DIACONAL MINISTERS ON THE EDGE, BRIDGING THE GAP
by Ben McDonald Coltvet

Charles Smith was searching for a way to link his desires for teaching and ministry.

Mary Lasits was a seminary student who wanted to focus on faith development and outreach in the parish.

Marilyn Hugh had been a volunteer for 30 years and wanted to do ministry directly with people in a church-related setting.

Each was looking for a way to integrate service with a distinct ministry of the Word.

Each found diaconal ministry.

What is diaconal ministry?
The term is best described as a ministry of the Word carried out in service. "It's a lay ministry that has its own flavor," says Smith. Established by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1993, the diaconal ministry program offers a variety of ministries through appropriate disciplines and training. Prior to being called and consecrated to service, candidates complete a masters level theological degree; are approved by their synodical candidacy committee; demonstrate competence in their specialization; and undergo practical training and field work.

"Diaconal ministry requires a commitment to both word and service. It involves preaching and studying the Word, but it’s also a specialized area of service where you work within the world," said Smith.

A common challenge that diaconal ministers face is defining their role for clergy colleagues and for those they serve. "It's kind of hard because it's such a new thing," comments Smith. "So few people in the church actually know what it is."

A doctoral candidate at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Smith plans to teach systematic theology in a college or seminary. He sees teaching as a commitment to the church, and a specific form of ministry. "I want to work with students and help them discern their own sense of call. I would also like to play a role within a congregation, energizing [congregants] and helping them realize that they have a baptismal vocation to fulfill."

Mary Lasits is a diaconal ministry candidate at Peace Lutheran in New Lenox, Ill. In commenting on the many dimensions of her ministry, Lasits said, "I wear several hats in the congregation I'm serving—faith development, outreach and youth are the three main areas. I always participate in worship, and I preach every six weeks. I am trained to handle most aspects of congregational life, but [as a diaconal minister] my call is more specific—I get to stick to faith development and outreach."

Lasits makes it clear to the people she works with that she is not clergy: "I tell them I'm called to serve at the intersection of the church and the world."

Although many of the day-to-day duties of some diaconal ministers may resemble those of an ordained pastor, their call is distinct. Connie Kleingartner, director of field education at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, emphasizes that the diaconal minister is not some sort of approximate pastor: "People entering diaconal ministry must be absolutely clear that this is not a 'less-than-pastor' position. It requires leadership and training. The focus of the ministry is different [from ordained ministry], not lesser than."

Kleingartner explains: "Whereas it’s a pastor's task to draw people into worship, it's the diaconal minister's job to prepare them as they go into the world."

Diaconal ministers serve in a variety of settings—as chaplains, spiritual directors, conflict managers, prayer ministers, community organizers, prison and outreach ministers and social justice advocates. All are called by the ELCA to fulfill a specific ministry. They serve through traditional church programs in congregations and agencies, and through pioneering efforts in new areas of ministry.

Marilyn Hugh serves in the emerging field of restorative justice at Fox Lake Correctional Center in Wisconsin. She visits with inmates, preaches and conducts worship, and is planning to start a Bible study. In many respects, she does the work of a prison chaplain. But Hugh is also involved in spreading the word about restorative justice within congregations, seeking to bring the community into the process of healing.

For her diaconal ministry project, Hugh led congregational studies on restorative justice with the goal of "allowing people to take a different attitude toward prisons." She senses the need for this type of parish ministry: "Most people don't seem to know what it's really like—there's a way to be involved [in prison ministry], just in knowing and sharing that knowledge about prisons."

Hugh says that her concept of ministry was shaped by decades of volunteerism prior to her entry into seminary. As a diaconal minister, she says, "I’m able to do ministry in an area where I believe the church needs to be actively involved."

For each of these candidates, diaconal ministry offers a chance to focus on what they want to do. It’s an opportunity to blend vocational interests with their call to ministry in the church and the world.

With at least seven seminary graduates serving as diaconal ministers and 15 candidates in process, the Lutheran School of Theology is taking a leading role in preparing individuals for diaconal ministry. Kleingartner counts these students as assets to the community: "I think the gift of diaconal ministry for LSTC is that they challenge us to remember that the leadership of the church is not only vested in ordained ministers. Diaconal ministers broaden the definition and scope of rostered ministry in the church."