Gregory the Great, who at one time had been a deacon in Rome, helped the church
minister to people (Uhlhorn, 1883, p. 154). For so many centuries, when Western

culture did not have an educational or welfare system, the church with its deacons

conducted the ministry of education and welfare. However, as time went by, monks

15

took over much of this work ﬁ'om deacons. Deacons moved into other roles, such as
presenting liturgy, with dedication, but their role was limited. Thomas Aquinas (1224
or 1225-1274) noted that a deacon was to baptize only in cases of urgent necessity
because a deacon does not “by reason of his own ofﬁce . . . confer the sacrament of
baptism. Rather in the conferral of this and other sacraments he assists and ministers to
those in higher orders” (Cunningham, 1975, p. 57). Yet some of the deacons rose to
great prominence. Thomas ‘a Becket (1118?-1170), archdeacon of Canterbury and
Chancellor to Henry II, was ordained a priest the day before he was consecrated a
bishop (Bingham, 1878, 1:97).

Archdeacons accompanied bishops on visitations; eventually they made
visitations by themselves. These visitations, in effect, demonstrated their jurisdiction
over parish priests (Bligh, 1955, p. 427). In Rome, beginning about 1100 A.D., the
seven deaconries developed into “Cardinal deacons.” These were men who were on the
staff of the bishop of Rome (the pope), priests who were pastors of the papal churches,
and the pope’s episcopal assistants or the so-called “suburbicarian” bishops. In 1059,
under Pope Nicholas, the Roman synod had placed the election of the pope into the
hands of these men. The practice continues today (Walker, 1985, pp. 268, 273).

After the sermon at Art’s ordination was over, the congregation listened to the
choir sing “Lord, Here Am I.” The liturgist then read the traditional words from the
Smalcald Articles of the Augsburg Confession describing the Ofﬁce of the Ministry.
Art heard the words “The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believes.” He celebrated these words with the total commitment of his heart. This was

the faith that made such a difference in his life. These were the facts that he knew to be

16

true about God. Art thought about the statement of faith that Martin Luther, the
founder of the Lutheran Church, had made. He had said,

Since your Majesty and your Lordships want a simple, clear, and true
answer, I will give it. Unless I am convinced by the teachings of Holy
Scripture or by sound reasoning—for I do not believe either the Pope or
the councils alone, since they have often made mistakes and have even
said the exact opposite about the same point—I am tied by the Scriptures
I have quoted and by my conscience. I cannot and will not recant
anything, for to go against my conscience is neither safe nor right. Here I
stand. God help me! Amen (Noel, 2003, pp. 106, 107).

As a result, Luther had been declared a heretic and excommunicated from the
Church, for he placed the Scriptures above the Church and this was unacceptable. Art
remembered, “Luther proclaimed a priesthood of all believers with open access to
Scripture and every Christian a saint” (Olsen, 1992, p. 97).

Luther stated his attitude toward the diaconate in The Babylonian Captivity of

the Church:

The diaconate is the ministry, not of reading the Gospel and the Epistle,
as is the present practice, but of distributing the church aid to the poor,
so that the priests may be relieved of the burden of temporal matters and
may give themselves more freely to prayer and the Word. For this was
the purpose of the institution of the diaconate, as we read in Acts 5 [6:1-
6] (Luther, 1970, p. 249)

Luther endorsed the value of deacons in 1528:

Now follows about the deacons: serious. There were deacons who also
at one time preached. From Acts: they established seven, who presided
over the church in providing for the poor and widows. These deacons
sometimes also preached, e.g., Stephen, and were admitted to other
ofﬁces of the church although the chief task was to provide for the poor
and the widows. This custom already long ago went out of use. In the
papal church the subdeacon is the one who reads the Gospel; the
distribution of aid and the care of the poor are relegated to hospices
hospitalia . . .there ought to be deacons of the church who ought to serve
the bishop and to rule the church in external things according to his
counsel (Luther, 1970, p. 98).

17

Thus, for Luther, the deacon should have the people’s welfare as his primary
concern. Deacons who took care of the welfare chest in the church in Wittenburg,
Germany, were known as the Beutel, and raised money to take care of the poor (Olsen,
1992). The deacons visited the poor, met on Sundays after services to decide to whom
to allocate the money given for the poor, and later accounted for their ﬁnancial
transactions to the mayor, the city councilors, and the pastor. Then came preaching and
helping the bishop conduct the external affairs of the church. Art reﬂected that he tried
to have the welfare of the people as his primary concern and was delighted with the
way his congregation and his supervisory pastor cared for the poor with him.

Now came the time for the prayers for the church and those in the Office of the
Public Ministry at Art’s ordination service. These prayers were a request to bless all
believers, then pastors, and especially Art as a new pastor. Art knew these prayers were
necessary and demonstrated that the ministry was dedicated to the service of God and
the fulﬁllment of His will. Prayers like these were very much in line with the service of
deacons over recent centuries.

Art remembered that the offering was made at this point in a service to garner
ﬁnancial support. In reﬂecting on money, he remembered that deacons had
disseminated government ﬁrnds because the government had taken over church
property and endowments at the time of the Reformation. Later on, church leaders took
this responsibility away from deacons.

The diaconate remained strong from the 17th to the 19th centuries, especially in
the area of welfare, both in Europe and the United States. However, within the

Lutheran Church, especially the Missouri Synod after its establishment in 1847, little

l8

happened with the diaconate. LCMS leaders emphasized the training and ordaining of
pastors, the educating of teachers, and supported the use of deaconesses (women who
served in a role similar to that of deacon but more in the area of helping the poor than in
ofﬁcial acts). The order of deacons slipped into obscurity.

The term deacon, however, continued to be used in the LCMS in a variety of
ways. Occasionally the word deacon was used to describe men who served on
congregational councils or as elders of a church. Male teachers took on the role of
deacons, especially in times of a pastoral vacancy under supervision, as C.F.W. Walther
(1981), the ﬁrst President of the LCMS, said,

The offices of school teachers who have to teach God’s Word in their

schools, almoners, sextons, leaders of singing at public worship, and

others, are all to be regarded as ecclesiastical and sacred, for they take

over a part of the one ministry of the Word and support of the pastoral

ofﬁce (pp. 105-106).

Therefore, not only did teachers teach school full time, but male teachers also served as
deacons without having the title.

Art was invited to come forth and undergo the Rite of Ordination. As Art stood
in front of the ordaining pastor, the pastor described the institution of the Ofﬁce of the
Public Ministry, the responsibilities of those who serve in that ofﬁce, and the strengths
and promises given to those who fulﬁll the Ofﬁce. He then addressed the candidate,
asking Art a series of questions concerning his commitment to the Scriptures, the
Confessions of the Church, and his willingness to let his life be conformed to the will of
God. Art answered each question, “Yes, with the help of God.”

The pastor then asked the congregation whether they were willing to accept Art

as their pastor, with all the responsibilities that having a pastor entailed. They

l9

resoundingly responded, “Yes!” The pastor asked Art to kneel, and he invited the
clergy to come forward for the laying on of hands and to give a blessing over Art. This
historic act signiﬁed that these pastors were accepting Art as one of their ministerium
and demonstrated to the congregation that Art was now to be considered their pastor.
One at a time, each pastor solemnly stepped forward, laid one or two hands on Art’s
head, and gave a blessing that was either a passage from Scripture or a personal word of
encouragement.

Art listened intently to each pastor’s blessing. He thought about how blessed
God had made his life. His work of ministry came about because of the legacy granted
to him by those who had blazed a trail for him. He reﬂected on his own baptism. How
much had changed in his life since that time! Art was now a pastor, serving a
congregation, part of the ministerium, and alleviating somewhat the shortage of pastors.

Art reﬂected on the shortage of pastors that had plagued the LCMS since the
19403. Because of a rapid rise in the birth rate, a new American mobility, a beginning
of the exodus to the suburbs, and a shift away from the church’s Germanic roots, more
churches were started and more pastors were needed. By 1950, the scarcity was so
pronounced that seminaries and preparatory colleges reported their concerns to the
LCMS Synodical Convention.

In 1946, Oscar E. Feucht became the church’s ﬁrst full-time executive assigned
to adult education, with the responsibility of ﬁnding men who wanted to become
pastors. He observed that many adult conﬁrmands were open to continuing education,
so he developed the beginning of an adult education program. These classes were

taught by laymen, not pastors, and were known as Lutheran Bible Institutes. By 1951,

20

Feucht could emphasize that the church should not look upon its members merely as a
ﬁeld to be served (at birth, baptism, conﬁrmation, marriage, sickness, and death) but as
a force to be trained (Graebner, 1975). However, it was not until the 1956 convention
that the Board for Higher Education reported on the shortage of manpower and
suggested that “men who complete this program should, after some years of satisfactory
full-time service to the church, be classiﬁed as partially trained for the ministry.” The
convention adopted the report and established a planning committee with Oscar Feucht
as Dean (LCMS, 1956, pp. 131-133).

At the 1959 LCMS Convention, Concordia College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
asked for and received permission to purchase property owned by the Milwaukee Bible
College. There was no apparent reason for this action at the time. The president of the
college was Walter W. Stuenkel. On June 23, 1959, the LCMS voted into existence “a
two-year lay training school” (LCMS, 1959). On September 19, 1961, the Lutheran Lay
Training Institute (LLTI) opened its doors to 23 students, albeit without a director or a
dean. Reverend (another title for presbyter) Wilbur C. Koester, who was on the staff at
Concordia, served as acting director until Rev. Edwin Heyne was installed as dean on
January 30, 1962. Dr. Feucht at the Synodical Convention in 1967 encouraged the
church to study the nature and function of the diaconate in the Lutheran Church. This
recommendation was referred to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations.
By this time, 84 graduates of the LLTI program were serving in evangelism,
administration, adult education, and missions in congregations around the synod.

Course work and ﬁeld training all prepared LLTI students for this work (J ahnke, 1986).

21

At the next synodical convention, Concordia College-River Forest asked that
the Ofﬁce of the Ministry be studied. The Colorado District submitted an overture
seeking clariﬁcation on whether part-time ministry candidates could be trained locally.
A circuit from Nebraska asked for a better deﬁnition of lay worker. These requests led
to the establishment of a new set of ground rules for these workers. By 1971, the title of
such workers was changed to lay minister (LCMS, 1971a, 1971b). Under the leadership
of Rev. Royal Natzke, the LLTI program was incorporated into Concordia College-
Milwaukee, and students began graduating with an associate of arts degree upon
completing their two-year program.

The rest of the 19705 in the LCMS were overshadowed by a controversy about
the relationship of the historicity of scripture to the doctrine of the church. Until the
controversy, enrolhnent in the seminaries was at an all-time high. Thus, some people
raised questions about the need for a lay ministry program. With the split of Concordia
Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, student attendance at Concordia Seminary and other
synodical schools plummeted. At the same time, in 1973, a congregation served by a
lay minister asked to have its pastoral vote at the convention restored to it, for at that
time a lay minister could not vote as a pastor (LCMS, 1973).

Changes in leadership did not affect the program. In 1977, Dr. Stuenkel retired
and Dr. Wilbert Rosin was installed as president of Concordia College-Milwaukee and
simultaneously assumed leadership of the lay ministry program. Two years later, Dr.
Rosin stepped down and Dr. John Buuck assumed the joint positions with the same

enthusiasm that Dr. Rosin had exhibited.

22

During the 1983 convention, the church deﬁned three categories of workers in
the LCMS. Pastors were in Category I, which included those ordained and installed.
Teachers and Directors of Christian Education (DCE) were in Category II, which
included those who were commissioned and installed. Lay ministers and others were in
Category III, which comprised those who were consecrated and installed. None of these
categories included deacons (LCMS, 1983a, 1983b).

Yet, a growing number of people were encouraging the church to support
deacon ministry. In 1989, the Wichita, Kansas, LCMS Synodical Convention agreed to
establish a deacon ministry. Each district was given the freedom to decide whether it
wanted such a deacon ministry, and if it did, the qualiﬁcations for and directions of that
ministry. The Michigan district immediately established a task force to structure a
deacon ministry and to establish qualiﬁcations for that ministry. The report of the task
force, which it presented to the district board of directors, contained a number of
directives. These directives included regulations concerning the character of a deacon;
the need for written approval {tom the supervising pastor, the circuit counselor, and the
congregation or agency in an ofﬁcial decision-making gathering; ongoing educational
requirements; the establishment of the Commission on Deacon Qualiﬁcations (CDQ); a
yearly interview with the CDQ; a number of different licenses based upon years of
service; and a requirement that the district president approve the deacon. The CDQ
began meeting regularly to pray for and give guidance to deacons, to interview the
deacons yearly, and to make recommendations to the district president.

Art wondered about the future of the deacon ministry. Whereas the Synodical

Convention of 2001 reafﬁrmation the ministry of deacons, a task force for restructuring

23

the synod had looked at every aspect of the synodical structure, including deacons. The
task force recommended putting an end to the deacon ministry. The Michigan deacons,
after meeting in conference, sent a letter challenging certain aspects of the report to
those in leadership in the convention. It noted that these recommendations, when
closely examined, were ambiguous, impossible to carry out within the allotted time, and
most of all were oblivious to the thousands of people deacons were serving. The deacon
ministry must continue, they urged, especially in light of the continued shortage of
pastors.

In convention, district presidents and delegates spoke passionately about the
effective ministries the deacons were conducting in congregations and special
ministries across the church, leading people to a relationship with Christ and
ministering to their spiritual needs. As a result, not only did the convention reafﬁrm
deacon ministry, but also it expanded deacon ministry opportunities to permit deacons
to serve in congregations in which an ordained pastor was already serving. Whereas
this ministry was already in place in some congregations that could neither afford a
second pastor nor ﬁnd an associate pastor to serve, it was now ofﬁcially recognized and
the men serving in this capacity could be called deacons. As of summer 2002, the
deacon ministry in Michigan alone numbered 25 deacons. However, statistics were not
available ﬁ'om other districts, because district presidents viewed deacons as their own
workers and, to protect them from being invited to serve in other districts, would not
give out any numbers.

The ordination portion of Art’s special service was over. He stood in front of the

congregation, a newly ordained pastor at age 67, with a red stole draped around his

24

neck marking him as a pastor. Art led the congregation in a closing prayer. He sat with
the worshipers and listened to the ﬁnal choral anthem, “Go Now in Peace.” Standing
again in front of his ﬂock with tears in his eyes, Art proudly pronounced the
benediction. All stood, and as the organist led them, they began singing, “The Church’s
One Foundation.” Walking out, Art grasped Marge’s hand so that she would walk along
with him as he led his fellow pastors out from the sanctuary. Marge and Art embraced
at the back of the church. Then each of the pastors, in turn, gave Art and Marge hugs of
welcome and affection.

As the congregation ﬁled out of the sanctuary to move into Good Shepherd’s
parish hall for a dinner and program in Art’s honor, each member of the congregation
warmly greeted Art. This man had served them well and faithfully as a deacon. Now he
was their pastor, and could do everything, including performing marriages, because he
was ordained. They looked forward to his serving them in the future. Here was a man
who had gone on a life journey that took him in directions he had never anticipated.
Years ago, he never would have guessed that he would become a pastor. God changed

all of that, and now Art was beginning a new journey in his life as a pastor.

Statement of the Problem
Art’s story is not unique. Although his life story indicates a pattern of hit-and-
miss and trial-and-error situations, in reality, Art believed that God had been leading
him into the historic Biblical ofﬁce of deacon and then ordained pastor. Others, too,
have come into the ofﬁce of deacon from a variety of backgrounds because they
experienced God’s involvement in their lives. Although these people had different

educational backgrounds, they now serve in the same ofﬁce. Furthermore, although

25

they carry the same title, their work roles as deacons may differ. Because of this variety
of backgrounds, deacons’ perceptions on many issues, including the relationship
between education and work roles, may be very different. They have unity by virtue of
being in deacon ministry, but they also have diversity in their perceptions and
understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Therefore, this study was undertaken
to gain a better understanding of the relationship between deacons’ education and their

work roles.

Background Issues

 

Church knowledge
People in the LCMS understand the ofﬁce of pastor, and many understand the

ofﬁces of principal and teacher, but few understand other offices, such as parish
assistant, director of Christian education, and deacon. In the LCMS, lay members
understand and relate to pastors and teachers because the church historically focused on
pastoral ministry and Christian day schools. However, if church members believe that
the only ofﬁces in the church are those of pastor and teacher, they will refuse to
consider other ofﬁces as important to their spiritual growth. Without knowing Biblical
history, they tend to miss a critical ofﬁce that not only is mentioned in the Bible, but
also is afﬁrmed and supported as useful and valuable to the church. When church
people accept the Biblical foundation for the ofﬁce of deacon and appreciate the variety
of tasks those in the ofﬁce have fulﬁlled throughout the past 20 centuries, then they can

consider how this ofﬁce and those who serve in it can be helpful to their church.

26

Ignorance of this portion of church history can be a barrier to historic and valuable

ways to expand and strengthen the church today.

Education

A little-known fact in the LCMS is that people may be prepared in the church to
hold other church roles besides those of pastors and teachers. Directors of Christian
education can attend and graduate from a number of LCMS universities with a degree
not only in teaching, but also in how to lead laity in other Christian activities, such as
Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Specialty programs, such as in evangelism,
are offered at a number of the church’s universities. One example is the Oswald
Hoffman School of Evangelism at Concordia University-St. Paul (Minnesota). Another
example is the training in lay ministry offered at Concordia University-Mequon
(Wisconsin). However, these and other similar programs suffer from a lack of students.
When prospective church workers are searching for a school to prepare them for church
work, they usually consider those schools that have programs designed to prepare
pastors and teachers. They tend not to think about preparation for other church-worker
positions.

For those in the LCMS who know about deacons, confusion reigns on how the
church educates deacons. Part of this confusion has come about because each district
president, as bishop of his district, views the deacons in his district as his own and has
unique ideas about deacon ministry. When the district president changes, so does the
interpretation of the role of deacon. This, in turn, affects how deacons may or may not
be educated. The LCMS does not educate deacons; rather, districts establish the

education for their deacons. Thus deacons, depending on the district in which they

27

serve, may experience very different kinds of education or have no education for
deacon ministry at all.

In 2002, Dr. Ron J ahnke, under the direction of the CDQ, conducted a survey of
the schools that prepare deacons in the LCMS. The results of his study, which he shared
with the CDQ, indicated the following. Concordia University-Bronxville (New York),
has a school for deacon candidates who will serve in the following districts: Atlantic,
New Jersey, South-Eastern, English (east coast only), New England, Eastern, F lorida-
Georgia, and SELC (east coast only, because the district has churches across the United
States). Other districts that have deacon schools include California-Nevada-Hawaii,
Northwest (with emphasis on Alaska and operated from Concordia University-Portand,
Oregon), Kansas, Paciﬁc Southwest, and Rocky Mountain. The Michigan district does
not have such a school.

In the Michigan district, in the early 19803, the need for specialized lay church
workers led to the development of the MLMI and its successor, the Parish Lay
Specialist Program at Concordia University-Ann Arbor (Michigan). The graduates of
these programs are inﬂuential in the Michigan district, assuming responsible leadership
positions and thus demonstrating the applicability of their education to their tasks.
Some of the graduates of these programs have become deacons.

The men who serve as deacons in the Michigan district come from different
backgrounds and have a variety of educational experiences. Their educational
experiences range ﬁom being self-taught to being seminary graduates. But more
important would be the speciﬁc educational experiences these individuals had in the

ﬁeld as they prepared to become deacons.

28

Another aspect of deacon education to consider is the recognition that deacons
are professionals. The craft of being a deacon is similar to that of being a pastor.
Deacon education may be evaluated from the same perspective as pastoral education or
the education of professionals. Using learning models, such as offered by Kett (1994),
may be helpful for assuring deacon education to be an equipping process for
professionals.

The ﬁrst element of professional education is teaching the basic skills of the
craft. Brown, Collins, and Duguid (1989) discussed “craft apprenticeship,” while
Resnick (1987) preferred calling it “bridging apprenticeships.” The Cognition and
Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1990) emphasized the classroom as both a cultural
institution and a practical activity. Because deacons in Michigan do not have an
educational system that teaches the basic skills of the craft of the diaconate, no deacons
have received a highly structured education in the basic skills of the craft. They may
have gained experience in Word and sacrament ministry, charity, and leadership
somewhere else, such as in their local congregation, one of the educational programs of
the Michigan district like MLMI or PLSP, seminars, or another district deacon
education program, but they did not receive a highly structured deacon training
program in the Michigan district.

Determining the basic skills of the craft remains a problem because of the
various deﬁnitions given to the work roles of deacons. However, the areas in which the
CDQ encourages deacons to gain proﬁciency seem to be those in which deacons
generally are working and in which they strive to have proﬁciency, such as leading

worship, teaching, making visitations, counseling, helping the poor, and so forth.

29

Once the basic skills of the craft are learned, then “authentic activity can begin,
situations in which actual cognitive processes are required rather than the simulated
processes typically demanded in schooling” (Resnick, 1987, p. 77). Schon (1987) I
described a reﬂective curriculum as a way of getting at the tacit knowledge embedded
in professional practice. Deacons do not presently have an organized opportunity to
reﬂect on what it means to be and minister as a deacon, beyond the yearly deacon
retreat of several days. As they gain skill from experiences, they need to take the time
to reﬂect on the ofﬁce in which they serve and the implications of the quality of the
service they render.

As deacons serve in the ofﬁce, they gain experience ﬁom handling different
situations. In working with their supervising pastors, they have the opportunity to
situate learning in “its inherently social, tool-dependent, and interactive context”
(Brown, et al, 1989, p. 78). This practical knowledge, then, is gained not only in the
classroom, but also through modeling, coaching, and practical approaches to learning
(Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1990; Farmer, 1991; Schon, 1987).
The problem involved with supervising pastors is that no program or model exists to
teach and help them in their work with deacons. Supervising pastors do not have a plan
for how they should equip deacons and the kinds, order, and number of situations that
deacons need to encounter in order for them to develop the skills of their craft. Both
supervising pastors and deacons have unique personalities that make teaching
subjective. Without an organized curriculum to guide them, deacons do not know what

to study, nor are supervising pastors able to deﬁne for deacons the level of achievement

3O

they have reached except through intuition. Without a plan (Stark and Lattuca, 1997),
evaluation is almost impossible.

According to adult education theory, adults seeking to be professionals need a
plan. In other professions, students follow a number of educational steps. These include
learning the basic skills of their craft, being placed in situations in which they use their
skills, having time to reﬂect on how to improve their skills, and being able to evaluate
achievement. All of these steps are important for students preparing for professions.
Law students, after receiving basic education in law, move into internships, in which
they study cases and clerk with attorneys who practice law. Architectural students, after
learning the basic skills, build models and present their plans to instructors in the same
manner in which they will present their work to clients throughout the rest of their
careers. In higher education, after earning the appropriate credentials, research
practitioners attend numerous research and methods courses, and then apprentice to
senior researchers to learn the complicated procedures required for solving real research
problems and presenting them to the public. In the real world of work, graduates “must
recognize and resolve the ill—deﬁned problems that arise out of authentic activity, in
contrast to the well-deﬁned exercises that are typically given to them in textbooks and
on examinations throughout their earlier schooling” (Brown, et a1, 1987, p. 40).
Tempering and honing one’s skills in the work world with experience and guidance
clearly is the pattern for new professionals in other ﬁelds, and should be the same
process for professionals in the church, including deacons.

Ongoing professional education is important, and each profession has its own

standards and ways of supporting such education. For example, pharmacists in

31

Michigan are required to read and write about issues of pharmacy the equivalent of 30
study hours a years. Although veterinarians do not have any organized program of
professional continuing education their ﬁrst year out of school, a continuing-education-
unit (CEU) program is in effect for the years following graduation. Pressure also exists
to specialize in certain areas of veterinary medicine through internships and residencies.
Thus, ongoing education is a normal part of functioning in a profession.

Ongoing education is also an issue for deacons. Pastors are required to have
ongoing professional education, so they attend conferences and seminars as a part of
their ministry. Conference leadership teams usually offer an educational time—the time
when the guest speaker teaches—during these conferences and seminars. This
constitutes professional continuing education. Those in the profession usually
determine the priorities of professional continuing education. However, with deacons,
members of the CDQ have determined the issues to be addressed in ongoing
professional education. Deacon retreats provide help on practical issues for deacons,
primarily from professors of the Concordia University System (CUS). Although
deacons have expressed that these studies are helpful, they need to determine for
themselves what they want and need to learn.

The CDQ does not require professional continuing education for deacons. In
deacon ministry, once a person has fulﬁlled his requirements for regular licensing, he
makes the choices concerning his further studies. The CDQ does not request or require
any professional continuing education. However, the CDQ does strongly encourage
deacons to work closely with their supervising pastors in ongoing learning situations. In

the annual interview, the CDQ usually asks whether the deacon has attended

32

conferences and seminars either with his supervising pastor or on his own initiative.
Therefore, professional continuing education for deacons is encouraged, but is not

required.

Work Roles
Another issue is the ambiguity that exists in deacons’ work roles. Deacons

conduct a variety of ministries. Through the centuries, these ministries were sometimes
afﬁrmed, whereas at other times they were denied. The emphasis on charity and
worship leadership has shifted back and forth over time. Deacons’ struggle with what
they are and are not permitted to do. Role ambiguity affects deacons’ perceptions
concerning the educational requirements of their role. Not knowing what they will be
doing in their role keeps deacons ﬁom gaining the skills needed to perform that role. So
they plunge into a work role without having the basic skills to perform that role. They
learn how to conduct their ministry from the supervising pastor through mentoring with
trial-and—error, without already having the necessary foundational skills. As a result,

ambiguity about the work role of deacons leads to confusion and wasted resources.

Deacons’ Perceptions
This study resulted from the realization that deacons have perceptions about
many issues, including education and work roles. Perception studies are important,
because the subjects in such studies express a unique combination of character,
background, education, roles, and other factors. Each person is unique in how he or she
perceives and understands information. Bunkowske (2001) has studied communication

and pointed out that communication involves ﬁve stages: the initial thought, the

33

verbalization, the intervening space, the reception of the ear, and the interpretation of
the information in the brain. With all of these intermediaries between data and
interpretation of communication, not only in words but also in the reception of data
from the other senses, there is tremendous diversity among people in their

understanding of the same communication.

The Research Questions

 

Motivated by a desire to learn about and understand the perceptions of deacons,
especially as they relate to education and work roles, I sought to answer the primary
question: How do deacons perceive their education, work role, and the relationship
between their education and work role? To answer this primary question, I posed
four main research questions to guide the collection of data for the study. These
questions and their subquestions are as follows:

1. How do deacons perceive the way in which they have been educated before
installation?

1a. How do deacons perceive the way they were M educated before being

installed as deacons?

lb. What are deacons’ perceptions of the educational experiences they would

have preferred to have before installation?
2. How do deacons perceive the way they have been educated after their
installation?

2a. How do deacons perceive the way they have been M educated after

their installation?

34

2b. What are deacons’ perceptions of the educational experiences they would
preﬁto have after installation?
3. What are the deacons’ perceptions of their work roles?
4. How do deacons’ perceive the relationship between their education and work
role?

The answers to these questions and subquestions will enable me to provide a
meaningful response to the primary question. Further, the ﬁndings will help me answer
the following question that is of importance to the Lutheran Church: What are the
implications for deacons’ education of the relationship between deacons’
perceptions of their education and of their work role?

The research questions stated above were the basis for the interviews with the
deacons. The interviews focused on the deacons’ perceptions of their educational

backgrounds, work roles, and the relationship between their education and work roles.

Education before Installation
One aspect of these research questions involved deacons’ reﬂection on their
education. The deacons reﬂected on speciﬁc educational experiences that now help
them as deacons, speciﬁc training they experienced to become deacons, what
educational experiences they wished they had had before beginning as deacons, and

who or what helped the deacons in their learning.

Education titer Install_ation
After they were installed, the deacons experienced various learning

opportunities. Some of these opportunities arose from situations in which they had little

35

previous experience, whereas others came from choosing to learn about a particular
kind of ministry. The deacons reﬂected about what they were learning now, who or
what had helped them in their learning as they developed as deacons, and what
continuing educational opportunities they had experienced that helped them as deacons.
They also discussed the situations in which they learned how to better fulﬁll the role of

deacon and what they wanted to learn so that they could be better deacons.

