God wants each one of us, including deacons, to grow in our calling and in matters of the heart, knowing God and ourselves, listening to Him, letting Him minister to us and feed us with His Word.
As deacons grow in their love for God, they will also grow in their relationships with each other and those they are ministering to.
Having a time of devotions and prayer at your deacon's meetings is meant to facilitate a sharing of the living Word. It will help develop your language of faith and help you apply Scripture. It will also increase your ability to use Scripture as you minister to those inside and outside of the church.
While it may be tempting to skip this portion of the meeting or rush through it, time and time again we hear deacons say that when this portion of the meeting is done intentionally and thoughtfully, the rest of the meeting seems to run more smoothly and become more meaningful.
We pray that these devotions will be a blessing to your diaconate.
Start Here!
As Deacons gather for their monthly meeting, someone typically begins the meeting with devotions. This is a special time for the group.
It provides the deacons with a chance to “inhale” – to catch their breath and focus on God.
This brief outline suggests some practical ways to do that.
QUICK LINKS
Devotions
New Devotion Series on Prayer!
In January, 2021, we rolled out a brand new devotion series called "Detours; Overcoming Spiritual Roadblocks in Ministry." You can read more about this series on our e-Quip Diaconal Blog.
Every Chair of Deacons across Canada received the new devotion posted on our e-Quip Diaconal Blog on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.
We encourage diaconates to set aside 15-20 minutes at each meeting to go through these devotions.
Below you will see the individual devotions laid out OR you can download the entire series clicking the button below!
Have you been using these devotions?
"What Does it Mean to be a Deacon?" Devotions
Written primarily for use in your deacons meetings, this set of 12 devotions unpacks the calling of the deacon in the areas of community ministry, compassion (mercy), justice, and stewardship.
Mercy/Justice Devotion Set (2018)
Calvin College offers this 7-week Bible study on the theme of Justice. Seven different writers from the Calvin and wider church community have addressed such topics as race, pro-life, creation care, and poverty from a biblical perspective.
Consider doing these devotions as a diaconate or invite your congregation to join you through a Small Group Campaign and/or Pulpit Groups as part of a Justice Sermon Series.
Search other Bible Studies/Devotions on the Calvin College website as well.
"Living as Examples of Jesus Christ" Devotions
The theme of this set of 12 devotions is taken from the Charge to Deacons (aka Deacons' Mandate).
Each aspect of the Charge is unpacked using a story from Jesus' ministry on earth. Jesus provided the perfect example so that, in turn, Deacons may be His examples in your church and community.
(Note: If time does not allow for you to read both the biblical story from Jesus' ministry and also the text, you may consider asking the deacons to read the story prior to the meeting.)
Book Studies
Book studies are a wonderful way to dive deeper into listening and learning about a particular ministry or portion of the deacons' mandate.
Sometimes we hesitate doing a book study, thinking it will take too much time and eat up precious minutes at a deacon's meeting. But we know the benefits far outweigh the challenges!
To make it even easier, we've put together some helpful discussion guides to keep the conversation flowing and to help you plan ahead for your book discussions. These are just suggestions and you may tweak them as needed!
