Diakonia in ContextTransformation Reconciliation Empowerment

An LWF Contribution to the Understanding and Practice of Diakonia

The LuTheran WorLd FederaTion– a Com munion oF ChurChe s

deparTmenT For mission and deveLopmenT

DiAkoniA in ConTExT:

Transformation, Reconciliation, Empowerment

An LWF Contribution to the Understanding

and Practice of Diakonia

Diakonia in Context: Transformation, Reconciliation, EmpowermentAn LWF Contribution to the Understanding and Practice of Diakonia

Editorial assistance: LWF/DMDStaff

Design and Layout: LWF/OCSStaff

Cover: © FELM

Published by: TheLutheranWorldFederation –ACommunionofChurches DepartmentforMissionandDevelopment 150RoutedeFerney P.O.Box2100 CH-1211Geneva2 Switzerland

©2009TheLutheranWorldFederation

PrintedinSwitzerland

ISBN978-3-905676-

�Diakonia

ContentsPreface ...................................................................................................................... 5

Acknowledgment ....................................................................................................... 6

introduction .............................................................................................................. 8Rev. Dr Kjell Nordstokke ....................................................................................................... 8

Part i: The context of diakonia .................................................................................. 121. Why is reading the context necessary? ............................................................................... 122. Global trends marking local contexts .................................................................................133. Changing contexts for diaconal action ...............................................................................164. Spirals of hopelessness and spirals of hope ..........................................................................195. Existential challenges in all contexts .................................................................................. 21Questions for Further Reflection ...........................................................................................22

Part ii: The identity of diakonia ................................................................................ 241. The faith we confess in the Triune God ............................................................................. 242. Diakonia as integral part of being Church ..........................................................................273. The diakonia of the table .................................................................................................... 314. Good works ...................................................................................................................... 345. Diaconal spirituality ..........................................................................................................37Questions for Further Reflection ...........................................................................................38

Part iii: The action of diakonia ................................................................................. 401. The purpose of diakonia .................................................................................................... 40

1.1Respondingtoindividualsandgroups............................................................................................ 411.2Short-termandlong-termaction.................................................................................................... 41

2. The basic directions of diaconal work .................................................................................432.1Transformation............................................................................................................................... 432.2Reconciliation................................................................................................................................442.3Empowerment................................................................................................................................ 45

3. The different expressions of diaconal action ........................................................................473.1Individualdiakonia–thediaconateofallbelievers........................................................................ 473.2Organizeddiakonia–thecollectiveeffortofthecongregation.....................................................483.3Institutionalizeddiakonia–whenamorestructuredapproachisneeded.....................................503.4Internationaldiakonia–responsetohumanneedwithandonbehalfoftheworldwidecommu-

nionofchurches.............................................................................................................................. 524. Diaconal methodology .......................................................................................................59

4.1Theimportanceofmethodology..................................................................................................... 59

� Diakonia

4.2See–reflect–act............................................................................................................................ 594.3Buildingcitizenship........................................................................................................................614.4Constructingcommunity............................................................................................................... 624.5Networkingwithothers.................................................................................................................644.6Accountability................................................................................................................................ 65

5. Diaconal actors ..................................................................................................................665.1Volunteers....................................................................................................................................... 675.2Professionalworkers....................................................................................................................... 695.3Ordersofministry.......................................................................................................................... 71

6. Training for diakonia ........................................................................................................747. Diakonia and development work ........................................................................................768. Prophetic diakonia ............................................................................................................819. Diakonia and proclamation ................................................................................................8310. Diakonia and diapraxis ....................................................................................................8711. Values guiding a diaconal code of conduct ....................................................................... 90Questions for Further Reflection ...........................................................................................92

Glossary .................................................................................................................. 94

�Diakonia

Preface

� Diakonia

Acknowledgment

�Diakonia

inTRoDUCTion

� Diakonia

introductionRev. Dr kjell nordstokke

This document, Diakonia in Context, is the out-comeofaprocessofbringingtogetherexperienc-esofhowdiakoniaispracticedandunderstoodinthe life of the Lutheran Communion. The pur-poseoftheprocessistoprovideasharedplatformforhowdiakonia is reflected in its identityandpractice. Knowing that contexts are very differ-ent and that diaconal work is guided by a vari-etyoftraditions,itishopedthatsuchaplatformcanfacilitatethecommunicationbetweenusandstrengthenourworking together aspartners inGod’s mission. In this process, this documentismeanttogivesomebasicdirections foradis-

cussion thathopefullywill continuewithin thedifferent regions and contribute to an ongoinglearningprocessthatallofuscanbenefitfrom.

Acknowledgingthatweallareinsuchprocessof learning, a strict definition of diakonia is notgiven in this document. Nevertheless, some fun-damentalassumptionsaremaintained.Oneisthatdiakoniaisatheologicalconceptthatpointstotheveryidentityandmissionofthechurch.Anotherisitspracticalimplicationinthesensethatdiakoniaisacalltoaction,asaresponsetochallengesofhu-mansuffering,injusticeandcareforcreation.Thisrather open-ended understanding of diakonia isalsoduetothefactthattheconceptitselfdoesnotallowforaprecisedefinition,notevenwhenusedin theGreekNewTestament.ThepresentuseofthewordhaslargelybeenshapedbyhowChristianshavetriedtobefaithfultothebiblicalcalltobeaneighborthroughoutthehistoryoftheChurch.

©LWF/D.Lorenz

�Diakonia

Thisisalsothecasewithintheecumenicalmovementwhere the termdiakoniahasgainedimportance during the last decades as manysense that it expresses an important dimensionofthechurches’calltorespondtochallengesintoday’sworld.Inthisunderstanding,diakoniaisseentobeanintegralpartofmissioninitsboldaction to address the root causesofhuman suf-feringandinjustice.Diakonia in ContextreflectsthisprocessandintendstocontributetoitfromaLutheranperspectiveand in lightofhowtheLutheranfamilyisengagedindiakonia.

Inthisendeavor,itfollowsthepositionoftheLWFmissiondocument,Mission in Context�thatpresentsmissioninaholisticway,encompassingproclamation, service (diakonia) and advocacy.Thatdocument,published in2004,didnotpro-videathoroughpresentationofhowdiakoniaispracticedandunderstood,anditwasdeterminedthatanotherpublicationfocusingonthismattershouldbeproduced.

Diakonia in Contextintendstorespondtothisneed.Itbeginswithabriefanalysisofthecontextand points to some of the contemporary globaltrendsandchallengestodiakonia.Thesecondpartofthedocumentgivesatheologicalintroductiontotheunderstandingofdiakonia.Thethirdpartpresentshowdiakoniaiscarriedoutinitsdifferentexpressions from individual engagement to well-organizedactivities,locallyandinternationally.

TheconceptofholisticmissionasdevelopedinMission in Contextismaintained.Accordingtothisunderstanding,diakoniaisanintegralpartofmission.Thediscussionofhowthisisdone,how-ever,continues.Onereasonforthisisthedifferentcontexts in which the Church lives with its cul-tural,religiousandpoliticalenvironment.Thereisno singlemodel forholisticmission that canbe

1 Mission in Context: Transformation, Reconciliation, Em-powerment. An LWF Contribution to the Understanding and Practice of Mission.LWF,Geneva,2004.

appliedinallcontexts,andthishasconsequencesfor how the different dimensions of mission arerelatedtoeachother.Italsohastodowiththefactthatforsome,theword‘mission’isusedinasensewhere proclamation is the primary focus point.Othersunderstandmissionmorecomprehensivelyinlinewiththemissiondocumenttoincludebothproclamationandservice.Aparticularconcernformanyengagedindiaconalworkisthatitsactionhastobeshapedaccordingtothecontextandthenatureof itswork.Theseconcernsshouldnotal-lowforaseparationbetweenmissionanddiakonia,ashassometimesbeenthecase,butshouldurgeallofustocontinuetoreflectonhowthediffer-entdimensionsofmissionareinterconnectedandmutuallysupporteachother.

The2004missiondocumentintroducedthreeconceptsashermeneuticalkeysforunderstandingmissiontoday:transformation,reconciliationandempowerment.Thesetermsarealsoveryhelpfulfordiakoniaastheyclearlypointtothedirectionsofdiaconalwork.Theyshouldnotbeinterpretedasonecomesfirstandleadstotheother,buttheyshouldbeseenasparallelandinteractiveprocesses,all ofwhichhave theirorigin inGod’sgraciouscareforcreationandsalvificactioninJesusChrist.Norshouldthesethreeconceptsbeseenasexclu-sive,butratherinrelationtootherimportantcon-ceptssuchashealing,guidingandsustaining.

Thisdocumentisfirstofalladdressedtochurchleadersanddiaconalworkersofdifferentcapacities.It is intended to strengthen their commitment todiakoniaandequipthemintheirdailywork.Re-gional consultations on diakonia have identifiedthat training fordiakonia is amajor challenge inthechurchesandthattrainingmaterialisneeded.Hopefully,Diakonia in Context canalsobeofhelpin theological institutions that consider includingdiakoniaintheirteachingprograms.