Perceptionsabout the Relationship Between Deacons’ Education and Their Wog Roles

The deacons’ perceptions about the relationship between their education and
work roles as deacons said much about their ministries. As they had the opportunity to
reﬂect on this relationship, they deﬁned their roles as deacons, clariﬁed their perception
of their role and the skills needed to perform as deacons, and stated their perceptions
about the role of deacon in general.

For small congregations, a deacon is a blessing because he does not cost as
much as a pastor. Some deacons serve as assistants to the pastor, relieving the shortage
of pastors. Others deacons conduct urban, ethnic, or specialized ministries. This state of
ambiguity regarding the deacon’s role is similar to the old story of the blind men who
felt different parts of an elephant, and as a result, each one described it differently.
Although all of these views of a deacon’s role are correct, none includes all that
deacons do in fulﬁlling their roles.

This study addresses the central issue of perceptions about the relationship
between education and role fulﬁlhnent. Through this study, my goal is to help the

LCMS, the Michigan district, and deacons eliminate signiﬁcant areas of confusion and

36

replace that uncertainty with understanding, direction, and a more effective way of
relating education and work roles.

With an understanding of work roles, the relationship between work roles and
education becomes clearer. Education exists to help those who want to be in particular
work roles prepare or those who are in certain work roles be able to ﬁrnction more
effectively. Education brings about many other growth factors of life, such as
perception of the work role, socialization with others in the work role, and many other
aspects. Thus, it is important to study deacons’ education through the perceptions of

those ﬁrlﬁlling the work role of deacon.

Implications of the Relationship Between Education and Woer Roles

The implications of the relationship of education and work roles may be far-
reaching for both deacon education and understanding of work roles. The implications
for education may mean new educational institutions and styles where none exist, or the
changing of those that exist into more meaningful forms. Work role perception
understanding may permit either broadening or narrowing of work roles. In the
relationship of education and work roles, education for work roles may affect what
deacons do in their work roles, whereas deﬁning work roles may affect education to
permit deacons to be more effective in their work roles. Understanding this relationship
may affect perceptions of ambiguity about both education and work roles and through
knowledge and planning bring about dramatic changes that will help deacons be more

effective in their ministry.

37

The “I” in This Reseagh

In 1979, I moved from Omaha, Nebraska, where I had served as a pastor in an
LCMS congregation for 5 years, to Saginaw, Michigan. My responsibility was to begin
a new church because I had previous evangelistic experience in inner-city San
Francisco and Omaha. Two years later, the director of MLMI asked me to teach basic
doctrine to people studying to become lay ministers. Reﬂecting on the book Everyone a
Minister by Oscar E. Feucht (1974), I agreed, for I had an abiding conviction that lay
people should be in the ministry. This opportunity to teach lay people of the church
began my 23-year study of lay ministry in the church.

In the ensuing years, I earned a Doctorate of Ministry degree from Concordia
Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the doctoral program I studied the
effect of consulting with small churches to help the pastors and lay people grow
churches in four different ways: spiritually, doctrinally, emotionally, and numerically.
This study reafﬁrmed my conviction that God uses lay people as well as pastors to
enable the church to grow. In the meantime, in the church in which I served as pastor, a
man serving in the ofﬁce of lay minister helped me with my work. I also served as the
director of the MLMI of the Michigan district. I held this ofﬁce for three and a half
years, while also being pastor of my church. Again, I was impressed with the caliber
and quality of lay people who wanted to serve God in special ways

In 1989, I was asked to serve on the CDQ for the Michigan district of the
LCMS. Those of us on the Commission formulated the regulations that govern deacons
in the Michigan district. These regulations included the requirements of a supervising

pastor, circuit counselor approval and support (a circuit counselor is a pastor serving as

38

a volunteer church government representative helping 8 to 12 churches), congregational
approval and support of the job description, a yearly interview, ongoing educational
studies, and ultimately the district president’s endorsement. Although the Commission
did well in organizing this ministry, the CDQ had not studied the history of the
diaconate. It acted and reacted to the circumstances of the present without having a
sense of the past.

As I searched for a topic for my dissertation, my love of lay ministry kept
growing. I read the book One Ministry Many Roles by Jeannine E. Olsen (1992), a
study of deacons and deaconesses through the centuries, and realized the historical
signiﬁcance of this ofﬁce. While deaconesses have a similar history to that of deacons,
they are not a focus of this study. The thought struck me, “I don’t know how the
deacons understand their role. I don’t know how they learned to become deacons. I
have no idea what the relationship between education and role means to them!”

As my passion for deacon ministry grew and I focused more on it than lay
ministry, I realized that most people were ignorant of this Biblical and historical ofﬁce.
As the CDQ interviewed more men who desired to serve in this ofﬁce, we realized that
these people came from different educational backgrounds and that they did not
understand what it meant to be a deacon and the role they were to fulﬁll. The church
was making some serious mistakes, such as placing too much emphasis on liturgy and
not enough emphasis on the work of charity; this affected both those serving as deacons
and those who received their ministry. Ignorance and misunderstanding of the roles of

deacons were hurting the ministry, not helping it.

39

I continued my education by enrolling in the Department of Higher, Adult, and
Lifelong Education in the College of Education of Michigan State University. In each
course, I asked myself, “How does this material apply to the church?” Many of the
papers I wrote reﬂected some aspect of the church and education. As I began focusing
on my dissertation topic, my interest centered ﬁrst on lay ministry, then concentrated on
the diaconate. I was concerned about the ambiguity surrounding the role of deacons,
and then began to think about the relationship between education and their work roles.
Finally, it became clear that, by interviewing deacons, I would be able to answer
emerging questions about what they perceived to be their work role, their education for

this role, and the relationship between education and role.

Need for the Study

The ﬁndings from this study will help those who want appropriate information
in order to make good and wise decisions for the diaconate. Many who have no idea
what the role of deacon entails or the educational requirements for the role contact the
CDQ for information about becoming deacons. Ambiguity exists in the relationship
between deacons’ education and their work roles. Current deacons desire to voice their
joys, concerns, ﬁ'ustrations, and ideas concerning the relationship between deacons’
education and their roles. The CDQ wants to make intelligent suggestions to the district
president concerning deacons. Further, the church has a responsibility to gain an
understanding of the relationship between deacons’ education and their work roles.

This research also will provide relevant information to those in other ﬁelds who

are studying the relationship between education and roles. Although the methods by

40

which adults prepare for their roles vary greatly, this study of deacons may contribute

to the body of theory concerning the relationship between education and roles.

Deﬁnition of Terms

 

The unique terms used in this study pertain to three subjects: the LCMS, the
educational institutions of the LCMS, and the varieties of roles within the church.
These terms are deﬁned in the following paragraphs.

The LCMS is a church body born out of controversy. In the early 18003,
Germany became hostile to Confessional Lutherans (Rast, 1997). Confessional
Lutherans are those who not only understand the Bible to be the source and norm of
Christian faith and life, but live under the Book of Concord (Tappert, 1959) written in
the 1500s, the time of Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church. As early as
1798, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia pressed toward a union of Lutherans and
Reformed. He mandated this union in 1834 through common worship services for all
in Prussia. In protest, Lutherans from Prussia, Franconia, and Saxony gathered around
Pastor Martin Stephan and emigrated to Perry County and St. Louis, Missouri, in 1838-
1839 (Schmelder, 1997).

In 1845, August Friedrich Craemer led a group of colonists from Franconia to
Michigan’s Saginaw Valley. On April 26, 1847, at St. Paul’s congregation in Chicago,
Illinois, pastoral and lay delegates from 11 churches approved and signed a
constitution. By 1887, the church roster included 1,424 congregations with a baptized
membership of 459,376, a communicant (adult) membership of 266,000, and a
parochial school system with 620 schools educating 71,504 children. Today, in 2004,

the church body includes about 2,500,000 baptized members, about 6,000

41

congregations, and more than 1,000 schools. Two threads are woven into the LCMS:
confessional integrity and a desire to have an aggressive mission, which is sharing the
story of Jesus.

Whereas the LCMS has 40 districts throughout the United States, the one most
important to this study is the Michigan district. With its headquarters in Ann Arbor,
the Michigan district is the largest in the synod. About 400 churches are located in the
eastern half of the Upper Peninsula and the whole Lower Peninsula, with about 230,000
people worshipping in these churches.

The educational system that the LCMS developed has as its primary focus the
preparation of church workers. The LCMS has an organizational principle that every
congregation must have a pastor, and that other church workers are auxiliary to the
ofﬁce of the pastor (Klug, 1993). Therefore, training and equipping pastors is one of the
church’s highest priorities. A number of paths exist for men to become pastors. The
most traditional path is four years of college and four years of seminary. The college
path may be either secular or, through one of the church’s colleges, pretheological. The
church operates two seminaries, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and
Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Both seminaries offer a
classical educational pattern: two years of academics with an emphasis on Biblical
languages, theological issues, and ﬁeld work at a church; a year of Vicarage or
internship; and a ﬁnal year of specialized training at the respective seminary. In recent
years, several other paths also have been offered. One path is for those of immigrant
ethnic backgrounds and has a strong emphasis on the practical, called Ethnic

Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT). Another path is called Distance Education

42

Leading to Ordination (DELTO), a program conducted in regions to which
professors travel to teach. A third path is through colloquy. In this program, a board
interviews a candidate to determine whether he is qualiﬁed, and what he might need to
do to become qualiﬁed. When the candidate is qualiﬁed, the board advises the LCMS
that he is ready for ordination. One qualiﬁcation for colloquy is that a person has at
least 10 years of ﬁrll-time practical experience as a deacon in Word and Sacrament
ministry (preaching and leading worship).

A person who completes seminary is granted the degree of Master of Divinity.
If he does not have a college education, he would receive a Master of Religion
diploma, which is a terminal degree and does not qualify him for further degrees. With
the Master of Divinity degree, he may continue on and earn a Doctor of Ministry
degree (a practical degree similar to that of a medical doctor), a Master of Sacred
Theology (a degree under which a pastor can teach), a Doctor of Philosophy degree
(an academic teaching degree), or an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.

The educational process for teachers is also traditional, in that the universities
strive to have students in this program graduate within four years. They are certiﬁed
both by the LCMS and the state. The LCMS has universities around the country under
the Concordia University System. Some graduates receive bachelor’s degrees, whereas
many earn master’s degrees or doctorates. Some teachers advance to the position of
principal of their school or superintendent of schools. (The latter is responsible for
giving oversight and guidance to the schools and serving as an intermediary with the

state).

43

The pastor serves in the Office of the Public Ministry. He is primarily
responsible for Bible teaching and preaching (Word), proper administration of the
sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and the forgiving and retaining of sins
(counseling) (Luther, 1986). He also does other work in the church, such as
administration and visitation.

Other roles besides deacon also exist. For example, a parish assistant graduate
helps the pastor. A director of Christian education gives guidance to all other
educational agencies in a church outside of the Christian Day School. The parish nurse
helps congregations with health issues. Deaconesses are women who conduct deacon-
style ministry without the Word and Sacramental elements of service. Secretaries help
take care of ofﬁce matters. Business administrators help guide congregations in their
ﬁnancial concerns, especially in larger churches. Evangelists spend time conducting
visitation and outreach, and training people how to do this work. Custodians take care
of the physical church space.

Until recently, the LCMS seemingly ignored passages of the Bible relating
directly to the ofﬁce of deacon. Because many people see the history of the church as
encompassing their own lifetime, lay members of churches often think of church staff
as only pastors and teachers. They cannot understand that more ofﬁces than these two
exist in the church. As a result, those who hold other ofﬁces in the church, such as
deaconesses, directors of Christian education (nonschool), parish assistants, music
directors, and the like, often are not treated with a high level of respect.

Thus, it is important to inform those in the church about deacons. Exploring

deacons’ perceptions about their education and roles and the relationship between the

two will help the church better understand those ﬁlling this ofﬁce. Sharing of
perceptions will give these workers a voice with which to communicate their concerns
and joys with the church. Their perceptions will help the church leadership be more
effective in helping them. From deacons’ perceptions may come more information for

those who study the relationship between education and roles.

Overview of the Following Chapters

Chapter two contains a review of literature on deacons, adult education, roles,
and the relationship between education and roles. I will establish where there are gaps
in the literature that this study might help to ﬁll.

The design of the study is described in chapter 3. In the ﬁrst part of the chapter,
I discuss qualitative methodology, the sample of deacons, and the interview protocol
and process. In the second part of the chapter, I list the questions asked of the deacons
and the purposes for asking those questions. The questions focused on life history as it
relates to education, role, and the relationship between education and role. Data
collection, evaluation, and analysis are explained in the ﬁnal portion of the chapter.

In the fourth chapter, I share the stories of the deacons, closely examining their
education before and after installation. In this chapter I focus on answering the
question, How do deacons perceive their education, role, and the relationship between
education and role?

Themes across the lives of those interviewed that provide answers to the
research questions are identiﬁed in chapter 5.These answers lead to a synthesis of the

study ﬁndings and the implications of this study for the process of education. This

45

chapter also includes recommendations pertaining to the education of deacons and

concludes with suggestions for further research.

46

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter contains a review of literature about the education and perceptions
of deacons. My purpose in this study was to learn more about the deacons’ perceptions
concerning their education, work roles, and the relationship between their education
1 and work roles. The ﬁrst body of literature that is reviewed demonstrates that a major
gap exists concerning information about deacons’ education and these people’s
perceptions of their education to serve as deacons. Because deacons enter their
profession as adult learners, the next body of literature, from the ﬁeld of adult
education, offers a framework for learning the skills of a professional craft, a variety of
models of education to be considered in developing a plan for adult learning that
includes education both before and after installation. The literature indicates that adults’
perceptions of the relationship between their education and work roles are important in
planning any educational process. Finally, those who serve in a mentoring role need to

have a plan so that they can more effectively guide deacons in their ongoing education

and work roles.

Literature About Deacons
There are three sources of literature on deacons: the Bible, historical and
theological documents, and contemporary articles and papers. The Bible is a religious
document, historical and theological documents are nonﬁction descriptors of the ofﬁce,

and articles and papers give contemporary information about the ofﬁce of deacon.

47

The Bible

The Bible, interestingly enough, does not say much about either the education
of deacons or their perceptions of education and work roles. Rather, the New Testament
writers were concerned about the character of deacons. Luke, who wrote Acts 6: 1-7,
pointed out that deacons were to “wait on tables.” This, as noted in chapter 1, has been
interpreted as performing works of charity. However, Luke’s emphasis was not on the
role, but rather on the character of these men, who were known to be both “full of the
Spirit and full of wisdom” (v. 3). “Full of the Spirit” meant that they were men of faith
as the Holy Spirit dwelt in them, and everyone who met them and knew them could
clearly see and understand this faith. “Full of wisdom” (the second “full of” in the NIV
is not actually in the Greek; rather, it is understood according to sentence structure)
meant that they had both a Biblical, Old Testament knowledge of God and ﬁrst-hand
experience with Jesus. They demonstrated this wisdom through the mature way in
which they handled problems. As the disciples placed these men into their roles, they
prayed for and laid their hands on them.

In I Timothy 3: 1-13, Paul gave more detail concerning the characteristics of
deacons. A deacon was to have the same characteristics as an “overseer” (in Greek,
episcopos, later translated as bishop). Therefore, as Paul wrote, a deacon must have the
same qualities as a bishop, which include the following,

He must be above reproach, the husband of one wife (usually understood

as one spouse at a time, so that if a bishop’s wife died, he could

remarry), temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to

teach, not given to much wine, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,
and not a lover of money.

48

The Bible continues with a description of the deacon alone. “He must also
manage his own family well, seeing that his children obey him with proper respect. He
must not be a recent convert, so that he would not become conceited. He must have a
good reputation with outsiders.” Paul attributed other qualities speciﬁcally to the ofﬁce
of deacon, including respectability, sincerity, not indulging in too much wine, not
pursuing dishonest gain, keeping hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear
conscience, and having been tested. Also, each deacon’s wife must be worthy of
respect, not a malicious talker but temperate and trustworthy in everything. Finally, the
deacon must manage his children and his household well. The blessings that came from
serving as a deacon resulted in excellent standing among people and great assurance in
faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul also referred to deacons in two other places. In Philippians 1:1, he
mentioned deacons in connection with overseers, thus linking them again with bishops.
In Romans 16:1, he commended Phoebe as a deacon (as translated in the NIV.
Deaconess would be a more ﬂuid translation; whereas deacon is a more literal but
probably less appropriate translation). This passage is the foundation for deaconesses
and the development of females in this ministry. These three passages from Paul
indicate that, together with overseers, deacons served an expanded role including
charity, worship, and leadership.

The Bible does not discuss the education of deacons, work roles in detail, or
their perceptions about the relationship between education and roles. Rather, it was the

church, in the context of its needs, that deﬁned the roles of deacons and therefore the

49

kinds and types of education that deacons would need in order to accomplish those

roles.

Historical and Theological Literature

In One Ministry Many Roles, Olsen (1992) captured the historical essence of the
ofﬁce of deacon. Although Olsen also investigated deaconesses, her main focus was on
the ofﬁce of deacon as the church used it. Her speciﬁc purpose was to describe the
interrelationship of the church with the ofﬁce of deacon at particular times throughout
history. Because the ofﬁce was not speciﬁcally described in the Bible, each bishop
could interpret the roles of the deacons who served with him as he thought most
appropriate for the needs of the church. The amount of responsibility a bishop gave his
deacons depended on the availability and strength of the intermediary level of workers
called the presbyteroi. When more men served as presbyteroi (at one time called elders,
later called priests, and then in some branches of Christianity called pastors), deacons
carried less responsibility. The opposite was also true; that is, when the number of
priests or pastors declined, deacons were given more responsibility.

Olsen did not speciﬁcally discuss either the education or the perceptions of
deacons. However, she touched on the education of deacons by noting the use of
apprenticeships both in the 5th and the 12’h through 15th centuries. Olsen commented
that those who had responsibility for deacons mentored or helped them along as they
encountered new responsibilities. An assumption in Olsen’s book was that many
deacons served as lay members in the Christian church for much of their lives before
becoming deacons, and had received the church’s training in doctrine and practice

through the local congregational resources. At the end of her book, Olsen discussed the

50

education of deacons (then called lay ministers) in the LCMS, but she mentioned only
the Lutheran Lay Training Institute at Concordia College-Mequon. She pointed out that
graduates of this program earned a bachelor’s degree in theology. She did not mention
lay ministers’ perceptions concerning their education or work roles.

In Pastoral Life and Practice in the Early Church, Volz (1990) discussed the
ofﬁces of the church, and he compared the charismatic ofﬁces (apostle, prophet, and
teacher) with institutional ones (bishop, presbyter, and deacon). Therefore his interest
was in neither the education nor the perceptions of deacons. Volz pointed out the
importance of election into ofﬁce and the laying on of hands to conﬁrm that election.
He explained that, in the late 250 to 300 A.D., bishops gained authority over a number
of churches in a number of cities, leading to more responsibilities. In the next era,
councils made decisions for the church, and the leaders were responsible for carrying
them out. Volz concluded that the principal element of clerical authority was in the
cultus, that is, in worship and sacraments. He raised issues about the characteristics of
deacons, but he did not investigate nor mention either the education or the perceptions
of deacons in the early church.

Pragrnan (1983) investigated the doctrine of the church as it related to the ofﬁce
of the public ministry, including deacons. He emphasized the importance of doctrine, or
the teachings of the church, in establishing and maintaining the traditions of the church.
But he did not discuss how these teachings were transmitted or any of the perceptions
of those in the ofﬁce about these doctrines or traditions.

The books reviewed in this section are illustrative of the many perspectives

from which researchers have approached, interpreted, and discussed church history. But

51

none of them speciﬁcally investigated either the education or the perspectives of

deacons.

Factual News Articles and Papers

Many articles exist concerning deacons and lay ministers in other
denominations, such as one that appeared in The Catholic Times, a Roman Catholic
newspaper published in Lansing, Michigan (Ecclesial Lay Ministers,” 1999). Entitled
“Ecclesial Lay Ministers Reﬂect on Commissioning, Preparation,” this article indicated
that these deacons came together to “reﬂect on the experience of preparing for the
commissioning, the ceremony itself, and their feelings afterwar ” (p. 2). As they
considered this experience, the deacons discussed “the time they had spent ministering
to others, the trials and testing they endured, and the privilege of being part of that
journey” (p. 2).

A more recent article was published in the Ann Arbor News in June 2003. The
focus of this article was Lansing Catholic deacons’ attitudes toward their ministry in light
of the ordination of a married deacon into the priesthood. The deacons who were
interviewed stated that they were content in their positions as deacons. Speciﬁcally, one
54-year-old deacon commented that he considered the diaconate a “substantially different
call than that of the priesthood. The deacon is called to bring Christ into the workplace”
(p. 13). Thus, although other denominations consider both the education and work roles of
deacons, this consideration has not appeared in the writings of the LCMS.

A controversy concerning the ofﬁce of deacon arose in 2001 in anticipation of
the LCMS Synodical Convention. A task force reviewed many constitutional elements

of the church. One branch of this task force, the Special Task Force to Study the Need

52

for Pastoral Assistance Where Full-Time Ministry Cannot be Maintained (2001a),
drafted a “Convention Memorial to Establish the Position of ‘Assistant Pastor’ Where
F ull-Time Pastoral Ministry Cannot be Maintained.” The faculty of Concordia
Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, responded with “A Letter on Pastoral
Assistance” (Judish, 2001). In this letter, after giving due concern to the shortage of
pastors, the faculty took the position that:

Orthodox Lutheran methods of serving isolated congregations (either

geographically or ethnically so), which were employed in the ﬁrst

century of the synod, would be itinerant pastors and, in instances of true

necessity, lay readers (in which case, however, the traditional

nomenclature and function should be retained) (p. 32).

The alternative the seminary proposed was to support the DELTO program. This
program requires sending instructors into the ﬁeld to teach seminary students in
regional groups, rather than gathering them on campus. The seminary ﬁrmly requested
that districts support DELTO.

The Special Task Force (2001b) also offered an “Overture to Establish an
Ordained Diaconate.” This overture met with similar opposition from the seminary
faculties, citing that the early LCMS, under Wilhelm Loehe, simply sought additional
missionaries and pastors when the need arose. But the seminaries did not answer the
question of where these missionaries and pastors would come from, for in the early
years of the LCMS, they were recruited and brought in from Germany.

These and other articles published in the ﬁrst few months of 2001 led to the
Task Force’s recommendation to the Synodical Convention that ordination routes take

priority over established deacon programs. The convention declined this

recommendation. Rather, the convention adopted a motion that not only supported

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continuation of the deacon ministry, but also expanded its use by deleting a clause that
stated that deacon ministry must be conducted only “in situations of emergency.” This
directive permitted deacons to serve in ministry at larger churches that needed men to
fulﬁll an assistant pastoral role but were unable to ﬁnd qualiﬁed pastors to do the work.

Writers of these articles in the LCMS did not speak to the education, roles, or
the perceptions of deacons. Rather, they tended to place more emphasis on proper
deﬁnitions than on the perceptions of those in the ofﬁce as to what preparation is
appropriate for that work role.

J ahnke (1986) summarized the development of lay ministry in the LCMS. His
writings were very helpful in deﬁning the history of the revival of lay ministry in the
last 50 years that resulted in the establishment of the ofﬁce of deacon in 1989.
However, although the articles outlined the development of the professional education
of lay ministers, they did not share lay ministers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of
that education in helping them fulﬁll their role now.

In summary, three matters of interest are missing from the literature concerning
deacons in the LCMS. First, no comprehensive analysis has been conducted on the
ofﬁce of deacon, including their education to become deacons, their perceptions of their
role as deacons, and the relationship between their education and their role. Second, as
a result, the church does not provide any literature describing the ofﬁce of deacon, the
education needed to become a deacon, or the work roles of deacons. Third, no studies
have been conducted on deacons’ perceptions about their education or future role in the
LCMS. Therefore, a major gap exists in the literature about deacons’ perceptions of

their education. This study was undertaken to ﬁll this void by asking deacons about

54

their perceptions concerning their education, their roles, the relationship between their
education and their roles, and any other points relating to deacon ministry that they

wanted to address.

Related Literature from the Field of Adult Edugzition

This section of the literature review is an examination of relevant ideas about
adult learning, including opportunities provided by the church for deacon education,
theoretical educational considerations, models of adult learning, and models of
professional continuing education. Because deacons are adult learners, adult learning
models are important for those concerned about deacons’ professional development and

continuing professional development.

Opportunities Provided by the Church for Deacons’ Edugation

Deacons are adult learners. Whereas some deacons have learned the truths
of the faith through Bible classes and other church courses and gave volunteer service in
congregations before they became deacons, others have experienced a speciﬁc church
education in the LCMS’s Concordia University System. Some deacons previously were
pastors or served the church in some full-time ministry, but because of the uniqueness of
the ofﬁce, all approach their work roles as adult learners.

The ﬁrst problem involving the education of deacons lies with the role of
deacon. The deﬁnition of a deacon’s role is ﬂuid and depends on four factors: the
bishop, the number of pastors available (see the history of deacon ministry in chapter
1), the ministry needs of the people a deacon is serving, and on the deacon’s speciﬁc
spiritual gifts or abilities he brings to the role of deacon. Therefore, the education of

deacons up to this point historically has involved primarily self-directed learning

55

(Merriam and Caffarella, 1991). The deacon is responsible for learning the skills of the
craft that ﬁt his situation.

Because the Michigan district under the district president (bishop) has not
provided basic courses for those who want to serve in the ofﬁce of deacon, deacons
must learn how to function in that role on their own, with only the mentoring guidance
of a supervising pastor. Once a person has completed the required procedural
paperwork and interview with the Commission on Deacon Qualiﬁcations (CDQ), has
received the district president’s approval, and has been granted a license to serve as a
deacon in the Michigan district, no basic educational skills or ongoing professional
education are required. Although the CDQ, in its annual interviews with deacons,
states that it requires the development of certain basic educational skills, deacon
education has not been enforced.

The Michigan district originally began the Michigan Lutheran Ministries
Institute (MLMI—a lay training program for part-time church workers, which preceded
the development of the ofﬁce of the deacon), but after its demise was responsible for
the program’s debts. As a result, the district has not been willing to offer any
educational programs unless they are tied to other such programs. The district also has
wanted any educational program to be operated in conjunction with Concordia
University-Ann Arbor.

The CDQ has proposed a self-funded program of deacon education, and in June
2003, the district president approved this program. It will be tied into DELTO because
the seminaries backing the DELTO program have insisted that the districts involved

provide the ﬁrst 10 courses of DELTO. These courses are remarkably similar to the

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CDQ’s anticipated program. Yet the CDQ can only encourage—not require—deacons
to take these courses so that they can become proﬁcient in a number of subjects within
ﬁve years. Some of these subjects are preaching, teaching, liturgy, counseling, and
parish management. In the meantime, each deacon is under the mentoring direction of
his supervising pastor, who is responsible for structuring the ministry and guiding the
deacon in how to conduct ministry. The hope is that deacons will gain skills, although
there is no objective way to evaluate skill building. As time goes by, the supervising
pastor usually becomes less involved with his deacon, trusting that the deacon will
continue to learn more about ministry. The pastor will give guidance only when asked
about a speciﬁc situation. Surprisingly, even though the supervising pastor is given
much responsibility, the district does not provide for training or guiding supervising

pastors.

Theoretical Educational Consideramons

Dr. Steven Weiland (2000), a professor in the department of Educational
Administration at Michigan State University, has suggested that adults learn according
to three types and domains. “ ‘Types” refers to the educative activities favored by
adults (deﬁned here simply as individuals beyond adolescence), while “domains” refers
to sites, settings and occasions for learning” (p. 656).

In adulthood, highly structured learning is reﬂected in planning to learn, often
in a sequence of activities leading to a diploma, degree, certiﬁcate, or some other
credential. This kind of learning can take place in educational institutions, where a
teacher or expert guides the student through systematic study working with a

curriculum. In considering andragogy (adult learning, different ﬁom pedagogy, which

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is the study of ways children or young adults learn), Candy (1991) mentioned useful
ways that teachers can become facilitators of learning (that is, acting as guides,
coaches, counselors, and/or evaluators). This learning may also take place in the
workplace, through professional interactions, or in other settings such as churches,
hospitals, and museums. Earning credentials, then, is based usually on evaluation of an
individual’s performance against certain criteria and often results in recognition of
achievement.

