Deaconess refers to a female faithful and believer serving in the office of "Deacon" in a church.

The office of deaconess became a regular feature of church organization as early as the first part of the 2nd century. Notably, in the A.D. 112, Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, wrote a letter to the emperor Trajan of Rome, indicating that in his investigation of Christians he had tortured two Christian maidens who were called deaconesses.

The office of deaconess in the eastern Church continued down to the 12th century. The widows of clergyman who were not permitted to remarry, often served as deaconesses. Perhaps, Saint Paul's standards for deaconesses in 1 Timothy 5:3-16 - were applied to these deaconesses. No qualifications for the office of deaconesses are specifically given in the New Testament. But tradition indicates that she must not be a lover for money and power, but piety, faith and love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and experience were required of deaconesses.

Be considerate to widows; I mean those who are truly widows. If a widow has children or grandchildren, they are to learn first of all to do their duty to their own families and repay their debt to their parents, because this is what pleases God. But a woman who is really widowed and left without anybody can give herself up to God and consecrate all her days and nights to petitions and prayer. The one who thinks only of pleasure is already dead while she is still alive: remind them of all this, too, so that their lives may be blameless. Anyone who does not look after his own relations, especially if they are living with him, has rejected the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Enrolment as a widow is permissible only for a woman at least sixty years old who has had only one husband. She must be a woman known for her good works and for the way in which she has brought up her children, shown hospitality to strangers and washed the saints' feet, helped people who are in trouble and have been active in all kinds of good work.

Do not accept young widows because if their natural desires get stronger than their dedication to Christ, they want to marry again, and then people condemn them for being unfaithful to their original promise. Besides, they learn how to be idle and go round from house to house; and then, not merely idle, they learn to gossips and meddlers in other people's affairs, and to chatter when they would be better keeping quite. I think it is best for young widows to marry again and have children and a home to look after, and not give the enemy any chance to raise a scandal about them; there are already some who have left us to follow Satan.

If a Christian woman has widowed relatives, she should support then and not make the Church bear the expense but enable it to support those who are genuinely widows. - 1 Tim. 5:3-16 -

Any woman wanted to be called or carried the title of a deaconess, firstly, the woman must not be a lover for money and power. Instead, the women must be respectable, not gossips but sober and quite reliable. - 1 Tim. 3:11 -

The New Testament reference to deaconess as a church office is apostle Paul's description of Phoebe as a deaconess of the Church in Cenchreae. The Greek word translated as deaconess in this passage is, perhaps, rendered as deacon and servant. In fact, the office of deaconess was similar to the office of deacon. Their spiritual responsibility was essentially the same, except that deaconesses probably rendered a ministry exclusively to women, particularly in the early years of the Church.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae. Give her in union with the Lord, a welcome worthy of saints, and help with anything she needs: she has looked after a great many people, my self included. - Rom. 16:1-2 -

While controversy has centered around the ordination of women through the centuries, deaconesses apparently were installed in their office by the 'Laying On Of Hands' just like deacons. However, there is no account of a deaconess ordination in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible.

In early centuries, deaconesses were especially called on to serve women in situations where custom forbade the ministry of the deacon. Deaconesses instructed female candidates for Church membership, ministered to women who were sick and in prison, and assisted at their baptism, especially in the act of anointing. Through the years deaconesses have been assigned various types of educational, charitable, and social service work in their churches and communities.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -