Deacons in the Liturgy

DEACONS IN THE LITURGY is written for Anglicans/Episcopalians in North America. As such, it will be of interest primarily to people of that communion. That does not stop it from having a wider appeal. What this book does so well and so simply is explain the role of the diaconate in the various liturgies of the church. It tells what to do and when to do it providing an expansion to the rubrics of the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. It does not delve very much into history but does bring history up to justify certain acts. It explains the diaconal functions from an ancient and ecumenical context and then makes some provision for modern practice and usage. At all stages, the relevant passages from the BCP and other US and Canadian resources are referenced. It is a great guide for Anglican deacons but it has more potential as well. Without explicitly saying so, the book describes many functions that have wider acceptance than just the Anglican Communion. Usually, these are evident by the lack of specific citations but they should be readily apparent to anyone with a passing knowledge of liturgy. This helps to differentiate denominational practice from wider practice and this book is simple enough, short enough and well written enough to be of use to others. This is especially true for United Methodists. The United Methodist Church revived the permanent diaconate in 1996. Since the most recent BOOK OF WORSHIP was published in 92, it has no knowledge of deacons in liturgical functions. They are left to founder or make things up as they go along. The institutional United Methodist Church needs to address this problem but this book would be an excellent stopgap measure for UM deacons. This is especially true since UM liturgy is inherited from the Church of England. A Must for Deacons!

Morehouse Press is one of the major publishers for things Episcopal, so it makes sense that Ormande Plater's book, 'Deacons in the Liturgy', would be published by them. This is a book designed to be used by those preparing to be (or who are) deacons in the Anglican/Episcopal tradition. It looks specifically at the role of deacons in the liturgical practice of the church - liturgy here defined as the order or worship; deacons do have roles (indeed, more important roles) outside of the worship-service-liturgical functions, but this book concentrates on the in-church-worship role. This book grows out of a process begun in 1980 in response to the adoption of the new Book of Common Prayer version in the Episcopal church, and an expanding view of what deacons do. This is a specialised ministry, to be sure, but it is also an important ministry that serves as a bridge in some ways - 'by working together in liturgy, deacons and others symbolise the mission of the chruch in the world.' After brief historical introduction, Plater covers many of the aspects of the diaconate - appropriate action and role in ministry of the Word and ministry of the sacrament; proper vestments and gestures, the relationship of deacons to other ministers, and the variations that take place in the different seasons, services, and occasions. For being such a short text (a mere 70 pages of actual text), it is remarkably comprehensive in scope for the kinds of 'choreography' and activity of deacons in worship services. It is not intended to be a survey of theological questions of the role of the diaconate, nor an historical overview (though some of that does introduce the text) - for these topics, the reader will need to look elsewhere. However, for the task Plater set for himself - a full and useful description of the deacons' role, this text succeeds brilliantly.

The title (although evoking unfortunate associations: "bees in the bonnet," "bats in the belfry," "birds in the bush") is an exact description of what you get in this little book. Written primarily for deacons, although invaluable to any person who's a member of the Episcopal Church USA or the Anglican Church of Canada, this little book is a how-to guide that spells out in great detail the liturgical functions of deacons. Different chapters focus on deacons in rites of Christian initiation, the Eucharist, ordinations, seasonal celebrations, daily office, and various pastoral liturgies (marriages, reconciliations, burials). If you're looking for a book that explores the theology and spirituality of the diaconate, this isn't the one. But it is an excellent guide for appropriate diaconal participation in liturgy--actually, the best--and it doesn't pretend to be anything else.