Moderately structured learning also shows planning for learning, but it is
oriented toward individuals and can be observed in the self-guided mastery of tools and
skills. It is often problem focused, and there may or may not be teachers. This kind of
learning may be self-initiated, self-guided, or self-planned (Merriam, 1993). Evaluation
is not for the purpose of earning credentials, but for the ediﬁcation of the learner. A
situation in which one teaches skills to another in an apprenticeship is an example of
moderately structured learning. In many professions, this is the period in which learners
“build a practice.” They move ﬁom apprenticeships to becoming master skilled
workers in vocations such as plumber, electrician, and carpenter, gaining the
knowledge and skills necessary for practical application of their craft that cannot be
learned in the classroom (Schon, 1987).

Unstructured learning refers to learning from the unplanned experiences of
everyday living. Such learning is contingent on circumstances that are spontaneous,
unexpected, or even incidental. This learning may occur in association with groups of
people but is often solitary. Learning may be a by-product of other activities; it may

come from deliberate reﬂection on an experience. An example might be a hiker who

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spots a beautiful bird and stops to observe it, thus learning something about that bird.
Unstructured learning might also occur through repetition, what Knox (1979) described
as “practitioner proﬁciency.” This is the condition in which, by doing something
repeatedly, a person has the opportunity to learn how to do it more effectively and
efﬁciently, thus deriving a sense of satisfaction.

Although these deﬁnitions are relatively clear and discrete, Daloz (1990) might
claim that they are interconnected. In arguing for personal grth and development as
goals of education, he pointed out that all aspects of education are interconnected. He
said it is essential that people join with “our daughters and sons and with their sons
and daughters down through the generations, in the work of tending the growth of a
more adequate, just, and compassionate world” (p. 52). Daloz encouraged a sense of
responsibility for the world in which people live.

A classic example of adult learning in these three types and domains comes
from the Bible. In the second book of Moses, called Exodus, may be found the story of
Moses. Moses’ life fell into three distinct sections: The ﬁrst 40 years he lived as an
Egyptian prince, the second 40 years he spent as a shepherd in the wilderness, and for
the third 40 years he led the Hebrew people. In the ﬁrst 40 years of Moses’ life, as
noted in Exodus 2, he received a highly structured education in all that was important
for an Egyptian leader, both as a child and as an adult in the position of adopted son of
Pharaoh’s daughter. Because Pharaoh’s daughter hired Moses’ biological mother to
raise him, his mother also gave him a moderately structured education in Hebrew
culture and faith. His character formed in those years, demonstrated in his knowledge,

leadership, and especially his belief in Yahweh (one of the Hebrew names for God).

59

Therefore, when Moses observed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew—whom he considered
one of his brethren—his reaction was to defend the Hebrew. In so doing, he killed the
Egyptian. He hid the Egyptian’s body, probably feeling guilt, because the Bible noted
that he looked around to see whether anyone was watching him. The next day, when
Moses realized that people knew that he had killed the Egyptian, he ran away to
Midian.

There Moses began his second 40 years, during which Jethro, his father-in-law,
and Zipporah, his Midian wife, taught him about desert life as they took care of ﬂocks.
This knowledge would be helpful when Moses, with the Israelites, would live in the
desert later on. The process through which Moses gained this knowledge demonstrates
moderately structured learning.

The third section of Moses’ life began with God redirecting his life as an angel
of the Lord spoke to Moses through a burning bush. Unstructured learning started with
the angel’s telling Moses to remove his sandals, for the place upon which he was
standing was holy ground. Through the angel, God directed Moses to go to Pharaoh and
lead the children of Israel, the Hebrews, out of Egypt. God proved that this was His will
as He permitted the 10 plagues to come upon the Egyptians because of Pharaoh’s
refusal to release the Hebrews. Under God’s guidance, Moses led the Hebrews through
the Red Sea and into the wilderness. After 40 years in the wilderness, the Hebrews
entered the land God had promised them. But Moses did not enter this country because
at one point he had lost his temper, disobeying God’s will by hitting a rock for water

twice instead of once, exasperated ﬁom the people’s complaining. Although God loved

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Moses, He still buried the patriarch outside the land that Israel was to possess. In these
later years of his life, Moses experienced unstructured learning.

How do deacons in the Michigan district gain the basic skills needed to fulﬁll
the role of deacon? Haberrnas (1979) indicated that the lifeworld (place or way of
living) is where “everyday practice” and “everyday communication” occur. The
lifeworld is communicatively shared. Families, places of worship, schools, and other
aspects of life give a background of shared meanings. This is another way of describing
unstructured learning.

For deacons, life changes when a person moves from sitting in a church
worshipping to being the one leading the worship. Responsibilities come with moving
into a leadership position in a church and being the person people now look to for
direction instead of, as before, being a follower who is fulﬁlling the leader’s orders.
Haberrnas pointed out that adequate socialization or learning the way the society
operates is important, and that the socialization processes require competent reference
persons to help individuals to become communicating competent actors. Because some
men are thrust into this position without any training, they must learn in an unstructured
type and domain. In other situations, men move into the deacon role through working
with their supervising pastors. In some circumstances, those who function as mentors
guide men in learning how to be deacons. Therefore, deacons often experience
moderately structured learning with their supervisory pastors. What they do not
experience is any highly structured learning types and domains; therefore, they miss the

foundation of learning basic skills in a highly structured environment.

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Models of Adult Learning

A Plan for Adult Learning.

Taking into consideration that all three types and domains of learning (highly
structured, moderately structured, and unstructured) are important for learning
professions, a system for making sure that all types and domains are involved in
educating people is important. This system requires a plan.

Rather than function exclusively in a moderately structured or unstructured way
as deacon education provides, Stark and Lattuca (1997) advised that all forms of
professional education should involve some kind of system in order to reach goals.
Those who have served in the ﬁeld have ideas about what skills are needed to be able to
function competently in a professional role. These ideas need to be communicated from
the professionals to those who are learning to serve in the ﬁeld but are at a beginning
stage. This situation calls for an “academic plan.” This plan should be a total blueprint
for action, including purposes, activities, and ways of measuring success. A plan (Stark
and Lattuca, 1997, p. 10) should include the following eight points:

1. Baggage: The general goals that guide the knowledge, skills, and
attitudes to be learned.

2. C_or_r_t§at: The subject matter or content within which the learning
experiences are embedded.

3. Sgguence: An arrangement of the subject matter intended to lead to
speciﬁc outcomes for learners.

4. Learners: Information about the learners for whom the plan is

devised.

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5. Instructional processes: The instructional activities by which
learning may be achieved.

6. Instructional resources: The materials and settings to be used in the
learning process.

7. Evaluations: The strategies used to determine whether the skills,
knowledge, attitudes, and behavior change as a result of the learning process.

8. Adjustment: Changes in the plan to increase student learning,
based on experience and evaluation.

Other elements of education should include the learner, the society, a personal
view of the purpose of education, an opinion about how people learn, and techniques
for teaching and learning. From the outset, a teacher should establish clear expectations
for students, understand the students’ needs, provide structured education and advising,
be open to using new technology, and be able measure student outcomes.

Thus, a plan of education is needed for deacon education, as with every adult
educational program, as Stark and Lattuca (1994) point out. This plan begins with clear
expectations for the future deacons’ education as learned from those presently serving
as deacons. The plan provides structured education and advising in a highly structured
format with appropriate feedback ﬁom students on their needs, then moves toward
more moderately structured learning with the mentor, and ﬁnally leads toward
measured outcomes. The plan becomes very important before the teaching begins.

Models of Adult Education.

Having in place the types and domains of learning and the elements for

producing a plan, the next step would be to evaluate the various models of education

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that are available, and then to choose which model or combination of models might
work most effectively. For deacons, aspects of effective models would include ways to
educate those who are new to deacon ministry in the basic skills of ministry, a location
for education that is within easy driving distance of the students’ homes, application of
the skills students are learning in real life situations, meeting the educational needs of
deacons in a timely fashion, and so forth.

Kett’s book The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties (1994) permits one to
scan many models of adult education and evaluate their effectiveness for certain
situations. Kett studied the movement from self-improvement to adult education in
America from 1750 to 1990. He studied in depth the 18003, which was a time of
experimentation in adult education programs, without calling it by this name. In his
study, Kett presents an overview of many models of adult education, the situations
under which they were created and used, and whether and how they might continue to
be used today.

In Appendix 2, Models of Adult Education, I placed Kett’s models into four
categories: colleges and universities, discussion groups, speciﬁc studies, and trades. I
then noted the basis on which each model was originally created, how it was used, and
Kett’s evaluation of its effectiveness. The models were alphabetized within each
category for easy reference. I placed the data in columns in order to observe how they
relate to each other and whether patterns exist.

In the ﬁrst category, colleges and universities, the key factors that made the
difference between programs continuing to serve students or closing were skill building

and preparation for granting credentials. Although the purpose of the innovative leaders

of these educational situations was to spread cultural values, this did not seem to be the
reason these colleges and universities succeeded. Rather, these schools taught the skills
needed in the world of professionals. Certainly the teaching of values was important,
but being a graduate who carried credentials to employers testifying that the person had
the skills necessary to take on appropriate responsibilities seemed to be more important
to students. Students knew that employers wanted workers who came into their
businesses with the basic skills necessary to help make the businesses proﬁt.
Professionals could even start their own businesses or practices immediately after
graduation because their skills and credentials permitted this activity. From those in the
ﬁeld, the next generation became aware that skills and credentials were necessary if an
individual wanted to do this kind of work. Students went to the schools that helped
them learn these skills and earn credentials. As institutions became more sensitive to
students’ needs, they offered options such as summer schools. Students were
appreciative and took advantage of the schools’ offerings. The two factors deemed most
important to schools’ success were teaching skills and granting credentials.

The usefulness of college and university models for deacons is to evaluate these
models’ effectiveness in building basic skills. Potential deacons need to experience
successful learning. They need to learn the basic skills of ministry; credentials are
granted as they complete their skill building and become deacons.

A second category was discussion groups. Most of these learning situations
lasted only a short time because the subject matter was not practical. However, some
discussion groups continue today because certain people seek situations of interaction,

combined with a desire to learn about different topics. These groups are informal and

65

are no longer part of a movement. The importance of this category is that models exist
to help deacons who desire both interaction and certain kinds of ongoing skill building
to avail themselves of these opportunities by using models that are effective.

The third category of models involved speciﬁc studies for personal growth. The
difference between this category and the previous one is that these schools did not
intentionally fulﬁll a need for discussion. Rather, they provided education on topics
about which people desired to learn but had no speciﬁc intention to use this information
for employment. Many of these schools continue today because people are interested in
learning about particular topics and are willing to pay to learn that topic. Failure results
when the topics offered are no longer important to enough people to pay for these
studies. When deacons desire to study a speciﬁc skill and do not have a need for
discussion, these models are helpful in designing programs to teach this skill.

The fourth category of models involved the trades. Students in these schools
were involved in building the skills necessary to gain competence for a speciﬁc trade.
The types of learning experiences ranged from apprenticeships to occupational
licensing schools. The key to success was a combination of quality of instruction and
meeting employer needs. In a sense, this is similar to the ﬁrst category, in that the
combination of skills and credentials leads to employment. But in this category, skill
building developed less from the classroom and more from “hands on” learning over
time under guidance. The result was the same: employment as a skilled, competent
worker. For deacons, this type of learning is important as they work with people. Much

of ministry involves people skills. The right words to say, appropriate times for the use

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of Scripture, time for prayer and the structuring of prayer, and many other skills can be
learned following appropriate models, especially in mentoring situations.

Kett’s description of these models of adult education is important for this study
of deacons. If a plan (Stark and Lattuca, 1997) is to be considered as a more efﬁcient
and effective way for deacons to learn than the limited form of education that lifeworld
(Habermas, 1997) and untrained mentoring presently offers, then the many models that
Kett presented might be considered. Certainly the times are different today. To use a
certain style of education without adjusting it to present conditions would ensure failure
ﬁ'om the outset. Each model of education has its own strengths and weaknesses. But as
deacons express their thoughts concerning deacon education, Kett’s descriptions and
evaluations of models will help lead to new thoughts and ideas about deacon education.
For example, if a church district desires a deacon school, Kett’s list will be helpful in
making choices about which models of educational system to use, how to incorporate
them into each other to build a plan, and how to adjust these models to make them
effective for deacons.

Kett provided the world of education with a helpful tool for understanding
educational models and their implications. Although Kett’s book is comprehensive,
certainly other models also are available. Models may be combined or new models created,

producing more appropriate and focused adult education opportunities.

Summm

This literature review made two points. First, the literature does not speak to the
educational process of those who desire to become deacons, their perceptions of their

education as it relates to their work roles as deacons, or their continuing education as

67

they develop in their roles as deacons. Second, professional workers usually receive
training. Deacons in Michigan are professionals but without a training program. The
literature offers a variety of options from which to choose the best method or
combination of methods for training deacons and providing ongoing education for
deacons. Although a rudimentary list of deacon skills exists, nothing is planned taking
into consideration their perceptions of what they desire concerning their education,
either in training the basic skills of the craft or ongoing professional education.

In conclusion, a gap exists in the literature about the education of deacons and their
perceptions. Speciﬁcally, this study is about the education of deacons, and their perceptions
about their education, work role, and the relationship between their education and work

role in their ministry.

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CHAPTER 3

DESIGN OF THE STUDY

The deacons from the Michigan district of the LCMS have unheard perceptions
that, when communicated, may make a signiﬁcant difference in a number of areas. I
was certain that each deacon had given thought to his education before becoming a
deacon, his work role, and the relationship between his education and work roles. What
I sensed each deacon desired was a forum in which he could comfortably express these
perceptions. This study, through sharing and interpreting the content of interviews with
these deacons, focuses on the deacons’ stories about their work, as well as their

perceptions of their work roles and education.

Qualitative Methodology

I chose qualitative methodology as the means by which I could best investigate
the perceptions of deacons about their education and work roles. Qualitative
methodology is one research approach, not the only one. Methodology refers to the
general logic and theoretical perspective for a research project (Bogdan and Biklen,
1998). The goal of a qualitative researcher is to better understand human behavior and
experience. The researcher strives to grasp the processes by which people construct
meaning and to describe that meaning. So the researcher uses observation grounded in
concrete incidents of human behavior to describe these meanings and understand the
human condition more clearly. One qualitative method, personal interviews, permits

respondents to describe their experiences in their own words.

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mm of Deacons

At the time I conducted the interviews, 18 deacons served in the Michigan
district of the LCMS. I considered whether to interview all of the deacons, but realized
that scheduling would be a problem. Thus, I decided to categorize them according to
the target group of people they served: small rural churches, small urban churches,
ethnic immigrants, people in special situations, and assistant to pastors of large
congregations. Three deacons were serving small rural churches: Art (whose ordination
was described in chapter 1), a former rancher who also had recently been ordained, and
a former pig farmer who was still living in the same place but serving the people of his
community. Two deacons had served a number of small urban churches and were now
working at building up small churches. The two deacons representing ethnic ministry
were from Pakistan and leaders in People of the Book Lutheran Outreach (POBLO).
The two deacons in special ministry reached out to unique groups of people—that is,
those in prisons and young people in their 203 and 303. The deacons in the assistant to
the pastor ministry both had secular careers before receiving professional education for
service in the church and then began working in larger congregations. I determined that
if I conducted at least two interviews in each category, this would sufﬁciently represent
the deacons who served that target group. After completing the 11 interviews, I realized
that I was not receiving or gaining anything new or different from the deacons’
perceptions, so I ceased interviewing. Bogden and Biklen (1998) described this as
internal sampling. This type of sampling recognizes the need to sample of a diversity of
types, but also realizes that key informants may quickly bring about data saturation—

that is, a situation in which the information becomes redundant.

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The Interview Protocol and InterviewingLProcess

Before conducting the interviews, I developed two forms. The ﬁrst form was the
Deacon Learning Consent Form (Appendix 3), which indicated the purpose of the study
and agreement to participate. The ﬁrst paragraph stated, “This study concerns people’s
perception of the relationship between roles and educational preparation for workers to
serve in these roles.” The form noted that the interview would last about an hour and a
half. If necessary, there might be a follow-up interview in person or by phone.

The second paragraph noted that I would hold the responses in strict conﬁdence,
unless the interviewee waived conﬁdentiality. If the interviewee desired conﬁdentiality,
then I would not identify the interviewee in any way. Finally, the form stated that the
interviewee’s participation was voluntary and he could withdraw from the study at any
time or decline to answer any questions. Each deacon then checked a statement of
willingness to participate with conﬁdentiality or that he gave me permission to use his
name in any publication of research ﬁndings. Next, the deacon was asked to indicate
whether he would permit me to use a tape recorder to record the interview. The form
stated that the interviewee could stop the tape recorder at any time. The deacon then
printed his name on the form, wrote the date, and then signed the consent form. At this
point, I gave him a copy of the consent form. In case the deacon had any questions, the
consent form gave my name, address, and phone number, as well as those of my faculty
advisor and the chairperson of the University Committee on Research Involving Human
Subjects (U CRIHS)—a committee that approves interview protocols to protect the

interviewees).

71

The title of the second form was the Interview Protocol (Appendix 4), which
contained my opening remarks and the 16 questions I asked each interviewee. This
protocol probed the deacon’s life history including his education, his work role as a
deacon, and the relationship between his education before and after installation as a
deacon with his work role as a deacon. The interview protocol is discussed in detail in

the following section.
Content of the Interview Protocol

Life history of the deacon

Life histories are very important. First-person histories collected through case
study interviewing usually are directed at “using the person as a vehicle to understand
basic aspects of human behavior or existing institutions rather than history” (Bogdan +
Biklen, 1998, p. 57). These aspects of human behavior inﬂuence deacons’ perceptions
of their education and work role. Because I knew beforehand that I would organize or
categorize the life histories according to particular stages of the deacons’ lives, I
approached each deacon’s life history in two segments of time and experience: before
the man became a deacon, and following his installation until the time of the interview.

After our initial discussion, the deacon had an opportunity to share his life
history in whatever way he desired. Then, with the protocol, 1 probed deeper with the
following ﬁve questions from the protocol.

1. Educational Experiences: The ﬁrst question asked about speciﬁc
educational experiences that were helping the respondent as a deacon. Through this

question, I searched for highly structured, moderately structured, and unstructured

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situations (W eiland, 2000)—such as working closely with a pastor, a church worker, or
a lay person—in which the deacon learned something that had an emotional or spiritual
impact on his life. This learning experience then became a reference point to which he
could return when he needed to use what he learned from this experience to help people
in a similar situation.

2. mm: The second question asked each deacon about any speciﬁc
training that he had received in order to become a deacon. I wanted to know whether he
considered anything, be it a highly structured, moderately structured, or unstructured
educational situation, as preparation for being a deacon. I was especially looking for
any types or domains that I might not have considered as educational preparation for
the ofﬁce of deacon.

3. Ideal educational experiences: The next question concerned educational
experiences that each deacon wished he might have had before becoming a deacon. If a
deacon wished he had a particular type of educational preparation, then meeting this
educational need might become a part of a plan for educating deacons more effectively.
I wondered whether the deacon desired more training in any areas of the role that he
fulﬁlled as a deacon. If he thought that he lacked some skills, theological depth, or
experiences, this information would be valuable in considering how to train a deacon
more adequately.

4. Inﬂuences: To learn who or what helped the deacon in his education
would give insight into relationships and mentoring. This question addressed both the
kinds of people who inﬂuenced the deacon’s learning and any special situations or

incidents in which the deacon learned a skill that he was now using in his ministry.

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5. Current learning: The ﬁnal question in this series asked the interviewee to
share what he was currently learning as a deacon. Having the deacon discuss what he
might be learning gave him an opportunity to reﬂect on his education. I asked this
question in the hope that the deacon would have periodically taken time to think about
his ministry and the experiences he encountered in his work role. Whatever he had
learned through such reﬂection could be valuable in considering a plan for an ongoing
professional educational program.

Work role

The second set of questions probed each deacon’s perception of his work role or
career. Bogdan and Biklen (1998) referred to the word career as “describing the
various positions, stages, bench marks and ways of thinking people pass through in the
course of their lives” (p. 57). I wanted to learn about as many dimensions of the
deacon’s work role as possible.

The lead question invited the deacon to deﬁne his role as a deacon. Two
questions then followed.

1. Self-evaluation: The ﬁrst question asked the deacon to evaluate his
perception of his skills and ability to perform this role. The more skills he considered
he possessed to perform the tasks of the ministry, the greater the number of learning
situations from which he had learned these skills. His perception of his skill level
brought together more information about his role and the education that led to his skills
to perform that role.

2. Perceptions of others’ views: The next question sought information about

the deacon’s perception of the role of deacon in general. Because this question was

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open ended, the deacon could choose from a variety of points of view—the local
congregation, pastors in the geographic area, the Michigan District, the LCMS, or any
other entity—as his way of expressing what others thought of the role of deacon. How
he perceived others’ viewpoints on deacon work roles would indicate how he
interpreted his work role from their point of view.

These two questions permitted the deacon to state exactly what he did in his
work role. This led to the next set of questions.

Relationship of education and worl_< role

The third set of questions was intended to elicit each deacon’s perception of the
relationship between his role as a deacon and his educational preparation for that role.
The deacon’s perception of this relationship was central to this study. If deacons did not
perceive that their education was important for fulﬁlling their role, this perception
would imply that the present method of lifeworld experiences (Habermas, 1979) for
preparing deacons is adequate. But if deacons perceived that their education did not
realistically relate to what they were doing in their role, a different system of education
might be desired. At a minimum, the perception of a lack of relationship could lead to
many other questions about adult educational programs and their importance to work
roles. If a deacon perceived that his education was closely related to the quality of his
work, then probing deeper into what qualities of the deacon’s education were most
relevant to his work might lead to identifying important aspects of adult education.
These ﬁndings could have an impact on planning adult education programs.

The opening question of this third section of the protocol offered the deacon an

opportunity to share as much as he liked about the relationship between his educational

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preparation for the work role of deacon and his actual work role. Without controls or
limits, the deacon could speak about how well he thought he had been prepared when
he began his work as a deacon and how he had learned to be more skilled in the craft of
being a deacon. His perceptions about his feelings would indicate not only if this was
an issue involving passion, but also what these feelings meant with regard to education
and his role. The speciﬁc questions were as follows.

1. Inﬂuences on learning: To probe more deeply into the relationship
between education and work role, the ﬁrst question was a “who or what” query. The
question, covering the time from the beginning of his work as a deacon until the time of
the interview, inquired about types of people, groups, or situations that had been helpﬁrl
in his growth toward competence and conﬁdence in his work role as a deacon.
Knowing who or what affected the relationship between education and work roles
would provide insight into the importance of certain types of people, situations, or
learning opportunities that may have implications for what should be included in a plan.

2. Meaningful professional education (mportunities: Next, the deacon was
asked to evaluate professional educational opportunities. If the deacon had participated
in such opportunities, he was asked to evaluate which ones had been meaningful and
helpful.

3. Contexts for learning: Third, the deacon was directed to think about the
length of time he had been in service. As he thought about his work role, he was urged
to speak about what he had learned concerning the role of a deacon and how he had
learned these ideas. Because the deacon had previously deﬁned his role, he was now

requested to speak to the contexts in which he had learned to fulﬁll his role.

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4. Tags: The next question focused on fulﬁlling the role of deacon. This
question referred not only to knowing what to do, but also to carrying out the tasks of a
deacon. Through this question, I hoped to discover speciﬁc skills that a deacon might
use in the course of his duties.

5. Desired future learning: Next, the deacon was invited to look toward the
future. Assuming that the deacons wanted to learn, this question encouraged him to
consider what he might want to learn to be a better deacon. This question also assumed
that the deacon perceived that he still did not have a complete gasp of everything
necessary to fulﬁll the role of deacon, and that he had already thought about what he
might want to learn in the future. The deacon’s perception of what he would want to
study would point out what he considered weaknesses in his educational backgound,
and what he needed to learn more about while conducting his ministry.

6. Ambiguity in deacons’ roles: The ﬁnal question in the interview protocol
was a difﬁcult one concerning ambiguity. The ﬁrst deacon was asked whether he
acknowledged that ambiguity exists in how deacon roles are perceived and deﬁned.
Once the deacon acknowledged this situation, the second part of the question became
meaningful. This part of the question was intended to elicit the deacon’s perception of
ambiguities in the educational requirements for this indeﬁnite role. The deacon was
given geat latitude in how he interpreted what the question was asking. The question
led to a variety of discussions on a variety of issues, including the future of the deacon
ministry, types of roles deacons fulﬁlled, and the types of education for deacons.

In summary, the interview questions concerning the relationship between

education and work roles were comprehensive and served several purposes. The deacon

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was given ample opportunity to express his thoughts by interpreting the questions in
ways that were meaningful to him. The questions covered the three areas of study:
education, deﬁnition of work role, and the relationship between education and work
role. These questions approached the deacon’s perceptions from a variety of directions,
including the deacon’s life history before and after becoming a deacon; education
before and after becoming a deacon; the deacon’s role perception both in a personal
sense and as a wider view of the ofﬁce of deacon—that is, how the deacon thought
people generally perceived deacons; the past, present, and future of deacon education—
and any other area the deacon might like to discuss. A certain amount of redundancy
was built into the questions. Asking the similar questions in different time frames
seemed helpful so that I might better understand perspectives and consistency in their

responses.

Data Collection

 

Before each interview, I contacted each deacon and asked his permission to
interview him. Together, we established a date and a time for the interview. At the
interview, I read the consent form to the deacon, then I had him check what he
considered the appropriate response to the issue of conﬁdentiality and sigr the form. I
gave him a copy of the consent form.

Before beginning the interview, I set up the tape recorder and explained what I
was doing. When both the deacon and I were settled and comfortable, I turned on the
tape recorder and began asking questions, reading them from the protocol form. I
listened quietly to the deacon’s answer. If I was unsure what point the deacon was

making, I would ask for clariﬁcation or I would restate the question in a different way.

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If I wanted to explore a thought further, I took the initiative and asked more in-depth
questions. We experienced a variety of emotions, sometimes laughing, sometimes
seriously dialoguing further about a particular point. When the interview was over, I
thanked the deacon for participating, packed up the tape recorder and completed
consent forms, and concluded the visit.

Each interview lasted about 45 minutes, rather than an hour and a half I had
estimated, so my initial time frame was wrong. Because I knew all of the deacons
personally, I found the discussions enjoyable. I was constantly amazed and awed at the
depth of faith, understanding, and commitment to the ministry these deacons expressed
in their words and emotions. The feelings they expressed ranged from anger to delight.
We ended the interviews with warmth and caring for each other, usually with some
comment about something mentioned in the interview process about which we laughed.
The interview process brought about gowth in relationships and knowledge for the

deacons as well as myself.

Data Analysis

Data transcription and evaluation

Once I completed the interviews, I had 11 completed permission forms and 11
tape recordings of interviews. The consent forms were stored for future reference. I
quickly realized that I could not analyze the data directly ﬁ'om the tape recordings. I
had chosen not to take ﬁeld notes because using tapes would enable me to hear
emotions, attitudes, and other issues that were all recorded on the tapes. Therefore, the

tapes would have to be transcribed.

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I chose to transcribe the tapes myself. I believed that as the interviewer, I would
understand what the deacons had said better than anyone else. I listened to each
sentence and typed it out. I listened again to the sentence to make sure I had transcribed
it correctly, and then proceeded the next sentence. This format permitted me to
remember any emotions, attitudes or other issues that might have transpired. Each
transcript was organized according to the order of questions in the protocol. The
transcription for each question began on a new page to facilitate analysis. Once I had
ﬁnished transcribing the 11 tapes, I was in a position to examine these transcriptions
ﬁ'om a variety of directions in order to analyze the data. The transcribing of the tape
from each interview required a number of hours. Overall, transcribing the tapes took

several months.