ThewritingofthisdocumenthasbeenguidedbyaprocessofregionalandglobalconsultationsfromJohannesburg2002anditsfocusonprophet-

10 Diakonia

icdiakonia,toAddisAbaba2008thatbroughtto-gethertheprincipalelementsofthesharedlearn-ingprocesstodate.2Toallwhohaveparticipatedintheseevents,wegiveappreciationandthanksforcontributionsandinsight.Ithasnotbeenpossibletoportrayalltherichvarietyofexperiencesinthechurches;onlysomesamplesaregivenrepresent-ing the multiform unfolding of profound com-mitmenttodiaconalservice.Itishopedthatthereceptionprocessofthisdocumentwillgivemorejusticetothisvarietyofexperiencesandaffirmthepolycentricnatureof theworldwidecommunion.It isalsohopedthatthisprocesswillstrengthenourcommitmenttoeachotherandhelpustonet-workbetteraspartnersinGod’smission.

A core group of six persons from differentregionswasappointedtoaccompanytheprocessofproducingDiakonia in Context:GustavoDriaufrom Argentina, Eva Grollová from the CzechRepublic,RebeccaLarsonfromtheUSA,DieterLorenz from Germany, Selma Shejavali fromNamibia and Jongkers Tampubolon from Indo-nesia.Afinalwordofacknowledgmenttothemfor their supportand insight that stronglyhavecontributedtotheoutcomeofthisprocess.

Geneva,July2009KjellNordstokkeDirector of the LWF Department for MissionandDevelopment

2 ThereportfromtheAddisAbabaconsultationispub-lished in Serving the Whole Person. The Practice and Understanding of Diakonia Within the Lutheran Com-munion. Documentation 54/2009. LWF, Geneva. Italso contains regions reports including findings andrecommendationsfromregionalworkshops.

©FELM

11Diakonia

PART i: ThE ConTExT oF DiAkoniA

12 Diakonia

Part i: The context of diakonia1. Why is reading the context necessary?

Allpeopleliveandactwithinspecifichistoriccon-texts.TheBibleannouncesGod’sactionintheworldwithin specific historic contexts and very oftenwherethereishumansuffering.TheOldTestamentnarrativeoftheExodus,relatesGod’sinterventionwithinconcreteexperiencesofoppression:“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I

have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. In-deed I know their sufferings.”(Exodus3:7).Inasimi-larway,God’sincarnationinJesusChristhappenedinaparticularsocial,economic,political,religious,andculturalcontextthatshapedhisministry.

Diaconal action, understood as integral tothechurch’smissionintoday’sworld,isalsocon-ditionedandchallengedbyconcretecontexts.Inordertoberelevant,diakonia“requiresprayerfuldiscernmentofthesignsofthetimesandafaith-fulreadingofthecontexts.”�

Suchreadingofthecontextisacomplexen-deavorduetothefactthatallcontextsaremulti-facetedandrequireaninterdisciplinaryapproach.Asanillustration,thechallengeoftheHIVandAIDSpandemiccannotonlybedealtwithfromamedicalperspective;itssocial,economic,cultur-

1 Mission in Context,p.10.

©LWF/J.Schep

1�Diakonia

alandreligiousimplicationsdemandattentioninordertobefullyunderstood.Sufferingrelatestoalldimensions,asdocareandtransformation.

Theanalysisofthecontexthastobecritical,raising questions and revealing assumptions. Itmustparticularlyincludevoicesthattendtobene-glected,bothinchurchandsociety.Itisespeciallyimportanttopayattentiontostoriesofmarginal-izedandexcludedpeople,andtotheirversionofwhythingsarethewaytheyare,andwheretheyseehopeandpossiblechange. In thisprocessofknowing,analyzingandcategorizingthecontext,itisespeciallyimportanttoprotectspacefortheperspectivesofwomenandyoungpeople.

Diakoniacanonlyfulfillitscallandplayanactiveroleinshapingabetterfuturewhileinitiat-ingprocessesoftransformation,whentheuniquegiftedness,humandignityanddailyexperienceofeachpersonarerespected.Allpeopleshouldhave the opportunity to not only tell their sto-ries,buthavethemheardandvaluedbyothers.Onlythen,canallplayanactiveroleinshapingabetterfutureandprocessesoftransformationbeinitiated.

Asfaith-basedaction,diakoniaconnectsthereadingofthecontexttothereadingoftheHolyScripture.Storiesofsufferingandoppressionintoday’srealitymaybeenlightenedandinformedbysimilarstoriesintheBible.Butevenmore,theBiblical witness reminds us of God’s uncondi-tionalloveandcareforthesufferingandmargin-alized,andGod’spromiseoffutureandhope.

