The Place of Deacons in the Local Church

Deacons have been influential in the life of the local church since biblical times. Their focus is servant-leadership and reflects the ministry of Jesus. As pastors and local congregations help people to recognize, accept and use their gifts in ministry, God will call some to lead in specialized areas. They will assist the pastor and equip people for ministry and service. Deacons will typically but not exclusively lead in ministries of:

• care and mercy • worship, music and creative arts • disciple making and mentoring/coaching

Pastors will find the following information helpful with those considering the Consecrated Deacon path:

• Approval of Consecrated Deacons is managed by the local church pastor and board, not the MEG board.
• Deacon Candidates will follow the equivalent of the LMC process plus a Bible survey course (Old and New Testaments), or proven competency, and two practical ministry courses, or proven competency.
• Consecrated Deacons will serve at a local church under the direction and supervision of the local church pastor.
• Deacons’ consecration does not transfer to another church unless approved by the receiving church’s pastor and board.
• Deacon consecration is reviewed and renewed annually by the local church pastor and board action.

The Center for Pastoral Formation has the information on the Deacon Candidate path available through Pathwright to help candidates track their progress through their training (see document below for basic outline of path).  It will be up to the candidate to share with their local mentor their progress through these steps through pathwright; however, the local mentor may see the steps listed in chapter nine of the Wholistic Mentoring book and be able to guide the candidates accordingly. It is  recommended that candidates use the Consecrated Deacon Path on Pathwright so that their progress may be accessed if they ever decide to move on to Conference Ministerial Candidacy or transfer to a different church or conference. To register an LMC or Deacon Candidate for use of the tracking paths, please contact credentialing@fmcusa.org.

Click on the green link to view the Consecrated Deacon Process

Pastors, for more information and training resources, please contact Michelle Boyd at gatewayfmcusa@gmail.com

For other questions regarding the Consecrated Deacon program, please contact Tyler Boyer at tyboyer@gmail.com