Data analysis and interpretation

“Data analysis is the process of systematically searching and arranging the
interview transcripts . . .to increase your own understanding of them and to enable you
to present what you have discovered to others” (Bogdan and Biklen, 1998, p. 157).
Working within the framework of these main research questions—that is, the deacons’
education before and after installation, their perceptions of their roles as deacons, and
their perceptions of the relationship between their education and their roles—I began
the process of data analysis. The life histories of 11 deacons are noted in chapter 4. I
then read through and categorized the deacons’ responses, placing them into goups
deﬁned in the study—that is, education, work roles, and the relationship between
education and work roles. 1 sorted out the responses on ambiguity, because I wanted to

focus on this topic. I reread the responses, placing them into orders that gave a

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meaningful outline for the discussions that that would follow. As I evaluated the
outlines, I observed the study’s ﬁndings and noted them.

The study’s ﬁndings are presented in chapter 4. In the ﬁrst section, I compare
similarities and differences in life history issues among the deacons, using the issue of
character from I Timothy 3. The kinds of learning relating to their work roles that‘
deacons’ experienced before and after becoming deacons are discussed next. Third,
deacons’ perceptions about the relationship between their education and work roles are
discussed. Because these perceptions are key factors in this study, I describe them and
interpret their implications for deacons and adult education. I conclude the chapter by
attempting to answer the question, “What can we learn from deacons’ lives and
perceptions that will be meaningful for deacon education, adult education, and

education in general?”

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CHAPTER FOUR

FINDINGS

In this chapter, I analyze and categorize the data received from the deacons in
order to address the research questions. I ﬁrst discuss what I learned in the interviews
with the deacons. I then introduce the deacons by area of service and express how each
one exempliﬁes at least one characteristic of a deacon as found in I Timothy 3. The
next section of the chapter provides answers to the research questions according to the

deacons’ perceptions. Finally, I interpret these answers in preparation for chapter 5.

Observations

During the interview process, I observed that deacons were open, passionate
about ministry, and sensitive to the world around them. The deacons were not hindered
by a need for conﬁdentiality and they were open to discussing the questions. All of
them checked the statement permitting the use of their names. I pointed out their right
to terminate the interview at any time or to turn off the tape recorder, but none stopped
the interviews; the only reason I turned off the tape recorder during two interviews was
because there was an interruption from the outside. The deacons’ attitudes indicated
that they had nothing to hide, and some were even surprised that the question was
asked.

The deacons demonstrated that they were passionate about ministry. They
would raise their voices, gesture with their hands, and show facial expressions to

emphasize the points they were making. Occasionally they would laugh, whereas at

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other times they were serious. The topics of discussion were close to each man’s
emotional heart.

I observed that the deacons were sensitive to the world around them. One event
that inﬂuenced the ﬂavor of these interviews was the terrorist attack on the United
States on September 11, 2001. Three of the interviews preceded 9/11, whereas the other
eight interviews followed the attack. Uncertainty had become part of the lives of the
deacons and the people they served, and we often discussed the attack, but usually not
during the tape recording. Although the tragedy became part of the interview
experience, one that sobered and muted some of the enthusiasm that deacons expressed
in the ﬁrst three interviews, it did not become a spoken element of the interviews.
Because of the focused nature of the protocol, the condition of world uncertainty did
not seem to inﬂuence directly any of the deacons’ answers to the interview questions.
Yet a sense of uncertainty affected the mood and feelings of the eight deacons

interviewed after 9/11.

Introduction of the Deacons
Deacons in the Michigan District serve ﬁve goups of people through ministry.
These goups are in (a) small rural churches, (b) urban churches, (c) ethnic ministries,
((1) special ministries (people in unique circumstances), and (e) assistant to the pastor
ministries (large churches). The deacons whom I interviewed served in the following
categories: small rural churches—Art, Gary, and Jack; urban churches—Ralph and
Dennis; ethnic ministry—Khurram and Farrukh; special ministry—Ken and Jason; and

assistant to the pastor—Ed and Ron. After a brief discussion of each deacon’s history, I

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show how each one displayed a deacon characteristic mentioned in I Timothy 3. One
deacon, Ed, commented on the characteristics of a deacon. He said:
I think [a deacon is] a man well versed in the Bible and having some
experience in visitation and liturgy and helping with service and
preparing sermons and giving sermons, and probably just ﬁrst being a
servant. I’m a servant to these people. I’m not their big shot, I’m their
servant. And I try to do whatever I can to be that good servant that the
Lord wants me to be--whether it means studying a lot more, or going
over sermons two or three times, or whatever it takes to be the best
deacon I can be.
All of the deacons displayed the kinds of characteristics of a deacon that are

noted in the Bible. Yet each one had a special characteristic that stood out, and I note

that characteristic along with his biogaphy.

.Sﬂlll RuralChurches

I discussed Art’s life history in detail in chapter 1. To review, Art did not gow
up active in the church. Rather, whether his wife was ill or died, the church and ﬁiends
ministered to him. He attended Michigan Lutheran Ministries Institute (MLMI) and,
after gaduating, went into the work role of church planting (starting new churches)
along with his present wife, Marge. The highlight of his ministry occurred in a small
church in Ossinicke, when the congegation and he together celebrated his ordination so
that he could serve them as their pastor.

One Biblical characteristic that Art powerfully demonstrated was that of “the
husband of one wife.” In his lifetime, Art had three wives, but he had only one wife at
a time and each of them was his soul mate during their marriage. No divorces were

involved. All the other deacons in the study had only one wife.

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Gary moved from being a rancher in South Dakota and a member of a church
into full-time education for lay ministry. While being a rancher, Gary struggled with
alcoholism and misuse of money, about which he did not give details. He had to face
and overcome these issues before he became a candidate for church service. After
rigorous professional training, he was placed in Belding, Michigan, and served the
congegation there for 12 years, the second six years as a deacon.

The Biblical characteristic Gary exempliﬁed was that, in these years of ministry,
he was gaining the respect of the people of his church and community, not being quiet
about his past, but using his past as a bridge to communicating and doing ministry with
people. He did not stand on his academic laurels. He noted:

The doing is the hard part in ministry. And being able to be a servant

and showing God love without throwing your weight around. Or your

expertise. And that’s easy to do, [but not] learning to be silent and just

listen. That’s practical stuff. And that’s . . . served me very well, but I

guess, for my ministry, [this is] one of the hallmarks.

Jack was a pig farmer who had lived many years in the small community of
Twining, Michigan. Always active in the Lutheran Church, he was interested in doing
ministry. After taking courses in MLMI, he and his wife Joann began a Vacation Bible
School on their farm, and it developed into a church.

The Biblical characteristic of a deacon that described Jack was “not violent but

gentle.” Although he was a physically strong and ﬁt man, by his very nature Jack

exuded quiet care. When he spoke, one heard no pretense or arrogance.

UQan Churches
Ralph had worked in management for 27 years and dealt with all kinds of

people. In the urban church on the east side of Saginaw of which he had been a

85

member for many years, he also had interacted with many kinds of people. As the
community became more racially diverse, Ralph realized that the “die-hard Germans”
who had settled the community and constituted the main goup of members of the
church needed a different vision to reach the community. After experiencing health
problems, Ralph retired, attended MLMI, and then worked not only to help his own
church but also to serve a number of churches by conducting vacancy ministry (an
interim ministry until the congegation obtains a pastor or permanent deacon). These
vacant churches were primarily in or around cities. His management skills and love of
ministry permitted him to guide these churches through turbulent times.

The Scriptural concept that best described Ralph was “worthy of respect.” For
example, he commented:

We had an argument the other night at council meeting, and I had to step

in on that one, to break that one up. But the arguments are just of a

different nature, of human nature; that’s all it is, [because] people think

different.
Ralph’s attitude toward both breaking up the argument and understanding human nature
indicated that people respected him. Therefore, another apt Scriptural characteristic of a
deacon that Ralph showed was “not quarrelsome.” Although he was ﬁrm on many
issues, his management ability helped him navigate difﬁcult issues to ﬁnd appropriate
solutions without alienating people. This ability permitted him to guide churches into
gowth and away from considering disbanding.

Dennis was born and raised in the LCMS. Because he was always active in
church, many encouraged him to consider doing church work as his profession. The

question he faced while working with prison inmates through Xairos (the Greek word

for Christ) ministry challenged him, “What are you going to do with it?” After talking

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with a number of pastors, he studied in the MLMI progarn, gaduated, and served as a
lay minister. When the ofﬁce of deacon became an option, Dennis applied for it and
was accepted. During the following years, he served in a number of churches in and
around Saginaw, Michigan, after giving up his architectural career. Most recently, he
had been serving a small church in Harrisville, Michigan.

With his lifelong involvement in the church, Dennis demonstrated the Biblical
characteristic, “They must ﬁrst be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let
them serve as deacons.” His whole life, people in the church had observed him and
encouraged him to serve God. Dennis was a Distance Education Leading To Ordination

(DELTO) student and was looking forward to being ordained as a pastor.

Ethnic Ministry

Khurram and Farrukh Kahn were brothers from Pakistan. Both had worked in
Saudia Arabia for an oil company. Only two Christian pastors were permitted in Saudia
Arabia at that time, one working as a specialty teacher and the other as an English
teacher. Those two pastors mentored hundreds of people, including Khurram and
Farrukh, training them through short courses in small goups of ﬁve to equip them to
lead Bible studies. This led to preaching, celebrating communion, and evangelizing
Muslims. In 1994, the brothers and their families irnmigated to Canada, where they
joined the Lutheran Church and worked as missionaries. They became part of a goup
called “Student Christian Movement” (SCM), in which they learned through small
courses about such topics as “How to Prepare a Sermon” and “Application of Law and

Gospel.” After gaduation, the brothers separated; Khurram moved to Windsor,

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Ontario, to work with People of the Bible Outreach (POBLO), and Farrukh remained in
Toronto, pursuing a seminary education.

As POBLO gew, Khurram rose into administrative leadership. Farrukh, who
attended seminary in preparation for becoming a pastor, became frustrated when the
seminary he attended required him to make a decision between continuing to serve
people or being a full-time student. Farrukh left the seminary, stayed with his ministry
for awhile, and when the Opportunity arose, to move to Windsor and serve as a
missionary for POBLO in metropolitan Detroit, he knew that this was God’s will for
him. Both men were in churches serving as deacons to people who had irnmigated to
the United States, as well as continuing to fulﬁll their responsibilities as missionaries.

Khurram’s love of God and perseverance in fulﬁlling God’s will despite so
many difﬁculties demonstrated that he was not a “recent convert, or he may become
conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.” Farrukh similarly knew that
he “must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgace and
into the devil’s trap.” The evidence of these men’s effectiveness in the ministry they

performed had led to both serving gowing ethnic congegations.

Special Ministries

Ken always had the feeling that God wanted him to serve in some way.
Educated as a public school teacher and later trained as a specialist in counseling and
guidance, Ken worked for many years in public education until his retirement. He told
the following story about his initiation into prison ministry:

One day driving to Chicago when I was going down the road, a pastor

was giving a sermon on the radio. He went to Matthew 25 and talked
about, “You gave me clothes, you gave me food,” and I was getting

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pretty pumped up. Said, “I’m doing pretty good.” Then he went to the

spot where he said, “You visited me in prison,” and I said, “No, Lord,

I’ve done a lot of things, but I don’t want to do that.” But you know the

way the Lord works. Came back here, approached one of our members

who had somebody in prison, and said, “I want to visit.” He looked at

me as if I was crazy. I just told the Lord, “You give me a call to do that”

. . . The call is to [go] into the prisons and out of the prisons for those

kind of people.

In his years of service as a deacon, Ken had involved a number of people as disciples to
communicate with prisoners. Together, the ministry regularly contacted more than 300
prisoners a month.

The scriptural passage that described Ken’s strengths was “Those who have
served well gain an excellent standing and geat assurance in their faith in Jesus
Christ.” Ken’s commitment to this ministry because of the call he knew God gave him
was intense and focused.

Jason had a backgound in professional church work education. Since the ninth
gade, he had known God was calling him into ministry. He struggled with whether to
become a pastor or teacher. In college, Jason learned about the role of Director of
Christian Education (DCE) and pursued it. He served a variety of churches as DCE and
then worked for Concordia Publishing House (CPH), LCMS’s ofﬁcial publishing
house, as a connector between CPH and pastors. This led to a relationship with St.
Matthew Lutheran Church in Walled Lake, Michigan, where he came on staff as a part-
time church planter (starting a church where none previously existed) and part-time
congegational deacon until the mission became strong enough to support him full time.
The new mission was aimed at those in their 20’s and 30’s, many with young families,

who were not interested in traditional worship or even the normal deﬁnition of

contemporary worship. But Jason continued to feel a conﬂict; he explained:

89

I’ve been involved in worship and doing everything. So, that led me to

the next step of wanting to go[to] the sem [seminary], but giving up to

the Lord when I should want to go, and He said basically, “I don’t want

you to go yet,” and there’s this thing called deacon, and that drew me in,

to give me this opportunity.

The scriptural characteristic that Jason demonstrated was that of “able to
teach.” As he ministered to people, Jason discovered the spiritual needs that ﬁ'ustrated
them and worked to ﬁnd ways to answer those needs. Using his DCE and pastor

visitation backgound, he began forming a church to meet those needs while

continuing to serve people at the “mother” church.

Assistant to the Pastor Minisﬂ (large churches)

Ed worked for Ford Motor Company in metropolitan Detroit for more than 30

 

years. He was always active in his home church, and enjoyed teaching the Bethel Bible
Series (a review of Old and New Testaments). He kept thinking, “I would like to do
something like this after I retire.” When Ed knew he would be retiring soon, he heard
about the lay ministry progam at Concordia College, Milwaukee, and once retired, he
attended school and gaduated. Ed connected with St. Michael Lutheran Church in
Wayne, Michigan, and served the congegation as lay minister, helping the pastors in
the congegation and, as his special outreach, conducting services in up to eight
retirement homes. When the deacon progam became available, he applied for the
position to help the pastor of St. Michael, doing whatever the pastor needed him to do
to serve people. As Ed’s age became more of a factor, the pastor decreased his
workload. Being a deacon gave Ed a clearer standing in the congegation and permitted
him to give Holy Communion to those in retirement homes who had requested it and

were appropriately prepared.

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The Scriptural characteristic that Ed exempliﬁed was “respectable.” People
respected Ed because of his care for them. He had proved his trustworthiness and
reliability. Therefore, people respected him as a man of God.

Ron discovered, as a high school student, that he was not going to become a
pastor through the normal schools because he did not learn languages easily. Ron
attended Concordia College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the high school progam, and
commented that because he could not understand the language structures of German
and Greek, he failed miserably. He left and ﬁnished high school at Lutheran High
School, thinking that he would return to church work later in a different capacity. In
college, Ron majored in accounting and ﬁnance. He decided that he would have three
careers: ﬁrst as an executive, then as a sole proprietor of a business, and as a church
business manager.

After achieving his ﬁrst two goals, Ron attended the lay ministry progam, but
he was “never properly advised that wasn’t the way to go into church business
administration, because that’s not what that progam was desigred to do. So I ended
up with a whole series of word and sacrament things.” Ron worked in a number of
ministries, including being a leader in a word and sacrament ministry, as a consultant
in a church consulting ﬁrm, as a deacon rebuilding a very small church in Kentucky as
a church plant, as a church business manager with a Doctor of Ministry degee of a
very large church on the north side of metropolitan Detroit, and most recently as a
part-time assistant at Peace Lutheran Church in Warren, Michigan. He discussed being
an assistant this way:

I was here for a long time, and the sign on the door said Vicar. Finally
somebody decided to change it. They didn’t consult with either the

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senior pastor or myself about what the sigr should read. And the sigr

was attached, now a couple of months ago, says, “Assistant.” And I went

to the senior pastor and I said, “Assistant what? If they had asked me, I

would have said, ‘Assistant to the Pastor.’” He said, “No, you’re more

than that.” He said, “Think of yourself as the assistant.” I said,

“Assistant what?” He said, “There doesn’t have to be a ‘what.”’ “Of

course there has to be ‘what.’ It is an established ordnung (order).”

“No,” he said, “you are the assistant to anyone who needs your

assistance, all the way down from myself through any board, any other

staff person, any member of the congegation.” “Yeah, I kinda like that

title,” I said.
These two men knew their individual responsibilities, yet they worked together as a
team. As Ron described his work, he noted, “The senior pastor is the pastor of the
congegation. When he is on vacation, I can fulﬁll portions of his role. [If] he needs a
Sunday off, I can fulﬁll portions of his role. But he is the pastor of the congegation.”

Ron was “not a lover of money.” Although he successfully pursued material
success in his ﬁrst and second professions, he would not let it interfere with his desire
to move into his third profession. He used his knowledge of ﬁnancial matters to help
churches. When money issues arose, people looked to Ron for answers. Most of Ron’s
ﬁnancial counseling for those in the church was free.

Table 1 contains a summary of backgound information on the 11 deacons.
Included is the path each deacon followed in order to become a deacon, the deacon’s
education before installation, his education after installation, and his perception of his

role. This table is intended to serve as a handy reference as the perceptions of these

deacons are discussed in the remainder of this chapter.

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Table

1

Summary of the Backgound Information on the Deacons in the Study Sample

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education:
Before After
Name Path to Becoming a Deacon Installation Installation Perception of Role
G Rancher LLTI- Mequon, Some seminary Pastoral; everything
ary WI. courses; mentors but marriages
Pakistan; Saudia Arabia; Small goup MLMI; mentors, Pastoral;
Khurram Canada; Bible studies Administrator of
U.S.-POBLO EIIT POBLO
J k Pig farmer; started the church MLMI Reading Pastoral; everything
ac but marriages
h Human relations; active in MLMI Mentors Pastoral; interim
lRalp church

ministry

 

Finances; church business

Luth. Hi. School;

Interim ministry

Assistant in most

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lKen

 

lMLMI

 

Master’s; MLMI

manager Doctor of pastoral duties
inis -church
HRon lﬁdnanctg; clinical
pastoral
education
, Prison ministry MLMI DELTO; mentors Pastoral; everything
Denms but marriages
Pakistan; Small-goup Mentors; EIIT Missionary to
Saudia Arabia; Bible studies; St. Muslims; pastoral;
Farrukh Canada; Catherine’s Everything but
Seminary, marriages
U.S.-POBLO Ontario, Canada
Active in church; LLTI — Mentors Assistant to the Pastoﬁ
Ed Milwaukee
Retired from work WI.
Struggles in life; MLMI MLMI Mentors; Pastoral; everything
Art training eminars; but marriages
eminary courses
Church work; DCE; CPH Concordia entors Assist pastor and start
Jason communicator; help local University new church
phurch System
High school teacher-counselor; Public university; Mentors Prison ministry

 

 

 

 

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Summag

This brief introduction to the 11 deacons who were interviewed for this study
indicated that although their life histories were diverse, all of them were serving as
deacons. In the next section, I discuss the deacons’ perceptions of their education and

work roles.

Deacons’ Perceptions
The most important question of this study was: How do deacons perceive
their education, work role, and the relationship between education and work
role? To address this primary question, I posed three main research questions to guide
the collection of data for this study. These questions and their subquestions are as
follows:

1. How do deacons perceive the way in which they have been educated both before and

after installation?
1a. How do deacons perceive the way they were a§t_t_rally educated before being
installed as deacons?
1b. What are deacons’ perceptions of educational experiences they would have
meferred to have before installation?

2. How do deacons perceive the way they have been educated after their installation?
2a. How do deacons perceive the way they have been My educated after
their installation?
2b. What are deacons’ perceptions of the educational experiences they would
pgg‘el to have after installation?

3. What are deacons’ perceptions of their work roles?

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4. What are the deacons’ perceptions of the relationship between their education
and work role?

The answers to these questions and subquestions will enable me to provide a
meaningful response to the primary question. Further, the ﬁndings will help me answer
the following question that is of importance to the Lutheran Church: What are the
implications for deacons’ education of the relationship between deacons’
education and their work role? Each of these questions, in turn, is answered in the
following pages. The answers to these questions and subquestions will enable me to
provide a meaningful response to the primary question and the question important to

the Lutheran Church.

Deacons’ Perceptions of their Education

Before Installation
Research Question 1a: How do deacons perceive the way they were agﬂally
educated before being installed as deacons?

Because the Michigan District has not offered an education progam in deacon
ministry, deacons have had to learn the functions of the ofﬁce ﬁ'om a variety of sources.
These deacons learned the basics of ministry through participating in a church training
progam, adaptation of secular training for application to church situations, or self-
development as a means of gaining skills.

Participating in Church training progams. All the deacons experienced some
type of church training progam. Five deacons attended either the MLMI or the Parish
Lay Specialist Progarn (PLSP-essentially an identical progam, but under the direction

of Concordia College, Ann Arbor). Three deacons were certiﬁed through the

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synodically sponsored Lutheran Lay Training Institute in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (later
Mequon, Wisconsin). Two deacons gaduated from the Concordia University System.
Khurram and F arrukh received their basic training in Saudia Arabia in a mentoring
progam under the supervision of a pastor, and then took some courses in MLMI.
Farrukh attended St. Catherine’s seminary in Ontario for several months. While they
studied for other reasons and goals different than the deacon pro garn, they creatively
adapted and used what they learned from this education for deacon ministry.

Adapting Secular Training. Most of the deacons experienced secular

 

employment before they became deacons. In this secular life, they learned a variety of
skills that could be adapted to helping them in some aspects of ministry. For example,
Ralph looked to his backgound in management as a way to help him be more effective
when he became a deacon. He indicated, “Educationwise, I’ve been to a lot of
seminars. I’ve had people seminars dealing with people, I mean our business had those
kind of seminars where you go through that.” Through these seminars, Ralph gained
skills in working with people more effectively that he used later on in his ministry.

Learning on One’s Own. The deacons realized that these progams would not
meet every situation in which they would be involved as deacons. Therefore, to meet
these perceived needs, they searched for and found ways of learning what they knew
they needed to know. The deacons aimed this self-directed learning toward two aspects:
volunteering and self-development.

As a lay person volunteering, the future deacons experienced real-life training.
For example, Farrukh commented:

I was also at St. Mark Lutheran Church, I was an elder [volunteer
spiritual leader] of the congegation for three years, and I was in charge

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of the Board of Missions. So that gave me enough training, on site
working.

Therefore, volunteering as a lay person in a congegation gave the man an opportunity
to experiment and ﬁnd out if ministry was right for him. The more ways a man gained
experience volunteering and being successful, the more likely he would be successful in
ministry.

The men who would become deacons also pursued self-development. They
realized they needed to learn something that would help them as members of their
church, or they heard of the church offering some kind of seminar or training, and they
would take the training for self-development. For example, Farrukh noted that he went
through a 16—week progam that was called Alpha progam, conducted in Missisauga,
Canada, by the Lutheran Church on how to reach out to the new people. This was a
program in evangelism for members of the church.

Khurram described his self-development learning about how to preach from
listening to pastors. He commented about the pastor at the church where his
congegation met for worship:

I try to go one hour early and attend 11 o’clock service, you know, when

he is preaching . . .I think the main pastor in this area, they perform.

They helped me [anticipate] a level where I feel I can with a conﬁdence

preach the Word of God within our doctrine as it is explained to me.

In summary, all of these educational activities—a church training progam,
adaptation of secular training for application to church situations, and learning on one’s

own—combined in each man’s life into a unique pattern that helped him prepare to

become a deacon. Thus when the ofﬁce of deacon became available, these men felt that

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they were, at least at some minimal level, ready to step up and take on the
responsibilities of the ofﬁce of deacon.

Dicprps’ Preferred Educat_ic_n_r_2_rl Experiences

Before Installation

Research Question 1b. What are deacons’ perceptions of the educational

experiences they would have preferred to have before installation?

All of the deacons expressed a preference for some kind of formal, highly
structured education to prepare for being a deacon. Three deacons wished they had
taken advantage of the opportunity to attend a seminary to earn a Master of Divinity
degee. One deacon would have liked to study the Biblical languages—a required
element in a Master of Divinity degee. Five deacons desired specialized education in
certain aspects of ministry: two in practical aspects of ministry, one in intentional
interim ministry, one in youth and interpersonal relations, and one in individualized
ongoing education.

The two content sections of basic education that the deacons’ would have
preferred to experience before becoming deacons are geater knowledge of the craft and
development of the skills of the craft. Knowledge of the craft includes opportunities to
learn through textbooks, in-class teachings, and teacher-led study of the basic skills
having to do with fulﬁlling the responsibilities of ministry, such as gaining a basic
understanding of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Development of the skills
of the craft meant practice in applying these skills in real life situations. Basic education
would provide the meaning of these skills, and application opportunities would help

those guiding students to recogrize their students’ strengths and weaknesses. Teachers

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could then strengthen their skills with speciﬁc instruction. Later, with this knowledge,
students could either specialize in what they knew to be their strengths, or study to
overcome areas of weakness as they moved along toward their ministry.

Clear prepmtion in the knowledgeof the craft. The deacons’ preferred a
progam to communicate a basic knowledge of the craft of ministry for predeacons.
They desired a progam that would include all the components of ministry a deacon
would need to know. If the church were to provide prospective deacons with this kind
of progam, this expanded teaching would meet the concern for a progam and be a
coordinated and planned pro garn.

Several deacons expressed the need for an education in the skills of the craft of
ministry. For example, Khurram said:

I think . . .the ﬁrst choice if he had time [would be that] he can go to the

seminary, and if not, I would like to see this training at churches, making

hubs in different cities, where people can drive 40-50 miles . . . and

professors, associate professors, pastors can . . . [give] one year, two

year, three year training there.

Farrukh, who received his training ﬁrst in Saudia Arabia under the direction of a
pastor in a small goup, felt the need for education before a man became a deacon. He
stated, “There should be a full progam for a deacon which would directly impact . . .
that he would be able to serve and administer word and sacraments.” Khurram
indicated that all of his backgound led him to the point where he could say:

I was prepared to get into the deacon progam . . . I was also prepared to
get into a stronger progam . . . but in six years, all the training is coming
from the ﬁeld, from the pastors, from the churches . . .I was ready to get
into a deacon’s progam.

The deacons seemed to want a coordinated progam. For example, Ron warned,

“the seminaries are going to continue to sniping at it [the deacon program] because

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there are some districts that are not going to have an educational level that’s going to be
acceptable to them.” He wanted to take this issue to the Council of Presidents (made up
of the Synodical President, the Vice-presidents, and the District Presidents of the
LCMS) and try to bring some cohesiveness to the church. He would like to see a
coordinated synodical progam rather than having the situation that each District
President goes his own way in role deﬁnition and educational requirements.

The deacons also had ideas about the curriculum. Gary in a general way
described the educational process he envisoned, commenting that it could be:

[a] combination of some base courses, doctrine, Scripture, those kinds of

things, before a person became a deacon. Secondly then, a mentoring

process as they became a deacon. Third, that there would be ongoing

education, so that [the man] could be strengthened as a deacon.

Therefore the deacons had strong convictions about the need for a formal educational
progam and expressed some thoughts about them in general. They also had some
speciﬁc ideas about the progarn’s content.

A plan for the program. The plan for the pre-deacon education progam,
according to the deacons, would contain prerequisites, be highly structured, have
student ﬂexibility, follow a process, be affordable and build faith life. Two educational
prerequisites—skills in the English language and computer—would be required before
a man could enter a predeacon training progam, especially if a man came from an
ethnic backgound. For example, Farrukh indicated, “For ethnic ministries, it’s really
important for [ethnic people] to . . . understand English well.” If a man was weak in

computer skills, like Jack was, he should learn those skills before beginning to take

predeacon classes.

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Some of the deacons indicated that any predeacon progam should be highly
structured. Leaming the skills of the craft of ministry in a highly structured formal
education progam is very important. This kind of progam provides the basics in
knowledge so important for conducting ministry. Other courses can provide practical
skills to help the learner gain the conﬁdence and ability to handle a variety of
situations. If the man in the predeacon progam already has certain skills, he can
demonstrate these skills and be able to test out of those courses. Otherwise, the next
step is gaining practical experience.

