New ATTS distance program seeks to train new vocational deacons to serve in their communities

“It’s time for us to be bold”, said Bishop David Parsons, “yes, it’s great to have hard-working lay leaders working in their churches… but we need to plan for the future. We need three ordained ministers in each community. Yes we need one priest to lead and be the rector, but if the church is going to grow, each community needs a deacon who is dedicated to outreach and visiting and helping those in need, and each community needs a third minister dedicated to children, youth, and young adults.”

Can you imagine the ministries that would be possible if that were true in your community? Of course, it means thinking a little differently about ordained ministry than we have in the past. In this vision, not all priests or deacons need to be full-time and receiving stipends. While Rectors are generally full-time and receiving a stipend, other ministers in a community could make their living working for the school or the hamlet and volunteer their ministry time, or some may be receiving a pension or working part-time for the church in addition to their responsibilities in the community.

The Arthur Turner Training School has a wonderful history of training ministers to serve across the North. Ministry leaders everywhere agree that full-time, hands-on, in-person training is the best approach whenever possible.

But it isn’t always possible.

“The truth is, there are people who are called to ordained ministry and who have been gifted by God to grow the church, but, because of their life circumstances, moving to Iqaluit for two years just isn’t an option for them. Maybe their life situation means they can’t accept a full-time stipendiary posting in another community away from family, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t called to serve God right where they are” said Archdeacon Pryor. “After two years of getting creative with using Zoom and other online tools during the pandemic, I believe God is inviting us to re-imagine the possibilities when it comes to training people to serve the church as visible, ordained leaders in their communities”.

The Work of Deacons

In many places throughout the Anglican Communion, deacons play a much larger role in the life of the Church, and certainly not just as a step to priestly ministry. While a priest is ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, a deacon is ordained to the ministry of Service. “In other words”, says Archdeacon Pryor, “most of a deacon’s work isn’t on Sunday morning. It is showing the community how to be the church from Monday to Saturday”.

According to the Book of Common Prayer, the work of a deacon is to:

• To serve and support the ministries of Word and Sacrament by distributing communion (for instance, bringing communion to the homes of those who are sick) and reading the scriptures (especially to those who can’t read them for themselves)
• To instruct young people in the faith
• To seek out all those in need in the community, that the church may relieve those needs
• To preach and baptize, if necessary

The BAS puts it in an even more straight-forward manner: God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood, directly under the authority of your bishop. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely. … At all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ’s people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.

Just imagine how ministry in your community could look different if God raised up one or two more people to be trained and equipped to serve in that way. Here’s the good news: He will!

Is God Calling You?

The Diocese is interested in hearing from anyone who reads this article and feels a stirring in their heart. Maybe you think “no, God can’t really be calling me to be a deacon in my community, can He?”, but you feel the Holy Spirit moving within you, making you pick up this article and read it again.

If you’re reading this and say “you know, maybe that’s me”, here’s what you do.

• Pray about it every day for a week
• Speak in private to a trusted friend who is a mature Christian. Share this calling with them and seek their advice
• Contact Rev. Ann Martha Keenainak or Archdeacon Pryor to talk about starting a “discernment process”. This will include learning about your own spiritual gifts, testing out those gifts in your community, and eventually working with your vestry to listen to God and seek His will together
• Trust and obey, waiting to see what God has planned!

A New Opportunity

We believe God is calling new deacons to train and serve. Bishop Joey at ATTS is planning right now to begin training a group of deacons by distance beginning this January. It will require one evening of online classes per week, a commitment to pray Morning & Evening Prayer with the assigned scriptures every day, assigned reading on your own time during the week, and one week of inperson class in a regional hub (such as Yellowknife, Iqaluit, or Rankin Inlet) twice each year. It will be designed so you can stay living and working in your community, with the goal of preparing you to be ordained as a vocational deacon to serve in your community after two years of training.

What can I do to help achieve this vision? “Please pray!” says Bishop Joey. “Pray for those who are called. Pray for those who are unsure if they should answer the call. Pray for those who teach and those who learn. And, in your prayers, give thanks that God really will send labourers for the harvest!”

What does the Bible Say about Deacons?

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 3:8-13