For example, Ron laid out the following suggestions for a highly structured plan
of education:

If I could wave my magic wand, I’d get MLMI resurrected by this past

September. Because we’ve got to be feeding people into the progam if

we expect anybody to be available at the end of the progam . . .[It]

doesn’t have to be completed before entering the diaconate. I think a lot

of it can be done after you’re in. We do that with our pastors . . .

mentoring . . . training of supervising pastors . . . continuing education.

Art also desired a highly structured progam of education. He indicated:

Similar to MLMI, starting with Old and New Testament, theology

classes, or history classes . . . and the basics of how to lead a worship

[service], how to go about Hermaneutics [Biblical interpretation] and

Homiletics [preaching] . . . the basic essence of understanding Law and

Gospel . . . [an] internship on how to lead a worship.

Khurram, coming from an ethnic ministry point of view, added that a man in
training should “know Church history, learn Old Testament and New Testament and its
application, learn our doctrine . . . and [be under the] supervision of a pastor.”

Jack’s wife, Joann, sat in on his interview. She shared an insight:

They need to have the doctrinal classes and the Scriptural classes. And
then they need the practical experience classes. We [she sat in on all of

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Jack’s MLMI classes] had “Equipping Disciples for Ministry” and we
had “Church Growth”.

Jack added, “Facilitating Group Work.” Joann continued, “All those things were
helpful as we do them.” Jason supported the concept of a highly structured education
for deacons, where they would receive some basics, such as “theology, leadership,
personal spiritual life, certain skill building [courses].”

The deacons raised other issues including affordability, student input, and faith
building. For example, Gary was concerned that it be an affordable opportunity. He
also desired that any education be close to home, rather than “in other parts of the
synod and the United States.” Ed and Ken wanted student input. They supported a
highly structured progam with courses that not only included Old and New Testament
studies, but also segments that taught “church growth, and spiritual gifts, and
psychology, and a couple others.” However, they felt that the church should not simply
require all these courses. Rather, Ed preferred that an ordained pastor “would interview
a person ﬁrst to see what he needs and then suggest, ‘Maybe you should do this and this
and this, so that you can become a deacon’. First he has to have it inside his heart.” Ken
supported this position, saying, “Make it individual.” Ken was concerned about the
deacon’s faith life. In personal reﬂection, he commented, “I think my education has
been through the Lord . . . I need to drive the vehicle He’s given me to the highest point
that I can take it, and rest in peace.” Ken wanted to serve the Lord to the best of his
ability.

To summarize, the deacons interviewed were consistent in calling for a
predeacon pro gam of study that would have prerequisites, was highly structured

including speciﬁc topics pertaining to a deacon’s work, involve student input, was

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affordable, and built faith life. These ideas provide a solid framework to begin planning
a predeacon education. The deacons spoke ﬁom experience in the role and reﬂecting on
training elements that should be in an educational progam. This kind of progam
would give the deacons the skills of the craft they need to enter into deacon ministry.

Development of the sﬂs of the craft. The deacons also suggested that, as
students process through the highly structured predeacon education, they should be
involved in serving churches. They suggested ﬁeldwork, apprenticeships, work with
supervising pastors, experience with specialized teachers, and a course on leadership.

Fieldwork would involve opportunities for deacons to work in their home
churches in a variety of tasks. For example, if they were studying preaching, they
would give sermons. If they were studying New Testament, they would teach a Bible
class on the material they learned in their predeacon class. If they were investigating
how to make hospital calls, they would go with their pastor and make hospital calls.
Development of the skills of the craft requires going out and doing them, not just
learning about them in a classroom setting.

For example, Farrukh learned much from his pastor, who kept giving him more
and more responsibilities as he gew in ministry skills. He recalled:

I was monitored and I was mentored by a pastor. . . I was given the role

of preaching in the church at St. Mark Lutheran Church, and I was also

helping the pastor as far as the altar work is concerned, helping him in

commumon.
So ﬁeldwork, the opportunity to work with a pastor in variety of tasks, would prove to
be helpful for those learning to be deacons.

Apprenticeship (internship) involved an extended time of learning about one

subject. This situation is similar to rotations in other professions, where the student

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studies a subject under the guidance of a skilled professional for a length of time and
then moves on to the next subject under the guidance of a different professional.
For example, Dennis thought that deacon education should have a strong
progam of apprenticeship. His concern rested upon his conviction that:

a person . . . has to have a proven track record in ministry as a lay
minister or as a church staff member before they are viewed as being
eligible to serve as a deacon . . . a person has to prove themselves before
they are given the reins to take over.

Farrukh also recommended training in an apprenticeship:

Where there is counseling involved, there’s a problem in a family
situation, or a child abuse situation, or some kind of problem, and we
have to go back to the Scriptures. . .and there are some challenges in
which people come out and talk to you . . . we need further guidance
with more depth into the Scriptural word.

Art spoke about apprenticeships in the relationship of role and education. He
was privileged to have two six—month apprenticeships while training in MLMI. One
apprenticeship taught worship and the other apprenticeship focused on church planting.
Art noted how apprenticeship opportunities would affect a deacon’s understanding of
worship:

[We learned] how to pick out liturgical music, and we used TLH (The
Lutheran Hymnal of 1941) except on special occasions . . .and he had
developed little orders of worship for that, but otherwise it was the TLH.
And I was allowed to lead the page 5 [of TLH] services numerous times.
And it was so important, that six-month internship.

Art also beneﬁted geatly ﬁom his apprenticeship in church planting:

And the church planting, when I picked that church specialty, and we
were under Jim for six month[s] . . . planting the Leslie church . . . . our
internship before gaduation, and then at that point he said, “Well, do
you want to continue?” What we’d done [was] the goundwork and all
the demogaphics and all the evangelism calls and had everything ready
to go, and just felt . . . conﬁdent after being through those two
internships that I could lead the worship, but at that time we would have

104

pastors. I would just be the liturgist and the pastor would do the sermons

when we ﬁrst opened the church . . . that was so beneﬁcial, that “hands-

on.”

Apprenticeships gave men the opportunity to receive “hands-on” experiences
while under the watchful eye of their mentors. They could watch, learn, try, make
mistakes, correct them, and gain skills in working with people that would help them
when they would become deacons.

Working with a supervising pastor is important for a predeacon. The
supervising pastor is often the pastor of how own church, while covering a pastoral
vacancy in a neighboring church. A predeacon assists the pastor, being an extension of
him to that vacant church. The supervising pastor need to build a relationship with the
predeacon so that, when the deacon begins his ministry, the supervising pastor is
conﬁdent that the deacon is properly prepared.

For example, Dennis described his mentoring supervising pastor during his
apprenticeship in MLMI. He commented:

My supervising pastor through my internship was one of my biggest

mentors that I’ve had . . .[He was a] wonderful man, for just helping me

to get that extra push that you need to get into ministry when you are

going. He’s been supportive of me all the way through my ministry then,

and stood behind everything that I’ve done right from the beginning.

He’s been a real gift to me.

Farrukh explained that when he desired tutoring:

[I] started my training with Dr Earnest Ham, and I started classes for

learning Greek with an individual who was doing her own doctorate in

Greek, and I was also taking classes for Lutheran Confessions with

Pastor Fitz . . . that was enough to equip me to reach Muslims, the target

religion I am working on. And Dr. Ernest Ham, and Dr. Roland Miller, I

had close contacts with them, and I studied Islam under the supervision

of Dr. Harn. We were ﬁve students for 2 1/2 years, three times a week we
met for three hours.

105

The relationship between the predeacon and the supervising pastor permits the
supervising pastor to train the predeacon in the speciﬁc skills that he needs to do his
ministry. When the supervising pastor thinks that the student is qualiﬁed for taking on
more ministry responsibilities, the predeacon is given more responsibility while
beginning study of new aspects of ministry.

Experience with teachers who are qualiﬁed in specialties would help the student
learn certain skills that he might not received through a standardized progam. For
example, Jason was searching for special teachers who would teach certain subjects that
others could not teach. He wanted a relationship in which the teacher would give the
student individualized instruction on that special subject. For example, Jason said that
he felt he missed something by not having more time with pastors. He desired ﬁ'om the
pastors, “to learn more from [the pastors], to listen to them, to understand how they
think and how they deal with the day to day situations with the congegation [on
speciﬁc subjects].”

When considering the topic of teamwork, Jason spoke with ﬁ'ustration about his
fellow team members that “they don’t have a self-identiﬁed role, they aren’t clear what
their gifts are, how they can contribute, and everybody’s trying to make decisions when
they should not be.” He wished he had training so that he could show the team how to
work together. A course in leadership would teach skills that, in combination with
experience, would give the student conﬁdence that he can lead and people will follow.
For example, Jason had gaduated from the Concordia University System progam as a
Director of Christian Education. He felt his formal education lacked training in

leadership. He commented that, “leadership, you’re not going to get it in college

106

anyway. So you get that on your own, anyway.” This attitude expressed resignation that
leadership could not be taught to him, when in fact leadership is a topic that can be the
topic of a course and taught.

As the men gained ministry skills before they became deacons, they build
conﬁdence and experience success. Their supervising pastors encourage them to strive
toward ﬁnding ways to do more ministry activities with people. They gow stronger
through ﬁeldwork, apprenticeships, working with supervising pastors, experience with
specialized teachers, and a course in leadership.

In summary, both of these areas—learning the skills of the craft and developing
the skills of the craft—are important considerations in any formal education progam
for men desiring to become deacons. Both the learning of and development in the skills
of the craft permit a man to become a conﬁdent deacon that he has the skills in hand to
carry out his duties. Much more learning would occur later, but the deacons who were
interviewed wanted to make sure that men would be better prepared with the skills
required by the ofﬁce than they were prepared.

Qpapons’ Perceptions of Their Education

After Installation
Research Question 2: How do deacons perceive the way they have been
educated after their installation?

The deacons’ perceptions of their education after installation are the focus of
research question 2. The ﬁrst subquestion pertained to the deacons’ perceptions of their
education while in ministry. The second subquestion concerned what they would prefer

to study and learn in future educational opportunities.

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Research Question 2a. How do deacons perceive the way they have been

Meducated after their installation?

Once the deacons were installed into their ofﬁce, they continued to desire
education to develop their skills in ministry. Since no formal progam of continuing
education was available for them, they looked for and found resources on their own. As
Art commented, “I’ve learned mostly by experience. Just bring it on. Because being the
ﬁrst, there wasn’t really a role model out there.”

The deacons realized they needed to learn about a variety of topics. Seven
deacons were resolving practical ministry issues, two were focusing on preaching, one
was learning how to study better, and one was learning more theology. How the
deacons learned after installation came through a variety of people and structures. The
people who helped deacons learn included mentors, local pastors, supervising pastors,
fellow staff members, congegational members, and mission executives. The structures
the deacons used for education included courses and seminars, and on-the-job training.

Mpppgs. The use of mentors was important to the deacons. Mentors were
' people with special skills who taught these skills. For example, Gary commented that
he “didn’t use the institutions that were provided,” that is, the formal schools of the
LCMS. Rather, he continued, “I used private mentors, people that I trusted and knew
were really willing to help.” These people, when approached, were very willing to help
the deacons learn the skill and show them speciﬁc techniques of the skills, helping them

through repetition to gain competence in the use of the skills.

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Ken intentionally sought out people with certain skills. He answered the
question, “Who or what helped you in your learning as you developed as a deacon?”
with the response:

I believe I’m the biggest thief in the whole world. I just take ﬁom

anybody . . . what I see that God wants me to be. You know, if I see an

example of someone witnessing, and I want to know how to do that. If

somebody knows how to use Scripture in some way, I want to do that . .

. I’m a locker and a taker.

Gary described his relationship with mentoring pastors this way:

The system supplied mentors. And I took advantage of it. Course we had

to. I mean, it was under the authority of a supervising pastor and stuff . .

. If there were issues regarding, oh, maybe say, hands on stuff, I didn’t

know what to do, I always sought the advice of the circuit counselor. We

have a very tight circuit. And I’ve always sought the circuit counselor’s

advice. I also took advantage at the Winkels to seek advice . . . I didn’t

know of any other place to go.

Sometimes the mentors were their fellow deacons. For example, Joann, Jack’s
wife, commented, “One of the things that was helpful at the retreat that wasn’t on the
schedule was what Ron did, on the ﬁnancial [concerning] tax.” Jack continued the
thought, “When you’re coming into church work, you don’t know what any of that is,
and there aren’t very many tax people that apparently know what that is either.” He
concluded with this thought about application of what he learned, “What we learned
there is going to serve, save our congegation money and save us money too.” Dennis
discovered that he could learn a geat deal about ministry from observing and talking
with the deacon working in the nearest church. Art had many more years of experience
in ministry than Dennis did. He reﬂected:

Working next door to Art and seeing his ministry, seeing how God had

used that man, I’ve, I’m just amazed. Every place he has gone . . . we

often sat down and talked about how God plans our future years before
we get there.

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Knowing what skill the deacon desired to learn and ﬁnding the mentor to teach
that skill resulted in the deacon not only learning a skill so that it could be applied in his
ministry, but also building some strong friendships.

Local Pastors. Sometimes the deacons looked to local pastors not so much for
special skills as much as for insight into issues of ministry. For example, Ralph, Art,
Jack, and Ed felt that the pastors in their local circuit gatherings, called Winkels
(German for “comer,” a situation where pastors and deacons monthly gather for
discussions on topics relevant to them), helped them gain insights. Ed simply stated, “I
think in a kind of a way, Winkel. That’s our Bible study, that, all that, helps, you know,
studying God’s Word . . .They give me insights into what I can say to people.” Jason
enjoyed Winkels, but only when they dealt with issues of ministry. Art seconded this
position, for the Winkels were only meaningful if they would help him “so that I can
serve people better.” Ed learned about his role as a deacon from pastors in the circuit.
When someone from a sister church in a retirement home asked him to give
communion, he called the pastor and was told, “If she wants communion, give it to her.
You don’t have to call me anymore.” So Ed learned that he could commune LCMS
shut-ins with their pastors’ permission. Local pastors would speak on issues, and the
deacons would listen and learn. Their experiences in ministry and application of
Biblical concepts resulted in providing the deacons with insights as to how to conduct
ministry under a variety of conditions.

Supervisingpastors. Other deacons acknowledged their supervising pastors’
help in learning ministry skills. Khurram, for example, loved the Scripture. After a

foundation in Old Testament and New Testament in the PLSP progam, he wanted

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more. He appreciated his supervising pastor, who “let me lead order [of service], and
who used to train me in applications of Law and Gospel.”

Jason encouraged, “a lot of. . . helping gow into it as responsibilities came
along, and then some kind of ongoing strengthening of leadership and theology and
those different kind of things.” As he reﬂected on his education, he realized that there
were areas where he experienced lacked skills. His supervising pastor helped him
receive the training he needed. As he considered the supervising pastors as in general,
he thought of them as coaches, reﬂecting:

I see people . . . so scattered, that it puts a higher emphasis on the
coaching than it can on any other subject being taught, because that’s
where the rubber hits the road . . .a lot of times the coach can be the one
to say, “Hey, you need to study this area, or read this book, or something
in those kind of areas,” and all of a sudden that ﬁlls the gap . . .and then
there just needs to be some way of documenting, “This has been
accomplished” . . . that coach should be documenting something. This
should be leading toward something. So there’s an accounting. So if
someone asks, “How do I know this person’s qualiﬁed?” There may not
be a course transcript, but I have a coaching transcript . . . now you have
a gowth plan.

Dennis viewed his supervising pastor as “much more than a supervisor, he had
become a personal ﬁiend.” He thought that “the advice he gave and the way, the
professional way that he organized the work that he had me do as a deacon of that
congegation was very valuable to me.”

Art spent time studying with his supervising pastor. He recalled:

[The] pastor in the UP [Upper Penninsula of Michigan] got together with

me once a week and we went over Walther’[s] Law and Gospel, and he

says that a pastor every two or three years should do that on his own.

But when you have a brother to share with, and so we did that, and

discussed that. And we went over my Greek for the deacon qualiﬁcation,

and the classes I was required to take there, the Hermaneutics [Biblical
interpretation] and the Homiletics [preaching], were so beneﬁcial.

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Art also followed the leadership of his supervising pastor. He stated, “I always checked
with my supervising pastor and others to make sure that I was doing things properly and
not out of order.”

Ron appreciated the fact that his supervising pastor in a previous congegation,
“kept his ﬁnger on the pulse of the congegation. He would call on members from time
to time.” Since this pastor knew the people because he covered the vacancy before Ron
arrived, he could “pick up the phone and call people initially to get the satisfaction that
things were ok.” Ron and the supervising pastor would meet for lunch once a month
and Ron was responsible to bring him up to date.

Fellow Staff members. Fellow staff members helped deacons as they served in
larger congegations. These staff members helped the deacon see his place in the
overall picture of ministry. For example, Jason mentioned the “whole leadership staff
has been very good about that, you know, just kind of positive and encouraging.” The
staff would help the deacon as he functioned in his role working with them.

Congegations. Some deacons found that their congegations helped them. For
example, Jason’s congegation recognized his abilities, saying, “You’ve got a gift for
this. We’re so glad you’re here . . .” When an individual in his Foundations of Faith
class who had been away from the church for seventeen years heard his sermon and
responded, “You spoke to me. You hit me right in the head,” Jason responded, “That’s
why I’m here!” To Jason, that was a “Yeah, God!” experience. Congegational
members let deacons know the importance of their work and encouraged them to

continue their ministry among them.

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Mission executives. Each district had one executive assigned to facilitate and
build missions. Since many of the missionaries are new to the ﬁeld, the mission
executive visited his deacon missionaries and gave them guidance and encouragement.
For example, as the congegation Ron served went into a building progam while still
under subsidy, the executive was helpful in guiding Ron through the steps he needed to
take. Ron declared, “We reassured him as best we could [that all was well] and ﬁnally
he relaxed.” The church places mission executives to help and encourage those who
serve as missionaries.

Courses and Seminars. Sometimes people were not available help and guide
deacons. Then the deacons had to search for courses and seminars to help them learn.
For example, Ralph wanted to learn more about interpersonal relationships. His
perception of the importance of interpersonal relationships was expressed this way, “If
you’re not a person-oriented person that cares about their people in their congegation,
you might as well forget it.” He searched for courses about this topic.

Other deacons commented on their searches for courses and seminars. Gary
looked forward to seminars that would be available through the synod and district. Art
also enjoyed these kinds of study opportunities, especially off campus summer
seminary courses. F arrukh looked for opportunities to help him learn how to serve more
effectively as a missionary. He took advantage of whatever educational opportunity that
was nearby, “[30] that education has to be in a way, either the education reaches the
missionary where he is, in the mission ﬁeld . . . if the logistics are not possible, it
becomes a burden for the deacon in the ﬁeld.” Dennis wanted to reﬁne and gow in his

counseling skills, so he looked for any opportunities to learn more about counseling.

ll3

Ken also wanted an ongoing education that was relevant to people. He chose to become
involved with the Department of Education in Positive Behavior Support. In this goup
he was receiving training and looked forward to receiving more training.

Many deacons went to pastors’ conferences, extension seminary courses, and
other skill building courses. As Art noted, the courses he took while working as a
deacon were helpful in demonstrating to the LCMS collequy committee that he was
ready to become a pastor. The search for help went in many directions. Art mentioned
that while he could not conduct marriages, he still was responsible to do the premarital
counseling. He said, “I’ve gone through Prepare/Enrich [a relationship analysis
progam], the maniage counseling class, so that I could do that on my own.”

Ron, while not considering himself a “touchy-feely” type of person,
intentionally had sought out training in courses that would help him work on
developing his “compassionate” side. He wanted to learn more interpersonal skills that
would help him with situations such as helping people who suffered from a death in
their family or hospital calling. He looked forward to opportunities when he could use
his skills ﬁ'om the Intentional Interim ministry progam. He took CPE (Clinical Pastoral
Education—a course of study, usually conducted in a hospital, in which students learn
interpersonal skills as they interact with staff and patients). He combined this training
with experience. He remembered:

I volunteered as an on-call volunteer chaplain for St. Joe’s West. Went

on duty at 4:30 every Friday night until 8:30 the next Saturday morning.

Just to keep those abilities alive during that time, because I was afraid I

was going to lose them.

However, it wasn’t until he moved into his present position that he could practice these

skills in his work.

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Therefore, the deacons spent time taking courses and seminars to learn the ﬁner
points of the craft of ministry after they entered the deacon ministry. They found these
courses and seminars, took them, and gleaned from them what was valuable for their
ministry.

On-the—iob trainirg. As the deacons gained experience in their ministries, they
encountered situations that they had not anticipated. At times, neither people nor
courses were available to help them. The deacons had to learn through on-the-job
training. Sometimes they were successful in their efforts, and other times they failed
miserably. They learned ﬁom their successes and failures. The deacons knew that they
needed to know how to respond to these situations. For example, Ron described this
search for help to be more equipped for certain experiences, indicating that, “the
experiences I think are the ones that teach, if you are open enough to yourself. You
look for blunders that you’ve made and you try not to make them again.”

Jason was learning about leadership because it was a necessary part of his
ministry. As he moved into the role of leadership, he began learning how to function in
it. He recalled:

The scary [truth in] leadership is not knowing. It’s leading, it’s actually

doing it, its navigating through it. And it’s easy to me to go up to

somebody else’s church and I can navigate well, because you pull back,

and you are not close to it. It’s harder to be in it and navigate. And even

when I come in and do workshops which are consultations to navigate

people, you know, we can make some steps, but it’s the follow up that

makes it keep going. How does God teach me, and how do I teach

others? How do I pass it along, what God’s doing? This is not our voice

box, but God’s, and how do we share that with the whole congegation?

So it’s kinda like, you’re [God is] the head of this thing, what do you

want to do, and we’ll just trust you and do the good you show us right
now.

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Dennis needed to learn more about how to be an administrator as he functioned
in his pastoral role in his congegation. He commented about his struggle:

So I guess in the full role of ministry you’re talking about, it’s not just
Word and Sacrament ministry, but also the role of CEO . . . The
administrative role that the pastoral position requires. One of the things
he (a supervising pastor) told me that has always stuck with me . . . that,
“If you really want God to work in your ministry, the number one thing
that you have to do is get out of the way.”

Farrukh was experiencing situations where people were coming to him with their
problems. Because he worked with ethnic pe0ple and knew the language of their heart,
as he called their ﬁrst language, he found himself having to quickly learn about the
following topics:

[They were] caring and sharing ministry, counseling, and then, looking

at people’s problems, and youth problems, and guiding youth in

various aspects. Parental and youth problems, battered families, so many

various aspects of the ministry where a deacon can possibly reach with

his language. He could better communicate because he knows the

language of the heart and can explain [them]. Especially when in

women’s role, when you’re working among the ethnic people, most of

the time they are less educated or totally uneducated.

Ken, as he was working in with prisoners, found he needed to learn how to
apply the meaning of God’s word to the lives of prisoners. He commented:

It’s the word and the heart and the faith. And, I’m constantly learning

how to help [as] the Lord help[s] people with that seed, that He’s

planted, gow. And help people ﬁnd that peace that passes all

understanding. And in the process He’s helped me ﬁnd that

[application].

The deacons were deeply involved with on-the-job learning. The combination of
situations of ministry and their desire to serve well resulted in their learning while on

the job. Each deacon was learning in different areas based upon the experiences and

needs he encountered. They did not plan for these situations, but as they occurred, they

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knew that they needed to respond to them, and as they responded, they learned skills
that they could use in future situations.

In summary, when the deacons experienced areas of ministry for which they
were ill equipped, they would search for help to give them the skills they needed to be
able to ﬁrnction competently. The deacons learned through people who could teach
them, including mentors, local pastors, supervising pastors, fellow staff members,
congegational members, and mission executives. If they could not ﬁnd people to help
them, they would turn to courses and seminars, or on-the—job training.

M9 Preferred EducMal Experiences
After Installation

Research Question 2b. What are deacons’ perceptions of the educational

experiences they would prafe_r to have after installation?

The deacons were not comfortable with their skills in every area of ministry.
Rather, as they evaluated themselves, they realized that they had much more to learn
and they kept discovering new areas of ministry in which they were not skilled.
Therefore the deacons recogrized that they would be searching for ways to gain these
skills through trial-and-error experience, unless they took advantage of learning skills
taught in secular and church organized education, or through personal development.
They would have preferred that, instead of searching for ways to gain these skills, they
might have some resources to offer them the help they needed.

Secular Skills. The world outside the church had much to offer in teaching and
training. Some of the skills of ministry could be taught in community colleges,

universities, and many other ways as Kett (1994) had pointed out. For example—and as

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was mentioned before—two of the deacons were concerned about skills that they knew
were offered in secular education. Speciﬁcally, Jack recogrized that he did not have the
training in keyboard and word processing computer skills. These skills were taught in
the local community college and he needed the motivation to go and study. Farrukh,
while having good English skills, was concerned that ethnic people had strong English
skills. English is the language of the United States, and this is where ethnic deacons
would do ministry. Strong communication skills with the ethnic people were not as
much of a concern communication with the rest of the people of the country, and the
opportunity to do wider ministry.

These deacons indicated that all deacons seemed to need to have basic
communication skills. A high school diploma or the equivalent seemed reasonable as a
minimum standard before men became deacons. Otherwise the lack of communication
skills would interfere with the message they wanted to communicate. Therefore these
deacons preferred candidates for deacon ministry who already have this diploma or
English languages skills accomplished.

Relig'ous Skills. As the deacons worked in their ministries, they knew that they
needed to develop the skills they had as well as learn more skills for ministry. Several
of the deacons desired to learn skills that could be taught in seminars. In this forum of
intensive study over several days under the guidance of an instructor, a deacon could
learn a skill that would be useful in his ministry. For example, Dennis wanted to learn
more skills in youth conﬁrmation instruction. He also looked for ways to be more
effective in preaching ability. Gary wished to understand the political system of the

church, because although he saw that deacons understood their position in the church,

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he was frustrated with a class distinction he felt as a deacon. Art desired to learn about
how to offer Biblical counseling in a variety of situations, such as in an emergency.
Jason wanted to gain skills in being a relational leader. He also wanted to learn ways in
which he could use the original Biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek, and apply terms
to speciﬁc situations, such as the variety of Greek words that refer to aspects of divorce.
All of these kinds of areas of skill building could be taught through seminars focused
just on one topic at a time. Therefore they wished that development of religious skills
could be taught under the auspices of church educators.

Personal Development. The deacons realized that some of their educational
needs would be met only through personal development. This development of areas of
life such as faith, coping with suffering, applying theology to one’s own life, or seeking
mentoring would come through a variety of ways, including trial-and-error and church
support. Three deacons expressed wanted to gain personal development. For example,
Ken wanted to “let the Holy Spirit teach me faith, and teach me perseverance, and teach
me how to help people ﬁnd that peace that passes all understanding.” Gary wanted to
learn how to cope with suffering better because he didn’t like the feeling of distress he
experienced as a deacon. Jason desired to be better at applying theology to his own
personal faith life. Ron wanted to pursue an interim practical experience under the
guidance of a mentor, so that by helping a church though a vacancy he would be
certiﬁed to do this work.

In summary, many of the deacons desired to continue their educational
experiences once they were in the deacon ministry. They recogrized that they needed

basic secular skills and if they did not have them, they needed to learn them even

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though they were already in deacon ministry. The deacons also realized that, as they
experienced situations of ministry, they needed to continue to learn religious skills.
When they were unable to ﬁnd the learning opportunities they needed, they learned
through trial-and-error how to conduct ministry. They did not stop learning, instead,
they took advantage of the help in building skills where ever they could ﬁnd it, even if
this meant simple trial-and-error experience.
Deacons Perceptions of Their Work Roles

Research Question 3: What are the deacons’ perceptions of their work roles?

Having reviewed the deacons’ perceptions and preferences for their education
both before and after installation, research question #3 examines the deacons’
perceptions of their work roles. Work roles are deﬁned as what people do in their work.
The deacons perceive their work roles take three forms: pastoral ministry, fulﬁlling a
broadened deﬁnition of charity, and worship.

Pastoral Ministry. Pastoral ministry takes many forms, but its essence is the
linking of people with God through interpersonal relationships. Historically, the ways
these linkages are made are through what, in his Small Catechism (1526/ 1986), Luther
indicated—that is, pastors are to teach, preach, administer the sacraments (baptism and
Holy Communion), and express the forgiving and retaining of sins (counseling). If this
were the totality of the work, the ministry would be simple. However, from the time of
the Scriptures onward, people in the church have interpreted the Ofﬁce of the Public
Ministry, and therefore what deacons do, in a variety of ways. As Dennis, Gary, and

four other deacons stated, “We do everything a pastor does, except marriages.”

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All the deacons were involved in preaching regularly except Ken. Preaching is
the process of explaining the word of God in a relevant way to those who are
worshipping. Some may not preach regularly, especially in churches with pastors, while
others who have a supervising pastor in a neighboring congegation may preach
weekly.

For example, Dennis made the following comment concerning preaching:

It’s a more modern style of preaching, or “off the cuff” preaching, not

straight doctrine all the time, but [one must] be able to expand on that

more. I’m always practicing trying to do more of that. I’d like to have

more classes or training in approaching that that way.

While most of the deacons did not comment on preaching, they understood that
preparation for preaching took a signiﬁcant portion of each week. The preparation of
the sermon—including research, writing, and learning the basic text—kept them busy
for a number of hours before each delivery. The number of times they delivered
messages also varied geatly. Preaching was an activity that took consumed hours for
preparation and delivery.

Another responsibility deacons carried was to teach people about God. For
example, Jack needed resources to teach the people of his church in Bible classes and
other study areas. So he went to bookstores, asked pastors what they used, and sought
help to ﬁnd the study materials that he needed. He said:

We’re constantly looking at new Biblical courses and devotions that we

can [use]. I teach the adults, conﬁrmation youth class, and also the

conﬁrmation adult class. I [am] always looking for new materials and

new things there, to make it more desirable, to change it a little bit. [I

need to] keep the kids interested and the adults too.

The deacons did not mention teaching often in the interview process. However, they

were active in teaching in a variety of ways. Some of the teaching responsibilities

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included Sunday School, adult Bible classes, youth conﬁrmation classes, and adult
conﬁrmation classes.

The deacons did not talk much about counseling people, yet counseling could be
a large part of the workload of deacons. Deacons, like pastors, ﬁnd people of their
congegation or community coming to them and asking them spiritual questions. People
need spiritual help, and deacons are viewed as representatives of God who know the
Bible and therefore can offer help when it is requested. Counseling can occur often, or
there can be times when many weeks go by without counseling people. Forgiving and
retaining of sins is a way of expressing spiritual counseling. Some people feel so
broken because of the sins they see in their lives that they need to hear that God
forgives their sins. Others are living in their sins and refuse to repent or see that
something is wrong in what they are doing, so the deacons, like pastors, are responsible
to tell them that their sins are not forgiven until they repent and make changes in their
lives. Therefore counseling includes the forgiving and retaining of sins.

The sacraments in the Lutheran church are baptism and Holy Communion (the
Eucharist). These sacraments are usually reserved for pastors to conduct, and indeed, if a
pastor is leading a worship service, he is responsible for baptisms and consecration of the
elements in Holy Communion. However, in situations where a pastor is not available to
conduct these sacraments, the responsibility is delegated to a deacon. For example,
Khurram described his role with the sacraments this way:

I administer sacraments, communion [and] baptisms. I am with the
people when they are happy, when they are rejoicing, also when they are
sad, and the counseling part is also which [what] I do. In a way, I still
[think] there are advantages[and] disadvantages being a deacon. The

advantage is, that anything I see which people are trying to achieve in
the church and want to do which is not approved by our Lutheran

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theology or practices, I say, “Ok, the senior pastor says you cannot do

this.” So there is no question asked. But as a deacon then people come

quite close to you also. Because the ethnic people almost respect [the]

deacon as much as they respect the pastor.

When Khurram is conducting sacramental ministry, a pastor is not available. Even if a
pastor were available and conducted the sacraments, Khurram would still be necessary
to translate the content of the sacramental rites into the people’s language. Since pastors
are not normally available for ethnic worship, Khurram is responsible to administer the
sacraments.

In summary, deacons are very busy in the basic ﬁrnctions of pastoral ministry
except conducting weddings. The deacons’ focal point of this portion of their work role
is that through the ofﬁcial acts of preaching, teaching, administering the sacraments,
and counseling, deacons minister to people. Even with weddings where pastors conduct
them, deacons often do all the premarital counseling and preparation of the wedding
service with the couple, while the pastor takes care of the ofﬁcial end of the service

My. Charity is part of the public ministry and takes many forms, including
building interpersonal relationships, leadership, and visitation. Thus, charity has come
to have a broadened deﬁnition in comparison to the deﬁnition of the early church.
Charity up through the Industrial Revolution was deﬁned as helping the poor, the sick,
those who travel, and the homeless. The deacons gave a more contemporary deﬁnition
of charity. Some of the activities deacons mentioned under the broadened deﬁnition of
charity were not only building interpersonal relationships, leadership, and visitation, but

also activities outside the church including letter writing, planting new churches, and

the traditional role of helping the poor.

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Building interpersonal relationships requires time and effort. This work results
in close friendships and the sharing of faith. However, when the interpersonal
relationships are broken, the deacons emotionally pain. Gary shared, “And I remember
the ﬁrst family we lost, I just cried. I just wept. And over the second one. And the third
one, and so on.” Being close to people in a congegation and then feeling a separation
from them caused the deacons emotional pain. Building interpersonal relationships,
while at times being painful because of separations, still expanded the role of charity.
Conducting charity without personal relationships could easily turn charity into a
business without concern. With interpersonal relationships, the beneﬁts of caring and
making a difference outweigh the possibility of hurt, and instead produce the rewards
of caring, effecting change, and letting people know that they are important.

Leadership is as important aspect of charity. Leaders are needed so that charity
can be accomplished. For example, while Jason preached and conducted worship
services at his church, his main work involved providing leadership through
supervising certain ministry ﬁrnctions of the church. He supervised the church’s
nursery, which had staff and was open six days a week, permitting parents to be
involved in other church events. On Friday nights, “we are serving international
children. We have international ministry here that brings about 300 women here and
men for classes in English to cooking to surviving America.” As a supervisor, he
worked with the Sunday school ministry from infants through high school, and he was
also teaching adult classes, including the, “Foundations of Faith class . . . a form of pre-
Christian discovery class for those who are ignorant of Christianity.” He supervised the

youth program, and he was very concerned about the youth of the church and their

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disconnect with taking their Christianity into life. He felt that they had too much
emphasis on knowing the facts of Jesus, but not taking Jesus into their lives. Other
agencies of the church which he supervised were children’s ministries, VBS (Vacation
Bible School), mid-week studies for high school students at locations near public
school campuses, and small goup ministry.

Visitation was another part of the work of deacons. For example, Jack discussed
his willingness to make hospital calls. He commented:

But the problem sometimes is that most of these hospital visits are down

in Saginaw or Bay City . . . Saginaw’s 60 miles [away]. Bay City’s

about 40. A day or two [in the hospital] and they’re back home.

Sometimes the patient requests a call from the pastor [deacon], and it

still takes three or four days.

Visitation permitted the deacons to draw closer to the people of their church and
community. Most pastors call on their members for a variety of reasons, and the people
enjoy the visit and like the attention. Calling on the ill, the hospitalized, the shut-ins,
and for evangelism purposes keep deacons busy during the week.

In summary, deacons provided charity with a broader deﬁnition because of their
desire to know and work with people rather than just conducting the business of the
church. With a wider deﬁnition of charity—rneaning personal relationships with
people, leadership, and visitation—~these deacons served well. With the historical
deﬁnition of charity, work today is minimal at best. Deacons might help people based
upon the poor walking into the church for food or counseling, but this responsibility
was not a main activity of their ofﬁce. Overall, the condition of seeing charity as

exclusively helping the poor was not a issue for the modern day deacon. Instead, while

serving the poor and needy was important, deacons were committed to helping people

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through interpersonal relationships to lead toward healthy, spiritual lives. This goal
requires a long term, interpersonal relational ministry.

Charity also includes three other kinds of ministry. These kinds of ministry are
communication, planting new churches, and traditional forms of helping the poor. They
deﬁne charity as reaching out beyond the church into the community as ministry.
Communication was important to Ken, Ed, and Jason. Ken’s ministry did not involve
any formal worship; rather, his was a ministry of letter writing and periodic visitation.
He deﬁned his role in this way:

All contact, with every single one of the 300, is by the written word. We

used to travel extensively, so they [would] get postcards every time I

traveled somewhere. They get Christian Inmate News. They get

Christmas and holiday cards. Some write back, some don’t. Some I visit.

I go only by what the Lord tells me to do. Just this week I got a letter

back from a guy I haven’t heard from in three years.

Ed communicated by going to a number of retirement homes to lead worship services.
He enjoyed visiting with seniors before and after the services, and giving communion
to those who are Lutheran and request it. Jason spends time reaching out into the
community as he works to build special worship services that minister to people in
unique and contemporary ways.

Church planting is a special activity in charity. To ﬁnd, gather, bring into a
fellowship, and start a church takes patience, commitment, and hard work. Jason was
the church planter of the deacons, as he worked with a different team on developing the
new church. He explained that the new church’s goals were “to get worship going

there, [but] we still have to [obtain a] sound system, stage, all that jazz, and right now

it’s kind of deﬁning what that style is going to be.” Jason is anticipating hundreds

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coming to this new church with its unique worship style and, from those spectators,
begin forming a congegation.

Traditional forms of charity reach out into the community. Although the poor and
homeless are always a part of ministry, other agencies have relieved the church of
having this work as a primary responsibility. Different social agencies provide help,
such as operating hospitals, providing subsidized housing, ganting food stamps,
providing clothing, and offering legal help to those whom are unable to afford it. The
church continues to have resources available, but with welfare agency involvement, the
church functions more in helping pe0ple ﬁnd their way through the system rather than
being the system. Deacons will have people stop by their church or ofﬁce seeking help
and, when this opportunity occurs, do their best to help them through their dilemmas.
Unlike the church up through the Industrial Revolution, today’s church has taken a
secondary position on traditional charity.

Charity has its aspects of reaching out into the community. The deacons rarely
mentioned their work of charity in the community. They knew it was their
responsibility—and for Ken a large responsibility——but for the majority of deacons,
community charity was not a primary responsibility.

In summary, all six aspects of charity were important in the context of need.
Within the church’s ministry, the work of interpersonal relationship, leadership, and
visitation were important to build caring between the deacons and their people. Outside
the church’s ministry, the work of communication, church planting, and traditional

charity depended on the circumstances of those in the conrrnunity and their needs. All

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aspects of charity were important to the deacons; they were governed by the pe0ple’s
needs.

Wprahjp. Worship is a way of describing all that the church does in a formal
goup relationship with God. In the Lutheran church, worship is the most important
aspect of the church in ministry. It is considered that time of contact between God and
his people as a goup. What happens in worship signiﬁes the health of the spiritual
body. The deacons in this study were almost all involved in leading worship. They led
worship in a variety of venues, but they all knew the importance of worship.

Liturgy in Lutheran worship normally has seven elements in it. The liturgical
parts of the worship service normally found in Lutheran worship are: the Invocation
(the calling upon God), Confession and Absolution (and acknowledging of sin and the
receiving assurance that sins are forgiven), Prayer, Scripture, Creed (a statement of
faith), and Benediction (a blessing at the end of the worship service). This information
is found in Lutheran Worship, (1982). In other church bodies, and in the historic
Christian Church that preceded the formation of the Lutheran Church in the early
1500’s, many other parts of worship were present, as noted in chapter 1.

The role of the deacon in worship has varied geatly through the centuries. Two
guiding principles on how much a deacon would be involved in conducting the liturgy
were the disposition of the bishop and the availability of presbyters (or ordained
pastors/priests). A bishop who was favorably disposed toward deacons would gant
them the privilege of being highly involved. However, if he were not favorably
disposed toward deacons, their involvement would be minimal, and as a result they

usually shifted their energies to some other aspect of the church, such as taking care of

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ﬁnances. The other factor had to do with pastor availability. When pastors were
available, they usually took a stronger leadership role, but when the church experienced
a shortage of presbyters, then deacons stepped in and were more involved. Often this
was not requested, and periodically councils would have to take away from the deacons
certain areas of ministry they were doing but had not been asked to do. For example, if
the church were experiencing a shortage of pastors, deacons consecrating the elements
of Holy Communion would be normal activity. But when the church had enough
pastors, then the deacon would serve in other capacities. Therefore the role of the
deacon was subject to the wishes of the bishop and availability of pastors. The role of
the deacon in worship depended on the circumstances of the time.

Deacons conducted worship in a variety of ways. These worship styles included
traditional, ethnic, contemporary, and special situations.

Traditional worship styles for Michigan district deacons were either from The
Lutheran Hymnal of 1941 and Lutheran Worship of 1982. For example, Ralph
commented:

We have our complaints about the hymns, we’ve got our complaints
about the service, you know, “Well, which order of service do you
want?” I’m the old 5 and 15 [page numbers of orders of worship in The
Lutheran Hymnal of 1941] and I love it. And, you know, I’ll print it out
for them and so forth. And . . . that’s nice, because new people can come
in and follow it along.
Ralph went on to describe a situation where he forgot something while conducting
liturgy. He related:
I’m a good one for going back and going over stuff, especially when it
comes to services. I’ll go back over and go back over. But one day I

forgot, I forgot to take up the offerings. So I says to the congegation,
“Maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something.” And they started

laughing.

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Most Lutheran churches have traditional worship. Traditional worship gives a
sense of stability and order in a chaotic world. Small churches outside urban areas tend
to prefer traditional services, because the people who live in these regions desire a
quiet, orderly, and peaceful life. Traditional worship, when conducted with digiity and
honor, achieves this goal and lead to contented worshipers.

Ethnic worship is different than traditional Lutheran worship, for while the
basic content is the same, the style of worship takes into consideration the culture of the
people who are worshipping. Ethnic worship means relating to God in a goup format
in the “language of the heart”, as Farrukh calls one’s native language. Having worship
in one’s own language under the style and form of the culture permits the worshiper to
experience a sense of comfort not possible when worship is conducted in a foreign
language. For example, Farrukh described his liturgical responsibilities in ethnic
worship in the following way:

As a deacon, we mostly conduct the work what a pastor does, like every

service of ours starts with the Lord’s name. And we worship, we pray,

we have a liturgy . . . every time we have a lesson from the psalm to start

the service with, and then we have, as usual, the opening song, and then

we have the sermon song, and then we have the Nicene Creed, every

time the confession, and then we lead into the service and before the

message is preached, we have both the lessons—the Old Testament, the

New Testament lesson—and we go through all the liturgy, and after the

sermon we do have the same way as we [with] all Lutherans do, as our

closing, the blessings, and the closing song and the Lord’s Prayer . . .

And we go through I Corinthians 11. We read completely. . . the words

that Paul says, to warn and caution the people who are there, or who are

coming to the table, [so]we do a confession before the sacraments, and

then we consecrate the bread and the wine.

Ethnic worship, therefore, touches the hearts of those who are not comfortable

with traditional Lutheran worship. While the same elements that make Lutheran worship

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exist in ethnic worship, the mood of the service relates more to the country and language
of the origin of the people rather than the Germanic backgound of the LCMS.

Contemporary worship has as its goal the communication of the Gospel to those
who desire something different than traditional or ethnic worship. Those who attend
contemporary worship look forward to not only the elements of Lutheran worship, but
also to experience the presence of God in a more emotional way. Therefore they desire
exciting music, different and unique ways of hearing and seeing the presentation of the
Gospel, and worship that is upbeat and meaningful.

However, only Jason was involved in contemporary worship. He commented,
“It needs to be 20/30 [age goup], different from what we’re doing here [at the home
church], ‘cause we don’t get 20/30’3 here.” Jason’s conviction was that this goup of
people would only be interested in church if the liturgy were presented to them in a
progam with upbeat music, use of technology, and minimal liturgy.

Special worship situations occur outside the church building. These times of
worship have a simple style that attempts to reach people from a variety of Christian
backgounds, or no backgound at all, but all of whom desire to worship the Triune
God. The order of worship has all of the elements of Lutheran worship, but in as
simple a format as possible.

Ed viewed his ministry as a responsibility for reaching out to about 100-125
people each month in nursing homes. At the nursing homes, he conducted services on a
very simple level, with the order of worship containing a few well known Gospel
hymns, invocation, confession and absolution, Scripture, a brief message, creed, prayer,

and benediction. Just as important for the residents was the time he spent with them

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before and after the services, visiting and talking with them. He gave Holy Communion
to the Lutherans who desired it.

In summary, worship was a large part of the work of deacons. The people in
congegations with deacons expected their deacons to serve them through leading in the
worship. The type of worship style was based upon the desires of the people and what
communicated best with them. The deacon then, under the guidance of the supervising
pastor, constructed and delivered the worship services to the people.

Summgy

Therefore, the work roles of deacons indicated that they were all busy in
ministry, but not all deacons were doing the same type of ministry. Each deacon took
his work role very seriously and desired to be as effective as possible in each
responsibility. Whatever the work role description, each part of the work role required
time and effort, research and presentation, and care and concern for people. The work
roles of deacons often meant long hours for little pay. But they loved what they were
doing, for they were serving the Lord.

The deacons did not separate the role into parts. Rather, they saw their role as a
mixture of coming close to people in whatever combination of activities would be best
for them and their spiritual life. Their ministries were a mosaic with many pieces
working together to portray a life of relating God to people. While all these parts of
deacons’ work roles were deﬁned, they were not static. Based upon the needs of people,

deacon work roles would shift and change in order to be most effective in meeting these

needs.

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For example, Art worked at keeping his work role fresh. He reviewed his role
with his congegation each year. As they evaluated his ministry, together they looked at
the whole responsibility of a deacon. Art commented:

I will try to understand their point and accept and gow in the areas

where they felt I was not as efﬁcient as a worship leader as they would

like or that I could be. And some of that has been a leadership role,

starting new progarns, and I realize that I am not an innovator as such. I

don’t have these geat visions of starting new progams. My wife does

and others do, and so I depend on my lay ministers [pastoral guidance

committee] and my worship committee and the members of other

boards, and let them have the freedom to do what the constitution allows

that committee to do, and not try to be hands-on in everything. But when

they desire me to take on a role or develop something, I try to go with

that.

In review of the work roles of deacons, they fulﬁlled the church’s understanding
of the work role of a pastor. While not pastors, they accepted and carried through on
responsibilities that were a unique combination of directives from the bishop, guidance
from the supervising pastors, needs of the people, and their own spiritual gifts. These
work roles were fulﬁlled in pastoral ministry, charity, and worship.

The deacons provided pastoral ministry—that is, preaching, teaching,
administering the sacraments, and the forgiving and retaining of sins (counseling)—
except for conducting marriage services. However, the deacons did not give equal time
or emphasis to these responsibilities. Preaching preparation took time and effort for
effective presentation, and was a highlight of the deacons’ regular work. Intimately tied
to preaching was worship responsibility, for preaching and the liturgical parts of
worship interacted thematically. Only Jack mentioned teaching as he looked for

materials, but the deacons’ were all involved in teaching. All the deacons consecrated

133

and distributed communion and conducted baptisms. They counseled when it was
needed.

Charity broadened to include building interpersonal relationships, leadership,
and visitation. Thus, deacon work roles, while remaining essentially in ageement with
what the church had done in the past, broadened out to include much more than what
history indicated.

Worship reached people in a variety of ways, for the connection of worship and
the spiritual heart is very strong. The choice and presentation of worship styles
indicates respect for meeting the spiritual needs of people and helping build their
intimacy with God.

All of these factors—pastoral ministry, charity, and worship—deﬁne the work
roles of deacons. The varieties of ways these factors come together result in each
deacon having a unique job description that, while retaining historic elements, is

contemporary in the way he ministers to the people for whom he is deacon.

The Relation_ship between Deacons’ Education and Their Work Roles
The overarching question of this study can now be addressed: How do deacons

perceive their education, work role, and the relationship between their education
and work role? The deacons’ perceptions of their education and work role were
presented in the preceding sections. In the following pages, the relationship between
deacons’ education and their work role is discussed, from the deacons’ perspectives.
The deacons pointed out that ambiguity involved in both the education of deacons and
their work roles was resolved through recogrizing the interdependence of education

and work roles.

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The deacons’ perceived that ambiguity exists about both the education and work
role of the deacon. For example, on the issue of deacon educational ambiguity, Ron
said:

Well, the ambiguity regarding educational requirements is obvious. We

can’t get our act together to decide how to educate a deacon . . . Our

ambiguity is that we can’t . . . decide what are these educational

requirements.
Ron also explained how the role of deacon is ambiguous:

The ambiguity is that we have not done enough to teach the members

nor the pastors what a deacon is . . . You [are] never going to sell it to

our members until the pastor is sold on what a deacon does . . . There’s

got to be somebody somewhere who is actually [willing to] ﬁrnd the

preparation of a booklet that describes what deacons do.

According to the deacons, work roles and education are interdependent on each
other. They had a sense that those who work as deacons are the ones who should
indicate to educators what needed to be learned before and after installation. The
openness with which the deacons spoke about their lack of deacon education and the
problems they encountered as they were learning indicates their desire to speak to the
issues of education. Ron expressed his joy when a teacher listens to the needs of
students and responds to them.

The person who turned me back on to education was Royal Natzke. Now

Royal was a classmate. He was in my class in high school. And I had to

go back and sit at his feet. But in high school I hated history. Royal

turned me on to history. He just had the ability to do that. And the net

result is that 1 ceased to be afraid of the classwork and the whole

concept. I began to enjoy it. And I enjoyed it to the point that I haven’t

stopped. I’ve given new meaning to lifelong learning.

Ron also discussed how a deacon functions as an educator. The educator is there

in order to facilitate education, not control it. He said:

135

One of [his pastor’s] original instructions were, “Yes, you’re working

with the Boards of Outreach, Stewardship, blah, blah, blah . . . You are

not in charge of [them]. You are to bring them new ideas, you are to help

them through their problems, you are to assist them any way you can,

but it is their board, not yours.

The deacons were not necessarily educators; they were workers in the ﬁeld. They did
their educating of those who were church members, and knew that if the information
they taught was not relevant to their members, the members would not come to class.
When the deacons indicated that they desired education for predeacons and themselves
as deacons, they wanted educators to take this information and put it into planned
educational progarns that would be meaningful. The deacons were motivated to learn
what would make them better deacons. They wanted predeacons to gain the skills
through highly structured learning that they had to learn through trial-and-error
methods. Given the opportunity to voice their opinions, the deacons spoke forcefully
about education. Jack commented, “ . . . Although they’re new issues out now that were
not back then that we could talk about. Such as mercy killing and abortion, and some of
that stuff.” The deacons wanted educational pro garns that were relevant for predeacon
education and ongoing education of deacons.

The reality of the present situation is that men serve as deacons without the
appropriate educational preparation and continuing education. This lack of planned
education, as noted earlier from the deacons’ responses, might be considered inefﬁcient
and ineffective preparation. As Ron pointed out, some educators sometimes prepare and
present course work that is irrelevant to work roles, and the resulting education is

meaningless for the student and frustrating for the educator. Jason commented that

often seminars and other professional gowth conferences are offered to those in the

136

work force without their input, and because these to do not help him in his work, he
does not attend them. While some educators can stimulate learners into studying new
subjects, for deacons the most effective education is when educators teach them what
they want and need to learn to be more effective in their work role

The following two tables show relationships between work roles and education.
Table 2 compares the self-described work roles of the deacons with the education they
actually received before and after installation. The purpose of this table is to permit
evaluation of work roles in relation to the kinds of education the deacons used most
frequently to prepare before and after installation as deacons. The left rows show the
various work roles in which the deacons serve. The columns show the various

educational means the deacons used before and after installation.

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Table 2

The Relationship between Actual Work Role and Education

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinds of Actual education:
KINDS OF ACTUAL EDUCATION
Before Actual After Actual
E
a .‘g” 3 s 1% s
a: '5' g e ‘g 9 g 5 E E
O ._
s '3 9 a ‘L ‘3 ‘6 § 3 E
.. g .‘0 2 or c» or
,5 :r o c n. .5 9 o d] .5 .0
a O C O — a) 2 a O
" O 2 ’- g: C C (I) 3‘
‘5 '5. O -’ 8. (I) 0 Z a E
5 8 a”, 2 8 o
.C
0 <
Pastoral MlnlstrL X X X X X X X X X X
Preach X X
Teach X X X X X X X X
Sacraments X X
Forge Retain Sins X X X
g Charity x x x
8 Build Interpersonal X X X X X
x Relations
I! Leadership X x
g Visitation X X x
Worship X X X X X
Traditional X X X X X
Ethnic X X X
Contemporaq X X X X X
Special Situations X X X X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The table shows that four kinds of education were most dominant in the
education of the deacons. Two of these were on-one’s-own and on-the-job training,
which means that the deacons were learning on their own before installation. The
deacons continued on their own after installation but, because they were working in
their work role, the work role dictated what they needed to learn and when they needed
to learn it. The other two dominant kinds of education that deacons used involved
supervising pastors and congegations. Some personal pastors of the men were

inﬂuential before installation by giving the predeacons opportunities to volunteer to do

138

certain limited aspects of pastoral ministry. In other words, when deacons volunteered,
they were engaging in learning “on their own.” These pastors often became the
supervising pastors after installation and were inﬂuential by giving guidance on how to
accomplish the work roles. The deacons indicated that their congregations were
involved with their deacons’ work roles and how those work roles would affect the
congregational members’ lives. The deacons mentioned the other kinds of education
(church training programs, adapting secular training, mentors, local pastors, staff
members, mission executives, and courses and seminars), but those kinds of education
were not as signiﬁcant as these four mentioned above.

Table 3 compares the same work roles with the deacons’ preference for
education before and after installation. The table cross-references three points: their
roles, the kind of educational experiences the deacons’ want, and the speciﬁc skills they
want. An X indicates a preference. The bold lines-~pastoral ministry, charity, and
worship—indicate categories of work roles, and that the deacons preferred these

categories to be in their education.

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Table 3

Deacons’ Work Roles and Preferred Education

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before Installation After Installation
- a E
O
a ‘6 '>‘< 2 3 g o g; a .2 E as a) 7.;
'5 a 9 (L a g 3 ._ g’ 9 b o) >
.. u. a E m E' ’- 8 ‘1’ a 3 8
9 f ° 3 E g '9 a 2 ﬁ 0 0 g E
a .c.» 3 a a “L 2 8 '6 -‘ 83 g 5
I a u. (,3, 8 l’.’
a) 0
CL
Pastoral Ministry X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Preach X X X X X X X X X X
Teach X X X X X X X X X X
Sacraments X x X X X X X X X X
Forgive, Retain Sins X X X X X X X X X X
33 Charity x x x x x x x x x x
.l
g Interpersonal x x x x x x x x x x x
x Relationships
I! Leadership x x x x x x x x x x x
g \ﬁsitation X X X X X X X X X X X
Worship X X X X X X X X X X
Traditional X X X X X X X X X X
Ethnic X X X X X X X X
Contemporary X X X X X X X X
Special Situations X X X X X X X X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This table indicates ways the deacons want to learn. Before installation, they
prefer a highly structured program that would give a basic education and then, through
other kinds of experiences, develop these skills. Aﬁer installation, the deacons prefer
education to continue through a variety of learning situations, such as ﬁeldwork,
apprenticeships, and working with supervising pastors. As the deacons begin seeking
help for what they want to learn, they wish to choose from experienced specialized
teachers, leaders, and those who teach secular skills. Personal development is a
preferred education mode for every role.

Table 3 is very helpful for understanding the interdependence of education and

work roles for deacons. From this table, some key points concerning deacons’ preferred

140

ways of education are made clear. The three main elements of work roles—pastoral
ministry, charity, and worship—should be addressed through an initial knowledge-
based program as well as practice. Additionally, these areas need ongoing education
once the deacons are in their work roles.

When considering pastoral ministry, the deacons want to serve with strong
skills. Pastoral ministry contains four categories of service: preaching, teaching,
administering the sacraments, and the forgiving and retaining of sins. Preaching is a
skill that requires ongoing education. While secular education may teach public
speaking, preaching is an art form of interpretation and application of Biblical truths.
Thus, mentoring is essential in gaining understanding of appropriate ways to apply the
Bible teachings to life. The deacons indicated that teaching is an important part of the
work of a deacon and requires both a foundation and ongoing education in the ﬁeld.
The sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion are historic. Once presentation is
learned, they do not need ongoing reﬁnement. Rather, the importance of conducting
them in an historic fashion gives them an air of continuity with the past, relevance for
the present, and hope for the future. Finally, the forgiving and retaining of sins can also
be called spiritual, biblical counseling. While counseling is not taught in the pre-deacon
knowledge planned program, counseling is a skill that is available in secular education
and a variety of other kinds of education. The development of counseling takes time
and experience. Counseling is most effectively taught under the guidance of a
supervising pastor or specialty teacher. This training is ongoing throughout the life of

ministry as a deacon.

141

The deacons want to be effective when they are called upon to do charity work.
Helping the poor and needy is the historic deﬁnition of charity. Effectiveness in charity
depends on building interpersonal relationships. Because every human being is
different, the relationship between two or more people will always be uniquely
different. The church is very relational, so the deacons need to learn how to get along
and work with a variety of people. Leadership and visitation skills are also important
The three areas are almost identical in their educational requirements. Interpersonal
relationships, leadership, and visitation are different facets of group work. They require
a basic education, mentoring, practice, and ongoing training and reﬁnement. Because
every human being is different, the relationship between two or more people is going to
be uniquely different. The church is very relational, so the deacons need to learn how to
get along with and work with a variety of people. Thus interpersonal relationship
training, along with leadership and visitation skills, requires basic education,
mentoring, practice, and ongoing training and reﬁnement. When a deacon is faced with
someone who needs charity, he will be effective because he has the basic skills.

The deacons want worship to be a combination of meaning for the faith life of
the worshippers with excellence in liturgy. Meaning in liturgy relates to the
worshippers’ preferred type of liturgy used in a worship service. Therefore, the
worshippers deﬁne the type of liturgy the deacon leads. Excellence in liturgy requires
different skills for each kind of liturgy. For example, traditional liturgy does not need
constant revision, while ethnic, contemporary, and special situations all require constant
work and reﬁnement. While much work goes into preparation of contemporary and

ethnic liturgy to make them effective for each worship service, once the basic principles

142

are in place, the next steps of application of these principles make the writing and
presenting of these services easier. Special situation services follow the same kind of
principles for unique preparation and presentation, but in a much simpler format. The
type of liturgy, when presented using appropriate skills, results in meaning for
worshippers.

In summary, table 3 emphasizes the importance of the interdependent
relationship between deacons’ education and work roles. Historically, the impact of
deacon input on education was minimal at best. If the church’s educational plan
reﬂected on the interdependent relationship between deacons and educators for
preparing and presenting education, the predeacons would receive an education in the
skills they need both through highly structured programs and through opportunities for
practice in the ﬁeld. Additionally, the deacons would be better prepared to meet the
ongoing challenges presented while working in the ﬁeld. Table 3 suggests the need for
planned educational programs. A knowledge-based planned education program,
mentoring and other ways of learning through interaction with those who have
knowledge, and an ongoing education program are essential for the foundation and
development of the skills to fulﬁll the deacon role.

Chapter summm

This chapter covers a number of topics relating to the ﬁndings ﬁ'om this study.
The deacons’ described their preparation before and aﬁer becoming deacons. They also
indicated what they preferred had been their education before and after installation.
Studying the work roles of the deacons has removed ambiguity about their work roles,

leading to an understanding that the work roles of deacons are broader than the historic

143

work roles on which the office is founded. This study has clariﬁed the kinds of
responsibility deacons’ carry and the educational needs they have both before and after
installation. The deacons suggested ways in which the next generation of deacons could
be more appropriately trained for their roles, while those currently serving as deacons

could receive the education they need to be most effective.

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CHAPTER 5
MEANING AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Introduction

 

In this chapter, I discuss my study from four perspectives: a summary of the
ﬁndings, a discussion on what in education is helpful for deacon learning, suggestions
for action, and suggestions for future research. Speciﬁcally, I summarize the ﬁndings
concerning the deacons’ perceptions about actual and preferred education, work roles,
and the relationship of work roles and education. I discuss how roles are becoming very
complex, that education for deacons needs to change, and that the church needs to
develop new curricula, based upon the ideas of four educators and how they shed light
on educating deacons. In the section entitled “suggestions for action”, I detail the
CDQ’s educational plans for predeacons, deacons, and other groups, and offer other

suggestions. Finally, I close this section with my recommendations for future research.

A Summary of Findings

Predgeacon Education. In chapter 4, I discussed the deacons’ responses to the
interview questions in which they shared their perceptions about the relationship
between their education and work roles. Their responses fell into four categories: their
deacon education prior to installation (both actual and preferred), their deacon
education after installation (both actual and preferred), their work roles, and the

relationship of work roles and education.

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The deacons, when asked about the actual situation of not having an organized
predeacon program, expressed a preference for a highly structured planned predeacon
program to teach the basic skills of the craft. To apply that knowledge, they also
expressed a preference for mentoring from pastors and other knowledgeable people, in
combination with a variety of events, to enable those preparing to become deacons to
build the skills of ministry so that they would be ready and conﬁdent when they would
begin their work.

Edﬂtion after Installation. When the deacons’ discussed their actual
education after installation, they expressed their support for on-going mentoring by
supervising pastors and others, learning from teachers in seminars and conferences,
and a willingness to continue their own education through personal development. As a
result, for example, the strength of this program was indicated as some of their
learning experiences were taken into consideration when two deacons applied for and
received ordination as pastors.

Work Roles. The deacons expressed that their work roles, while Biblically and
historically shaped, had been reconﬁgured in response to meeting current cultural
needs for ministry. Deacons throughout history have been sensitive to the needs of the
people and those under whose leadership they served. Today, while maintaining the
historic roles of charity with the poor and needy and helping with liturgy under the
direction of their supervising pastors, deacons also have other roles. Many are doing
the same work as pastors, that is—preaching, teaching, administering the sacraments,
and the forgiving and retaining of sins (counseling)—but not conducting marriages.

Because of modern society’s emphasis on social interaction, the deacons also work

146

hard at building interpersonal relationships, with activities such as visiting the sick and
shut-ins. In worship, they design and lead worship appropriate to the people of their
congregation. Their expanded role means that they need to learn more skills and
continue to sharpen them.

Interdependence of Education and Work Roles. The deacons’ comments

 

indicated that they perceived work roles and education to be interdependent. One
cannot be meaningful without the other. Predeacon and deacon educational programs
should be dependent on what deacons do in their work roles. Since what deacons do is
dependent on their supervising pastors and the needs of the people they serve,
therefore, education should be shaped to teach the basic skills that can be adapted to
meet the speciﬁc needs of the people they serve.

This interdependence requires ongoing dialogue between those who are skilled
in preparing and presenting education (educators) and those who are skilled workers in
the ﬁeld (deacons). Such a dialogue permits each to be sensitive to the concerns of the
other. On the one hand, deﬁning the work role of deacons exclusively from historical
roles dissociates the ofﬁce from the cultural needs of the day. What deacons did
historically is important and should be a vital part of what deacons are prepared to do
today. If, however, these historic work roles are not the dominant activities in which
deacons are engaged today, then education must be adjusted so that the skills taught
match the work roles. If effort is expended exclusively on training deacons in what
their predecessors did, for example in the third century, deacons would not be skilled
in meeting today’s challenges. Educators might consider learning about the needs of

ministry from deacons in the ﬁeld so as to prepare new deacons appropriately as well

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as to offer meaningful ongoing education for deacons. Feedback from deacons,
dialogue with educators, and a resultant planned but ﬂexible program of education
would prepare new deacons in appropriate skills and keep present deacons responsive
and sharp. If religious educators keep in mind that education and work roles are
interdependent, the result will be applicable and appropriate skill building.

In summary, the data highlighted the interdependency between education and
work roles. When this interdependent relationship is given appropriate consideration in

educational planning, the results are a much more effective program.

Discussion

In this section, I discuss three ideas. First, roles are becoming very complex.
Next, education for deacons needs to change, because the deacons prefer an education
that is responsive to changing roles. Finally, the church needs to develop new
curricula. Four educators—Kett, Weiland, and Stark and Lattuca—have given some
meaningful ideas on how this might happen.

Growing Complexity of Roles. I began this study with a sense of ambiguity
about deacon work roles. In trying to answer the question I had about what deacons
did in their work roles, I found the history of deacon ministry in Olsen (1992)
illuminating. Her analysis of historic deacon work roles as charity and liturgy clariﬁed
my understanding of the ofﬁce, but did not explain some of the other responsibilities
that deacons mentioned. I tried to apply the historic roles to deacons today, and while
charity and liturgy are aspects of their work roles, deacons do much more. When I
came to realize that work roles were dependent on the directions of bishops and

pastors and must also be responsive to the needs of the people being served, I began to

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understand the ﬂexibility and breadth of possibilities for deacon work roles. I came to
understand that work role deﬁnition is responsive to guidance from supervising pastors
and the needs of the people being served. Finally, the deacons’ comments that they do
everything a pastor does but conduct marriages indicates that their roles are both
historically based and responsive to current cultural needs. Therefore, historic roles
must be interpreted in the context of today.

Two examples might be helpful to understand better the growing complexity of
work roles. The ﬁrst example comes from history. Olsen (1992) indicated that the
primary responsibilities of deacons in the early centuries of the church were charity
and liturgy. Speciﬁcally, Olsen quotes the Apostolic Constitutions (380 AD.) that the
role of deacons in worship included:

Calling for silence at Scripture readings, announcing the stages of the

service, directing everyone to kneel, dismissing the hearers after the

sermon, releasing the penitents and others after they were prayed over

before the Eucharist, announcing the kiss of peace, bringing the gifts to

the bishop at the altar, standing beside the altar with fans to keep the

insects away from the cups, partaking at Communion after the bishop

and presbyters but before [other workers]; giving the cup, saying, “The

blood of Christ, the cup of life”, and proclaiming the bidding or

intercessions for prayer in the litanies (pg. 55, 56).

Therefore, the role of the deacon at that time was simply to assist the bishop and
presbyters in traditional worship by controlling the ﬂow of the service.

Compare this work role with the work role of Jason. Jason is starting a new
church. Because his goal is to reach people in their 208 and 30s who are not normally
the focus of the church, he knew he needed to approach worship in a different manner

than in other churches. First, he realized that interpersonal relationships are critical to

the future of this church. He commented, “I’m bringing out people who can organize .

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. .But I lead, I communicate, and I innovate. If I can do these three things, and build
relationships . . . I’m good to go. So I’m bringing people around to do the other parts.”
As he approaches worship, he “helps write services, and wants to create youth[fu1]
worship.” Today, he and his leadership team hold one worship service a month. Each
service is unique, involving many people, special music, and use of video and other
technologies to produce a service that relates with people and keeps their interest. He
cannot expand to more services each month because he does not have the people,
resources, or time to design more services. However, in just a number of months, the
worship attendance numbers have already soared to several hundred people.

When the two roles are compared, both were appropriate for their time and
context. Yet they are very different in responsibilities. When the culture does not
support the tradition, the result is that the paradigm shifts and so do the
responsibilities.

A second example that demonstrates the growing complexity of work roles
involves ﬁnances. After the Edict of Constantine in 313 A.D., the liturgical role of
deacons decreased and their managerial role increased. Deacons had responsibility,
Olsen (1992) explained, for gifts to the church. These gifts included oblations (bread,
milk, honey, and oil used for worship), money and goods for the poor, provisions from
the Roman state, the property of Roman temples, and special collections (pg. 51).
Therefore, some deacons served as ﬁnancial managers under bishops as their dominant
role and also as extensions of the bishop’s office.

Finances also play a major role in the ministry of deacons today. Dennis, for

example, has built a mission church into a congregation that now includes about 35

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members and has a worship attendance of about 25. Under his leadership, the church
purchased a piece of property. The next step is revamping the building that sits on one
comer of the property into an ofﬁce that later could be used as a parsonage (a home for
the pastor or deacon and his family). The congregation has been saving money to
construct a multi-use facility on the property. Dennis, as a deacon, is looked to for
ﬁnancial leadership of the church. Yet he also continues all his normal responsibilities
that are similar to a pastor.

These two examples demonstrate the growing complexity of work roles. The
work responsibilities vary greatly ﬁ'om the past to the present, as Jason and Dennis
indicate through their work roles. Knowing the work roles of the past permits
maintaining them as responsibilities of the present church. However, the work roles of
the past do not limit the deacons’ areas of responsibilities today, rather, they are
building blocks for a more effective ministry.

Education for deacons needs to change. As I continued my study, knong the
perceptions and preferences of the deacons about their education became an issue of
growing importance. For example, Jack indicated that while his congregation was not
a highly educated group, he uses Greek in his sermon preparation. He has to be careful
to use it in such a way as to not alienate them by quoting it in a sermon.

When discussing the education of deacons, the deacons stated that the
education of deacons needs to change, both for those who are predeacons and those
installed in the ofﬁce. They preferred programs of education that would be highly
structured and meaningful for predeacons, and they wanted to have input in their

education as deacons so that what they would learn would be applicable to their lives.

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The essence of change in deacon education is that those in the ﬁeld should have an
opportunity to state their views and be listened to by the educators, while the educators
have the freedom to structure education in response to these views.

The deacons also stated that they desired educational opportunities that were
responsive to changing work roles. Jack commented that, “you need to go to seminars
and classes, and all of those things help.” For example, when home Bible studies failed
in his congregation, Jack lamented that “we should have tried to get more people.”
How to get more people involved in Bible study would be a worthwhile seminar for
Jack.

Because the work roles are changing, the education of deacons could to be
responsive and constantly changing. Even highly structured educational programs are
subject to regular evaluation. When a study is not meaningful to a predeacon or
deacon, then educators might consider canceling or revamping the curriculum.
Without this responsiveness, a study might lose its integrity with students.

The Church Needs to Develop New Curricula. As I continued this study, I
recognized that four educators have given some ideas on how to develop new curricula
for predeacons and deacons. These educators, Kett (1994), Weiland (2000), and Stark
and Lattuca (1997), developed three concepts that give an understanding of the
relationship of education to work roles for educational planning.

Kett’s historical studies about the various models of adult education from 1750
to 1990 helped me think about choices of models. Reviewing Kett’s research permits
evaluation of why a particular model of education worked under certain circumstances

and helps decision-making about what kind of model—or modiﬁcation of a model—

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might work for shaping a curriculum today. For example, if predeacons were offered a
school, the question this table would help answer would be whether this school might
be similar to present church schools, or whether it take the form of intermittent
education (that is, speciﬁc courses for a speciﬁc length of time, such as 3-5 months),
or whether the use of summer institutes be best. Evaluating the range of models of
schools permits making choices that are appropriate for the situations of deacons and
have a history of success.

Weiland’s conceptualization of types and domains of education, that is—highly
structured, moderately structured, and non-structured learning situations—led me to
realize that I needed to evaluate which type and domain would be most appropriate for
the educational experiences of deacons. For example, if the deacons desired a predeacon
program for teaching basic deacon skills, a highly structured program could teach those
skills through a combination of classroom education and development training in the
ﬁeld. Therefore, Weiland’s concepts set a framework for asking the question about which
type and domain is most appropriate for teaching.

Stark and Lattuca’s conceptualization of academic plans helped me answer
another question: what would I do with the model within the framework of the type
and domain that I had chosen? The steps of their plan led me to ask more questions
that came together into a tentative but formalized plan for a deacon’s program. Their
emphasis on student feedback became important as I began thinking about the
relationship of education and work roles. Additionally, their work led to my realization
of the interdependence of education and work roles. I recognized that education affects

work roles and work roles affect education. For example, predeacon education affects

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the preparation of people anticipating becoming deacons, while those in the work roles
know what skills deacons need in ministry. The interdependence of these two factors
might affect the design of education for predeacons.

Overall, these educators’ conceptualizations were very helpful in
understanding the options available for responding to the deacons’ preferences.
Utilizing their thoughts, guidelines, and suggestions affected my thinking about the
future of deacon learning.

In conducting this study, I realized that developing a curriculum involves
relating deacon preferences to the plan for a program. The deacons had deﬁnite
preferences about education before and after installation. Meeting these preferences set
the goals and objectives of the educational process.

After decision-making about models, types and domains, and planning—giving
consideration to how these factors interact with each other—I realized that other
factors also require decisions. Some of these factors are instructor recruitment,
decisions about the instruction (such as time, place, and required materials), promotion
of the program, and student recruitment. All of these decisions are important and the
resultant planning affects the success of the program. The implementing of a
curriculum is a long journey of many decisions.

In summary, clarifying work roles, learning from educators, relating student
preferences to education, and recognizing other factors in planning were all important

in my process of learning. They all lead to suggestions for action.

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ﬁgmstions for Action

In this section, I will discuss a number of suggestions for action. The ﬁrst set of
suggestions is proposed curricula for both before and after installation of deacons.
Recommendation 1: The Church should Desim Predeacon Education Curriculum

As acknowledged earlier in this study, the Michigan district does not offer a
formal program of education for deacons. When the deacon program began, the men
entering this ofﬁce were educated in church work through either the Concordia
University System or lay training programs like Michigan Lutheran Ministries
Institute or the Parish Lay Specialist Program. Utilizing this background, the deacons
worked with their supervising pastors through mentoring to learn ministry as situations
arose.

At this time, some of the men who desire to become deacons do not have this
kind of church education background. This lack of education has become a problem
for supervisory pastors because the men are not ready to conduct ministry. The
following is a proposed predeacon education curriculum that the CDQ and I have
designed and illustrates our thinking on this program. This program was designed
through taking the following steps. As I was ﬁnishing the research for this dissertation,
the need for such a program became clearer to me. After sharing my research, the
CDQ members recognized the problem—about which they were concerned—and we
began thinking about solutions. As I prepared the ﬁndings section of this dissertation, I
shared what I learned and together we agreed that such a curriculum was necessary.
Therefore we designed the following curriculum, taking into consideration feedback

from those in the ﬁeld and the eight steps in Stark and Lattuca’s (1997) plan. The

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curriculum is subject to change, but it reﬂects the issues that were raised through the
deacon interviews. The design of the curriculum is formatted according to Stark and
Lattuca’s plan.

1. The purpose of this program is to educate men in areas of charity and liturgy

and other relevant skills so that they will be equipped to do ministry.

2. The content of this program will permit the men to receive appropriate
learning experiences to help them effectively conduct their ministry. The
seminars will teach skills in the following areas: Ofﬁce of the Deacon, Old
Testament, New Testament, Doctrine I, Doctrine II (Applied Doctrine), Care-
giving, Leadership skills, Lutheran History and Policy, Evangelism and
Assimilation, Teaching the Faith, Worship, Greek, and Homiletics.

3. Sequence is an important issue. The ﬁrst set of seminars would form the
foundation of deacon education and need to be completed prior to starting
work as a subdeacon. Students would be taught in a highly structured,
knowledge communicating style. The second set of seminars would build
upon this foundation and be taught in a more “informal” style, that is, with a
design that provides a signiﬁcant amount of discussion between students and
faculty.

4. The learners are men who want to become deacons or are deacons in office.
Others may audit the seminars.

5. Instructional processes describe the activities by which learning may be
achieved. The following indicates the CDQ’s understanding of these

seminars:

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All seminars will have a minimum of 18 “contact hours.” Some, such
as “Doctrine”, may require as many as 36 contact hours. Many of the
seminars, such as “Care-Giving” and “Evangelism,” will include a
requirement for “Mentoring” to be provided within the context of the
local parish. Some of the seminars will be offered in other venues and
sometimes through distance learning programs.

Because other programs in the church use “courses” as the term to
describe their contact hours with students, the CDQ determined that
“seminars” was a more ﬂexible and distinctive term to describe the type of
education it wants deacons to receive. The usual academic terminology of
“credits” would not be applicable to this instruction. Successful completion
of a seminar would be demonstrable in useable skills. Grading would not be
relevant, because of the motivation of the student to become a skilled deacon.
“Pass” or “Fail”, based upon involvement and completion of the tasks
assigned, would only be necessary.

The instructional resources, which include the materials and settings to be
used in the learning process, will be up to the instructor. No seminar will be
offered without at least eight students. Initial ﬁnancial considerations indicate
that this number of students, at $200 per seminar, will cover the cost of
instructor and the materials needed for the seminar. The setting will depend
on the locations of the students; that is, the instructor will go to the students.
The instructor would seek a place to hold the seminar, usually in a centrally
located church, and thus shorten travel time for the students.

Evaluations of student learning will not be gathered through the usual form

of testing. Rather than written tests, the students will be asked to demonstrate

that they have accomplished learning the skills they were taught. This form

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of testing might include writing numerous short papers on topics or making a
visit on a shut-in person and writing up a verbatim. An instructor might go
with the student on a visit. All evaluations will be based upon learning the
skills of the craft.

8. Adjustments will be very important. As with any plan, a difference can easily
exist between what is anticipated as outcomes and what actually are the
outcomes. Therefore, dialogue with students will give redirection as needed
to meet the concerns of students.

As students begin learning through the teaching of the seminars, the
CDQ will need to gather information from them before, during, and at the
end of each seminar on what they have learned and want to learn. This
information will be very valuable in helping the instructors to constantly
adapt and adjust the seminars to the students’ needs.

In summary, the CDQ and I tried to take as many aspects of adult education
into consideration as possible. The proposed program takes into consideration the
learner, the church, the skills needed for ministry, educational theory, and the
recommendations of deacons. When compared with the valued planning techniques for
teaching and learning as proposed by Stark and Lattuca (1997), the proposed program
stands up very well. The program can always be fine-tuned by evaluating its
effectiveness from the perspectives of feedback from students, supervising pastors

who work with graduates, and fellow deacons.

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Recommendation 2: The Church should Provide New Forms for Deacon Education
after Installauion

To date, deacon education after installation has been the responsibility of the
CDQ. The deacons are required to receive some kind of ongoing education each year.
For example, the CDQ asked the deacons what they wanted to study. They expressed
an interest in more information about the ofﬁce of deacon. The CDQ determined to
begin to meet this need with a moderately structured program entitled “Ofﬁce of the
Deacon” offered at the 2003 deacon conference. Because of the importance of this
topic, according to the deacons after the conference, this program will be modiﬁed and
then offered as one of the seminars of the predeacon training curriculum.

The CDQ needs to continually ask deacons what they want to learn. The
deacons who were interviewed indicated that they were concerned about the strength
of their skills in a wide range of work role responsibilities. These skills need to be
strengthened through ongoing education seminars and conferences. Topics for these
seminars, the deacons indicated, might include: learning how to conduct interim
ministry to help churches experiencing a pastoral vacancy, being more effective in
youth conﬁrmation instruction, learning about how to function in the political structure
of the church, Biblical counseling, developing skills in leadership, and building
interpersonal relationships.

Some deacons wanted to study for pastoral ordination. This is beyond the
responsibilities of the CDQ. As a result, POBLO (People of the Bible Lutheran
Outreach) deacons are engaged in the EIIT (Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology)

program and taking courses leading to ordination as pastors through Concordia

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Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One deacon is taking courses in
DELTO (Distance Education Leading to Ordination).

Other deacons looked to other programs for the skills they desired to acquire.
One deacon wanted training in basic word processing skills that is available at local
community colleges. Another deacon wanted to learn Hebrew or Greek at a high skill
level, and these languages are usually available through local universities.

Like any profession, the deacons are looking for ways in which they can
improve their skills for doing ministry. If the CDQ is to help them gain these skills, the
most appropriate way to ﬁnd out how to help them is to ask them for feedback. One
deacon, not in this study, has recently started a newsletter to be sent out to deacons. As
a member of the CDQ, he is aware of changing dynamics in deacon ministry, and so
he publishes information for the deacons. He plans to send out regularly a request to
the deacons asking for topics about which they would like to learn more, and then pass
on these responses to the CDQ to help its planning for future deacon conferences. He
will publish information about other learning opportunities for deacons as they become
available through the Michigan district or the LCMS.

In summary, learning for deacons after installation is important. While the
CDQ wants to be responsive to their educational needs, it is not able to offer all the
programs requested. Other organizations may be able to teach skills better than a
program from the CDQ. The CDQ can, however, help deacons learn through
informing them of other learning opportunities.

Overall, the CDQ carries the responsibility of being involved in the education

of predeacons and deacons. A proposed curriculum for the preparing of predeacons for

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deacon ministry is ready to start. The CDQ needs to continue to ﬁnd or develop
educational opportunities for deacons. All of this education comes about in response to

the needs and concerns of deacons because they were given the opportunity to provide

feedback.

Recommendation 3: The Church Should Educate Other Groups of People

The responsibility of the CDQ for education is not exclusive to deacons. This
responsibility extends further, ﬁrst to supervising pastors, then congregations, the
Michigan district, the LCMS, and other groups of people.

Educating Supervisig Pastors. Education for supervising pastors involved in
helping deacons is a concern of this study. While this subject was not a speciﬁc
question asked of the deacons, they talked about their relationship with their
supervising pastors and the pastors’ mentoring roles. The CDQ to this point in time
has not made any provision for the training of supervising pastors. Since the CDQ did
not develop a work role description for supervising pastors, no criteria exist for
training a supervising pastor for his position. The good news is that the pastors who
serve in supervising roles have developed their own set of criteria and functioned
remarkably well given the lack of direction they have received to this point. However,
since the relationship of supervising pastor and deacon as a team can affect
dramatically the effectiveness of a ministry, developing a program of education for
supervising pastors becomes all the more necessary. The driving force for a program
for supervising pastors comes from questions by supervising pastors concerning
mentoring their deacons. The design of such a program should come as the CDQ’s

organized response to these questions. Therefore, the CDQ needs to request a listing of

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concerns ﬁom all supervising pastors and then respond appropriately to their needs,
just as it did for deacons.

Education for Congregations. Congregations need help to understand the
purpose and functions of deacons. Congregational leaders telephone members of the
CDQ and ask questions so that they understand the work roles of deacons as well as
congregational responsibilities to them. In order to organize these concerns,
congregational leaders of churches with deacons need to be asked for feedback on
their deacons and what might be helpful for their deacons. They also could be
interviewed on the process leading to becoming a congregation with a deacon, and
- what they think might have made the process easier or better. Then the CDQ can begin
to structure seminars for leaders of churches considering having deacons. In the
meantime, the CDQ needs to keep lines of communication open with congregational
leaders of churches that presently are being served by deacons so that it can provide
feedback on what will make their relationships with their deacons better.

The CDQ can also help churches, if the church leaders indicated the need, to
develop a pamphlet that gives the historical background of the role of deacons and
explains the breadth of what a deacon is able to do in his work role. Offering a
checklist of the steps in calling a deacon will provide the supervising pastor, the circuit
counselor, and the congregation with a tool that would help them process the calling of
a deacon.

Education for the Michigan District. For the Michigan district, the CDQ should
function as the facilitator for education of and about deacons. The Michigan district

president, pastors, church leaders, and deacons look to the CDQ to help them

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understand deacon ministry and support the deacons. Presently, the CDQ has a district
office staff person assigned to help with record keeping and serving as liaison with the
district president. However, she has other responsibilities, so the amount of time she
dedicates toward deacon ministry is limited. The members of the CDQ volunteer their
time. As time goes by, the CDQ may need to hire people to help it fulﬁll its
responsibilities. However, like any other commission of the Michigan District, the
commission has a limited budget. Since the CDQ received permission to initiate the
predeacon program, the CDQ will require fees from the students and will use this
money to pay its bills for this educational process. The CDQ has a number of
responsibilities it needs to face, plan for, design, and put into action that will require
surveys for feedback, analysis, and appropriate planning. Therefore, one of the
responsibilities of the CDQ, with the guidance of the district ﬁnancial manager, is to
function with a balanced ﬁnancial budget.

All of this work cannot be done without the support and approval of the district
president, who serves in the role of bishop. He is the one who gives oversight to
Michigan district deacon ministry. The CDQ, therefore, needs to continue to have
contact with him, update him on deacon ministry, and when appropriate, present
educational plans to him for his approval.

The CDQ, as an agent of the district, is also is responsible to the LCMS.
Maintaining linkages with the two LCMS seminaries is important, for the seminaries
have indicated that they will accept deacon seminars for DELTO academic credit.
Since the seminaries have criteria they want met in the DELTO educational process,

some adapting of these seminars may be necessary.

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Education for the LCMS. The issue of the LCMS taking a stand in 1989 that
districts are responsible for deacons provides great latitude. However, the LCMS as a
church body tends to prefer uniformity. This uniformity, while giving a sense of
security, can also undermine the movement of the church into ways that are most
effective. However, the relationship of the LCMS deacons with each other can be
strengthened if district presidents shared information about their deacons with other
districts. A national organization of LCMS deacons can lead to much better
communication between all the deacons, serve as a clearing place for information
about deacons, and help the LCMS understand deacons better. To facilitate this
process, the CDQ can develop a web site for deacons where linkages and
communication about deacon ministry can be shared.

Another possibility will be to offer these resources to District presidents of
other districts to use in their deacon ministries. While other deacon schools exist, their
vision seems limited to predeacon training programs. Offering pamphlets and modules
to help in other aspects of deacon development will begin to draw these practices
together under a standardized educational program that will lead to more cooperation
between District presidents.

Systematic curriculum planning for deacon education will also need to take
other programs into consideration. F or example, comparing what seems effective ﬁom
other deacon training programs—in other LCMS districts and in the other church
denominations—with the Michigan District proposed program demonstrates wisdom.

Asking those who lead and teach in those programs how they planned their curriculum

and whether they utilized feedback ﬁom deacons in the ﬁeld will give insight into

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their thoughts about whether an interdependent relationship between work roles and
education exists. Comparing these curricula to the proposed educational programs for
Michigan predeacons and deacons will help determine whether their ideas would help
strengthen these programs.

In summary, the work of the CDQ is an integral part of this study. What it does
for the deacon ministry in the Michigan district is central for all entities involved. The
CDQ has a responsibility to continue to serve the deacons—as well as predeacons,
supervising pastors, congregations, the Michigan district, and the LCMS—as
aggressively as possible for the good of the church and the strengthening of those in

the office.

Recommendation 4: Expanded Use of the Title of Deacon

One suggestion for the LCMS is the use of the title of deacon in a broader
sense. Martin Luther spoke eloquently about the ofﬁce of deacon, especially the role
that deacons fulﬁlled in charity and liturgy. As a leading confessor and speaker for the
faith, Luther supported the ofﬁce of deacon. Perhaps the LCMS made a mistake in the
middle of the 1800’s when it chose male teachers instead of deacons to do the work of
charity and liturgy. Since historic patterns were established in the early church that
deacons were teachers, the church might have been better served if the male teachers
were labeled as deacons with the responsibility of teaching. Romans 12 and I
Corinthians 12 both discuss a variety of gifts that were given to those who serve in the
church. These gifts include teaching. Ephesians 4 mentions how God gave spiritual

gifts so that some people could be pastors and teachers, and verse 12 noted that the

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purpose of these gifts was “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the
body of Christ may be built up.”

This description ﬁts deacons well. The title of deacon can be used for male
teachers and other male workers, and the title of deaconess for female teachers and
other female workers. The key is having appropriate deﬁnitions of responsibilities.
Using the simple titles from the early church—bishop, pastor, deacon—will help the
church understand the order of responsibility and clarify the ofﬁces of the church. The
district president, and all those who serve in the Council of Presidents of the synod,
will be viewed as bishops and so ordained. The pastors will continue to be ordained as
pastors, without change, as they presently are ordained. All other church workers, who
are now classiﬁed as commissioned and non-commissioned as noted in chapter 1, and
those who serve the church in any paid position, can be ordained as deacons and
deaconesses. In this way women can be ordained into their ministry, not the ofﬁce of
the pastor, but into the work for which they are called or contracted.

The difference will be in the job descriptions for the roles of men and women.
Some of these work roles will have different educational requirements, as is now the
case. Some people might serve in archdeacon responsibilities, while others might serve
in subdeacon roles. Overall, this change will involve using Biblical titles, be historic,

and simplify nomenclature.

Recommendation 5: Ordain Deacons into Their Ofﬁce
Another suggestion is be the ordination of deacons. Deacons, like bishops and
pastors, can be ordained into their office. In the early church, especially after the Edict

of Constantine in 313 AD. and the development of orders in the church, ordination

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was a means of setting aside workers for that speciﬁc ofﬁce that they ﬁlled. Ordination
was not just for pastors as deﬁned in the LCMS today. The bishop or district president,
in present understanding, is an ordained pastor called to the ofﬁce of district president.
The ordination of deacons and deaconesses will indicate a broadening of the deﬁnition
of ordination. The end result will be that all professional church workers will be
acknowledged in the ﬁeld in which they serve the Lord as consecrated. This
acknowledgment will be in agreement with history and a statement to the world about
the work of these men and women.

To promote the ordination of deacons, a proposal will be submitted to the 2004
LCMS Synodical Convention to ordain deacons into their speciﬁc role. Coming
through a number of congregations, this proposal will encourage thought, study, and
discussion about the historic role of ordination as opposed to its present day deﬁnition.
If passed, ordination of deacons will permit consideration that other elements of the
Christian church which were lost in antiquity may be viable and helpful for the church

of the twenty-ﬁrst century.

Recommendation 6: Encourage the Ordaining of Deacons as Pastors

Another suggestion gives an answer to the shortage of pastors in the LCMS.
While more promotion for the pastorate is coming from the headquarters of the
LCMS, nevertheless not enough men are moving into education for and service in the
ofﬁce. For some, becoming a deacon is a ﬁrst step toward becoming a pastor. Given
the data from this study, more promotion that invites men to become deacons is
necessary to keep ﬁlling those situations and places where pastors are not available to

serve. Strengthening the deacon program strengthens the church’s ability to serve the

167

needs of people. The role of the deacon, as history has indicated, has often led the
deacon to ordination as a pastor. For some, deacon ministry is seen as a step toward
this goal, and the skills gained during the time of service as a deacon are applicable to
the work of a pastor.

In summary, the implications of this study led to proposals and suggestions.
The suggestions for beginning a program of predeacon education and for continuing to
offer deacon education programs based upon feedback from deacons on what they
desire to learn leads to new opportunities for learning. The implications expand further
into education for supervisory pastors, congregations, the Michigan district, and the
LCMS. Beyond education, the data challenge the present understanding of the use of
the title of deacon, ordination of deacons, and ordination of deacons as pastors and the
suggestions offered seek to change this understanding. Depending on those who listen
to the deacons and their concerns, the impact of their thoughts could profoundly

inﬂuence the LCMS.

Implications for Further Research

The implications for further research in deacon learning come from two of this
study’s topics. The ﬁrst topic is the ﬁndings ﬁ'om the data of this research, leading to
implications for further research on 1 (the interdependent relationship of work roles
and education for deacons), 2 (ﬁnding better ways to gather and interpret feedback
ftom deacons), and 3 (the ongoing study of deacons). The second topic relates to
educating deacons, resulting in implications 4 (the adaptation and adjustment of
deacon educational programs in response to feedback from deacons), and 5 (the

adaptation and adjustment of deacon related education programs).

168

 

 

Implication 1: The Interdependent Relationship of Education and Work Roles

Much more needs to be done to understand the interdependent relationship of
education and work roles for deacons. Clarifying education helps clarify work roles,
and clarifying work roles helps clarify education. Deﬁning each unique work role
helps lead to appropriate education to train for that work role. Deﬁning speciﬁc
educational processes helps deﬁne speciﬁc work roles. Through education the history
and breadth of the options for work roles becomes clearer. For example, the
perceptions of the deacons were invaluable in order to clarify and deﬁne both their
work roles and their education. They knew what they needed to learn to be more
effective in their work role. When asked, they could say what they wanted to learn, but
they were not able or equipped to be the ones who could develop the educational
programs to help them be more effective in their work roles. This assignment rests
with those who have been trained in developing educational programs and who
understand the needs of the deacons to be served.

Researchers in adult education have supplied much helpful information to
better understand how adults learn. However, the literature indicates that not much
attention has been given to the relationship of education and work roles. This
relationship is an important facet in the way adults learn. Conducting more studies
about this relationship could help adult educators be more effective in teaching,

workers in their work roles, and speciﬁcally deacons in their ministry.

169

 

 

Implication 2: Finding Better Ways to Gather and Interpret Feedﬁgk from Deacons

Presently, only a few ways exist to receive feedback from deacons. They may
telephone, write, or e-mail the CDQ. They have an opportunity to visit with the CDQ
members at the annual conference. Deacons might request a time for discussion with a
CDQ member. Deacons may discuss issues with supervising pastors, other pastors, or
other deacons, but seldom does the content of these discussions reach the CDQ. Once
a year the Michigan District representative sends out an evaluation form to deacons,
their supervising pastors, and the president of the congregation or organization in
which they serve asking for evaluation of ministry. None of these information
gathering devises are intentional opportunities that seek deacon perceptions on a
number of topics relating to deacon ministry, especially about the education of
predeacons and their own ongoing education. Often this information is simply ﬁled,
especially if no major problems exist. However, more feedback needs to be requested
in order to make deacon education and ministry better.

Interviewing for this study has permitted more deacon perceptions to be
expressed than through the other contacts mentioned. Therefore the CDQ can receive
more feedback from deacons if they use means that are similar to interviewing. Some
of these means might be written surveys, telephone interviewing, and requesting
responses to speciﬁc proposals that the CDQ considers. Seeking their feedback
through using a number of means will identify which means are most effective in
communication and provides the best feedback. Then the CDQ can be at its best in

helping meet the needs of deacons.

170

Implication 3: The Oggoi_ng Study of Deacons

The relationship of education and work roles is not the only topic of interest
about deacons. Searching through the history of deacons indicates that many topics
exist that relate to deacon ministry that, if studied, would be of beneﬁt to those in
deacon ministry. For example, studies could be conducted on how to better develop
the relationships between bishops, supervising pastors, and deacons. A study could be
conducted searching out the whole scope of deacon ministry today in other Christian
church denominations, and what facets of these ministries be helpful to LCMS
deacons.

Along this line of thinking, further research could be conducted in depth about
the lives of deacons, as illustrated by the story of Art in chapter 1, to reveal additional
ideas about why some men become deacons. Some men might have experienced grief,
like Art, but others may have experienced something else, like spousal support or
congregational encouragement.

Another study could search out laity opinions about deacons, seeking out laity
perceptions of how deacons might be better equipped for ministry and conduct
ministry. Another study could focus on the wives of deacons, what they experience as
wives of deacons, how they perceive the ofﬁce of deacon, and what the role of the
wife of a deacon means for the deacon’s household. Therefore, other studies of
deacons could be conducted to gather perceptions and perspectives from them and

those related to them.

Implication 4: The Adaptation and Adiustrnent of Deacon Educational Prows in

171

Rmnpe to Feedbﬂk from Deacons

The adapting and adjusting of educational programs in response to feedback
from deacons needs further study. Some educational institutions can adapt quickly to
responses, while others are very slow to respond. Finding mechanisms that can utilize
feedback appropriately to make changes in education will greatly enhance the
appreciation of educators by those in the ﬁeld, while educators will have greater
respect for those in the ﬁeld because their opinions and ideas will now become very
important. For example, if all deacons had computers and used e-mails, a survey on an
issue could be sent out on one day, and feedback received by the next day. Then
educators can react quickly to feedback and make sure feedback can be used on topics.
In an age of intense change and response to the needs of pe0ple, researchers may be

able to suggest other ways for educators to adapt and adjust more quickly to feedback.

Irmplication 5: The Adaptation and Adiustrnent of Deacon Related Education
Proggams.

Deacon ministry is not insular and self-contained. This ministry not only has
many facets, but also touches and spiritually changes thousands of lives. The
predeacon program, the on-going deacon education program, training for supervising
pastors, education of members of churches about deacon ministry, education of those
in higher ofﬁces about deacon ministry, and other education programs relating to
deacon ministry, are all programs that require adaptation and adjustment. They should
not be identical year after year, especially in light of feedback from those who are

deacons or relate to deacons. Deacon ministry changes and is subject to a variety of

172

inﬂuences. Therefore deacon education programs and related programs need to be
ready to change and adapt as circumstances change.

In summary, these are but a few of the questions that will arise as researchers
study the interdependent relationship of education and work roles, the relevance of the
interdependency of work roles and education to adult education, feedback, how to
better adapt and adjust to feedback, and the implications of the interdependency of
education with work roles on educational systems. These suggestions for further
research in education may bring about other questions that are very meaningful to
understand the relationship of education and work roles. Answering these questions

will beneﬁt both education and those in work roles.

Final Summm

In this study, the deacons were given the opportunity to express their concerns,
joys, and struggles. If others hear their voices, listen to their concerns, and respond
appropriately, deacon needs may be more fully met and ambiguity in roles decreased.
The hope is that from this study will come further research on the topics this study
investigated.

Solo Deo Gloria.

173

Ordination Rite of Arthur W. Reich, Jr.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod
12365 US. 23 South, Ossineke, MI. 49766

Phone (517)471-5428

The Divine Service and Rite of Ordination and Rite of Installation of a Pastor for
Deacon Arthur W. Reich, Jr.

The 20th Sunday after Pentecost
October 21”, 2001
4:00 pm.

Good Shepherd’s Mission:
We, the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit,
Seek the lost sheep, Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Word and the
Sacraments and Demonstrate God’s love for all people.

The Divine Service and Rite of Ordination and Rite of Installation of a Pastor

Pre-service music

(Please stand)
THE PROCESSIONAL HYMN “Rejoice O Pilgrim Throng”

Rejoice, O pilgrim throng! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your festal banner wave on high, The cross of Christ your king.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

With voice as full and strong As ocean’s surging praise,
Send forth the sturdy hymns of old, The psalms of ancient days,
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

With all the angel choirs, With all the saints on earth
Pour out the strains of joy and bliss, True rapture, no blest mirth,
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

Praise him who reigns on high, The Lord whom we adore:
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, One God forevermore.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

THE INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.

THE PSALM OF PRAISE: Psalm 100 (NLT)

P: Shout with joy to the Lord, 0 earth!

C: Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy.
P: Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

174

He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him and bless His name.

For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever.

And His faithfulness continues to each generation.

11: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.

>QTF'QTPQ

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Isaiah 6: 1-8 NIV

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his
robe ﬁlled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their
faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were ﬂying. And they called to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices
the doorposts and the thresholds shock and the temple was ﬁlled with smoke. “Woe to me,” I cried, “I
am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have
seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs ﬂew to me with a live coal in his hand,
which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord
saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

CHORAL ANTHEM “Here I Am, Lord” Choir

EPISTLE READING: 2 Timothy 2: 1—13 NIV

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in
the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualiﬁed to teach others. Endure
hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian
affairs—he wants to please his commanding ofﬁcer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does
not receive the Victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should
be the ﬁrst to receive a share of the crops. Reﬂect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight
into this.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am
suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I
endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
with eternal glory.

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; If we endure, we will also
reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for
he cannot disown himself.

SOLO: “Find us Faithful” Soloist: Patty Goldammer

READING OF THE HOLY GOSPEL: John 21: 15-17 NIV

When they had ﬁnished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me
more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again
Jesus said, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you
love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you
know all things; you know that I love you.”

CONFESSION OF FAITH The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was cruciﬁed, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The
third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

175

SERMON HYMN “Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling”
Hark the voice of Jesus calling, Who will go and work today?

Fields are white and harvests waiting, Who will bear the sheaves away?

Loud and long the master calls you; rich reward he offers free.

Who will answer gladly saying, “Here am I, send me, send me”?

If you cannot speak like angels, If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus; You can say he died for all.

If you cannot rouse the wicked With the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children To the Savior’s waiting arms.

If you cannot e a watchman, Standing high on Zion’s wall,

Pointing out the path to heaven, Off' ring life and peace to all.

With your prayers and with your bounties You can do what God demands;
You can be like faithful Aaron, Holding up the prophet’s hands.

Let none hear you idly saying, “There is nothing I can do,”

While the multitudes are dying And the master calls for you.

Take the task he gives you gladly; Let his work your pleasure be.
Answer quicklyi when he calls you, “Here am I, Send me, send me!

THE SERMON “Remember Jesus Christ!”

Rev. James D. Erickson Text: 2 Timothy 2: 8-9 NIV

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am
suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”

CHORAL ANTHEM “Lord, Here Am I” Choir

THE OFFICE OF THE MINTSTRY

We believe, teach, and confess that wherever the Church is, there is the authority to administer the
Gospel. Therefore it is necessary for the Church to retain the authority to call, elect, and ordain ministers.
And this authority is a gift which in reality is given to the Church, which no human power can wrest from
the Church. Scripture says Christ ascended and gave gifts to men. Among the gifts specially belonging to
the Church are pastors and teachers and such are given for the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of
Christ. Furthermore, the ministry of the New Testament is not bound to places and persons as the Old
Testament ministry, but it is dispersed throughout the whole world and is there where God gives His gifts
of prophets, apostles, pastors, and teachers. “The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believes.” (From the Smalcald Articles and the Augsburg Confession-Article XXV III)

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH AND MINISTRY

P: O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

C: Have mercy upon us!

P: Hear our prayer, 0 Lord, that it may please You to grant peace to the whole world, and to your
Church.

In your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless all ministers of Your Church with devotion to Your glory through service to mankind in
Your name.

In your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless our new Pastor and send upon him Your grace that He may duly serve in the Ofﬁce to which
You have called him, to the strengthening and building up of Your Church, and to the honor,
praise, and glory of Your name.

In your mercy, hear our prayer.

Increase the number of workers in Your vineyard, that the Gospel may be preached to all people in
word and in deed.

C: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

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176

 

Hasten the ﬁrlﬁllment of Your purpose that Your Church may be one.

In your mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant that we with all Your saints may be partakers of Your everlasting Kingdom.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer. You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according to Your power at work in us. Therefore, unto You be glory in the
Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever. Amen.

0790??

HYMN “Amazing Grace”
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind but now I see.

The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come;
His grace has brought me safe so far, His grace will see me home.

Yes, when this ﬂesh and heart shall fall And mortal life shall cease;
Amazing grace shall then prevail In heaven’s joy and peace.

THE RITE OF ORDINATTON

Institution of the Ofﬁce of the Public Ministry
Responsibilities of the Ofﬁce of the Public Ministry
Strength and Promise of the Ofﬁce of the Public Ministry
Address to the Candidate

THE RITE OF INSTALLATION
Address to the Candidate

The Candidate’s Vows

The Laying on of Hands

The Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

THE COLLECT FOR THE CHURCH

CHORAL ANTHEM “Go Now in Peace” Choir
THE BENEDICTION
THE RECESSIONAL HYMN “The Church’s One Foundation”

The church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation By water and the Word;

From heav’n he came and sought her To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her, And for her life he died.

Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth;

Her charter of salvation: One Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses, Partakes one holy food.
And to one hope she presses With e’ry grace endued.

Through toil and tribulation And tumult of her war

She waits the consummation Of peace forevermore

Till with the vision glorious Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious Shall be the church at rest.

177

 

Yet she on earth has union With God, the Three in One,

And mystic sweet communion With those whose rest is won,
0 blessed heav’ly chorus! Lord, save us by your grace

That we, like saints before us, May see you face to face.

POSTLUDE

Following the service, you are invited to a celebration dinner in the Good Shepherd fellowship hall.

Scripmre verses taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing

House. All rights reserved.

Words to hymns are from Lutheran Worship, copyright 1982 Concordia Publishing Hosue. CCLI License

#1377138.

PARTICIPANTS IN THE SERVICE

THE PREACHER

THE LITURGIST

THE OFFICIANT OF ORDINATION

THE OF F ICIANT OF INSTALLATION

READERS

THE ASSISTING CLERGY

THE ORGANIST

THE CLAVINOVA AND CHOIR DIRECTOR

Rev. James D. Erickson
Immanuel Lutheran Church,
Alpena, Michigan

Rev. Michael R. Ruhl
Congregational Ministry Facilitator
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Rev. Charles R. Burhop

St. Barnabas Lutheran Church-
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Kinross, Michigan

Rev. Robert L. Mikkelson
Circuit Counselor for the Alpena Circuit
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Herron, Michigan

Kermit Kitzmank

Director of Lay Ministry

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Deacon Dennis J. Neigh

Faith Lutheran Church
Harrisville, Michigan

Pastors of the Alpena Circuit #2 and
Mackinaw Straits Circuit #1

Twyla Kitzrnan
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Linda Kuffert
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

178

MODELS OF ADULT EDUCATION

Kett, Joseph F. (1994). The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Diﬂiculties. Stanford, CA.:
Stanford University Press.

Explanation: This table shows models of adult education in four areas: colleges and
universities, discussion groups, speciﬁc studies, and the trades. The ﬁrst column lists the
models by name. The second column, called creation situation, brieﬂy describes the
reason or reasons the model came into existence. The third column, use situation, gives
information about students’ attitude toward the model and why students chose to study
using this model. The fourth column evaluates whether the model continues today, and if
so, the reason some models continue to exist. If the model does not continue today, but
rather failed, then the reason or reasons students had for not being involved in using the

model also are shown.

Model
Colleges and Universities:

American colleges

Continuation school

Continuing
Professional
Education

Extension courses

Farmer institutes

Junior,
Community colleges

Models of Adult Education

Creation situation

Classical education
Philosophy, literature

Formal schools

Permits work
and study at same
time

State mandates
for renewing

license

Take information
off campus

From
universities

War-time
skills

179

Use situation

Clergy, teachers

Sons of elite families

Extend education
to age 16

Professional
updating

Teach people
what is helpful

Share scientiﬁc
knowledge

Service to the
local community;
Lifelong learning

Evaluation

Continues . . .

Continues in
high schools,
some colleges

Continues
in professions

Numerous
revivals

Successful,
but now
available
elsewhere

Continues . . .

Model

Models of Adult Education

Creation situation Use situation

Colleges and Universities, continued:

Land-grant colleges

Mentoring

Professional schools

Summer schools

University extension
out in the ﬁeld

Morrill Act

liberal, industrial

One-on-one
continuing
training

Speciﬁc discipline
(law, medicine, etc.)

Undergraduates,

graduates needing

advanced degree

Reach beyond

the walls

180

Grant Credentials

Prepare for
profession

Practice

Grant Credentials

Culture extension
with education

Evaluation

Continues . . .

Continuing

as rotations

in professional
schools

Continues . . .

Continues . . .

Needed
credentials,
Failure

Model

Discussion groups:
Book-of-the-Month
Club

Chautauqua

Library societies

Literary societies

Mechanic institutes

Mutual improvement

societies

Societies

Urban clubs

Models of Adult Education

Creation situation

Individual
cultural development

Use of mail for
studying speciﬁc
subjects

Literature

Collection of books
society owned

Diffusion of
knowledge
Esp. scientiﬁc

Whatever desired

Promote a
Speciﬁc area

Classical self-study

181

Use situation

Liberal education

Reading clubs
for culture

Discussion groups
and reading

Social interaction
on topics

Socialization

Discussion groups

Topics relating
to area

Discussion groups

Evaluation

Concept
continues in
CD clubs, etc.

Too

general to
for advance
credentialing

As desired . . .

Free libraries
doomed the
movement

Personal

experience

Died off as
subject matter
not beneﬁcial

Continues . . .

For those who
desire it. . .

 

Model
Specific studies:
Academies

Adult schools,
Adult institutes

Church schools

Drama and other
art schools

Folk schools

Institutes,
popular lectures,
lyceums

Intermittent education

Journal
reading

Leisure studies,
self-education

Summer institutes

Models of Adult Education

Creation situation

Teach Latin

Educate drop-outs;
Teach immigrants to

read and write;
Basic vocational
Education

Formal schools and

Congregational
Study groups

Teach culture,

skills for public
and personal
enjoyment

Teach

Language and
Culture

Speciﬁc topics

Speciﬁc courses for
a speciﬁc length of
time, i.e, 3-5 months

In speciﬁc
disciplines

Topics of
interest

Potential to
help students

into working Roles

182

Use situation

Personal choice

Understand world;
work out personal

problems;
Express self;

socially acceptable

Development of
faith and

doctrine

Personal growth,

share with
community

Retain speciﬁc
nationality

Strive to be a
“better class”

Superﬁcial, but
helpﬁrl

Personal
growth

Personal
growth

Speciﬁc studies

Evaluation

No need
for Latin

Continues

as community
education

Continues . . .

Continues . . .

Continues . . .

Fell off;
t0pics too
Eclectic

More formal
education
desired

Continues . . .

Continues . . .

Not accepted
by employers

Model
Specific studies, continued:

Progressive
Education

Models of Adult Education

Creation situation Use situation

Orderly presentation Social
of information and obligation,
Ideas political

183

Evaluation

Continues in
universities

Model
Trades:

Apprentice shops

Corporate training
programs

Evening
schools

International
correspondence
schools

Learned societies

Useful arts societies

Manual training

Occupational licensing
schools

Models of Adult Education

Creation situation

Train in
speciﬁc trade
on the job

Train workers
in speciﬁc skills

Academic learning
on a part time
basis

working people
on vocational
subjects

Utilitarian
information

Principles of science

from mastery of

tools and mechanical

processes

Schools to prepare
for board licensing

184

Use situation

Skill building

Reduce unrest
and increase
productivity

Grant credentials

Use mail as
means of
communication

Trades

Develop
good workmen

Pass the exam

Evaluation

Continuing

Continues

Not meet
rising standard
Works with
standards

Failure

taught by
trade

Meets
employment
Needs

Failure;
Graduates not
work in labor

Continues . . .

Appendix 3
Deacon Learners

This study concerns your perceptions of the relationship between your work role as a
deacon and your educational background to prepare you for this role. You will be
interviewed for approximately an hour and a half along with the possibility of a brief
follow-up interview in person or by phone.

You further agree that the researcher will hold your responses in strict conﬁdence and
that no comments will be attributed to you in any reports on this study (unless you
choose to waive conﬁdentiality). Furthermore, no details will be provided in any
verbal or written reports that could identify you. You agree that your participation is
voluntary and that you can withdraw your participation in this study at any time or
decline to answer any questions.

Please check one statement below:
You agree to participate in this study provided conﬁdentiality is assured.

 

You agree to participate in this study and you give permission for the
researcher to use your name in any publication of research ﬁndings.

 

Please check the statement below:

You give consent that the interview can be audio taped. At any time you
may ask that the tape recorder be stopped.

 

 

 

Name Date

 

Signiture

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your rights as a research participant,
please contact:

Faculty Advisor for the Study: Dr. Ann E. Austin, Higher, Adult, and Lifelong
Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. 48824, Tel. 517-355-6757.
UCRIHS Chair: Dr. David E. Wright, Michigan State University, Tel. 517-355-2180.
Questions regarding this study should be directed to the investigator.

Researcher: Rev. Dr. Robert J. Schultz, Senior Pastor, St. Michael Lutheran Church,
3003 N. Hannan Rd., Wayne, MI. 48184. Tel. 734-728-1950, schult98@pilot.msu.edu.

185

Appendix 4
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Interview

This study concerns people’s perceptions of the relationship between roles and
education’s preparation to serve in these roles.

The probing questions and other I may ask:

1.

Please share as much as you like about your life history that led you to become a
deacon.

A.

B.

C.

D.

B.

What were the speciﬁc educational experiences that help you as a deacon?
What speciﬁc training did you receive to become a deacon?

What educational experiences do you wish you had before beginning as a
deacon?

Who or what helped you in your learning?

What are you learning now as a deacon?

Please deﬁne your role as a deacon.

A.

B.

What is your perception of your role and your skills to perform as a deacon?

What are your perceptions of the role of deacon in general?

Please share as much as you like about the relationship of your role as deacon and
your educational preparation for the role.

A.

B.

Who or what helped you in your learning as you developed as a deacon?

What continuing educational opportunities have you had that has helped you as
a deacon?

Over the years of service as a deacon, what have you learned about the role of
a deacon and how have you learned it?

What are some situations in which you learned how to be better in fulﬁlling the
role of deacon?

What do you want to learn so that you can be a better deacon?

186

F. Given that an ambiguity exists in the perception of deacon roles, what would
be your perception of an ambiguity in perception of the roles’ educational
requirements?

187

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