For diakonia, reading the context is nevera goal in itself. Its purpose is to mobilize dia-conal action and make sure that such action iswellconsideredforthesakeofpeopleinneed.Ithelps to set priorities and formulate objectivesforsharedaction,andtoidentifyworkmethodsthatareeffectiveandbasedondiaconalvalues.Itbringsconsciousnessregardingavailableresourc-es,awarenessofpotentialsandlimitations,andofpossiblealliancepartners.

2. Global trends marking local contextsOurtimeisonewherethelocalcontextcannotshapeitslifeinisolation.Alllocalsituationsareimpactedbybroadereconomic, religious, social,cultural and political trends. In addition, thereality of globalization to a large degree, deter-minesecological,economic,social,culturalandevenreligiouslifeworldwide.

TheLWFdocument,Mission in Context,lists“The complex effects of globalization,”asthefirstissueamong“Changing global realities affecting global and local contexts.”Itpointstotheambiguousnatureofglobalization.Itisbeyondthescopeofthisdocu-menttoprovideafullanalysisofthecomplexitiesofglobalization,itschallengesandopportunities.

Ontheonehand,globalizationhasbroughtanumberofbenefits indifferentaspectsof life,such as communication technology and scien-tificknowledge.Ithasalsoincreasedawarenessofsocialissuesandhumansufferingaroundtheworld,andone’sability to reactandrespondtocrises. In fact, it ispossible topoint toachieve-mentsthathavemade lifeeasier formillionsofpeople.Forinstance,morechildrenaregiventheopportunityforeducation,andmorepeoplehaveaccesstocleanwaterthaneverbefore.Initiativesto combat serious illnesses such as tuberculosisandmalariashowencouragingresults.MuchofthishasbeenpossibleduetoglobaleffortssuchastheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDG)launchedbytheUnitedNations(UN)in2001.

On the other hand, there are also nega-tiveimpactsofglobalization,manyofwhicharesevere.This isespecially thecasewhenfocus isgiventoeconomicglobalization,asshapedbyin-stitutions and practices of international financeandbusiness.“Economic globalization is driven by the assumption that the “ invisible hand” of the mar-ket, if allowed relatively free reign, will assure the optimum good as each individual pursues his or her

1� Diakonia

economic gain. Human beings are viewed primarily as individuals with insatiable wants or desires, who are competitively seeking to acquire or “have” more—rather than “being” in community with others. The goals that dominate are unlimited economic growth, productivity, ownership and control are what matter, along with a willingness to use nearly any means for the sake of higher profits.”�

Economic globalization has many effects.Oneofthemostnegativeisthatithascausedagrowinggapbetweentherichestandthepoorestintheworld.Inaddition,forcesofeconomicglo-balizationsuchastransnationalcorporationsareexemptedfrompoliticalcontrolanddemocraticdecisionmaking.Nevertheless,theyhavepowerto determine the future of whole nations, espe-ciallywhentheyactinalliancewithlargenationswhosepoliticalandeconomicagendasarecloselyrelated,inlinewiththeempiresofthepast.

2 KarenL.Bloomquist(ed.):Communion, Responsibility, Account-

ability. Responding as a Lutheran Communion to Neoliberal Global-

ization.DocumentationNo50,LWFGeneva2004,pp.25-26.

C onsu mer i sm,pollution and thethreatened, fragileecosystem are othernegativeeffectsofeco-nomic globalization.Recent developmentshavefocusedattentionon two additional is-sues that have causednewconcernsandfear:the fragility of finan-cial systems and thedramaticconsequencesof climate change, es-peciallyforthepoorestand most vulnerablecountriesintheworld.

These develop-ments lift up poverty as an urgent challenge.AccordingtoUNfigures,incountrieswherein-comedifferentialsarewidening,atleast80%ofhumanitylivesonlessthan10USDaday.UNI-CEFreportsthatupto30,000childrendieeachdayduetopoverty.

Inmany societies, the feminizationofpov-ertycanbeobservedas impoverishment that isdeeper in female-headed households and par-ticularlyamongolderwomen.Womenalsooftenhavefewereconomicandpoliticalopportunitiestoimprovetheirwell-beingandthewell-beingoftheir families.Povertytrapswomeninmultiplelayersofdiscriminationandhinderstheirabilitytoclaimtheirrights.

Afterlisteningtoreportsondehumanizingconditions posed by poverty, an LWF consul-tation held in Africa, on Poverty and the Mis-sion of the Church in September 2006, stated:

“In times like these, the sinful forces that perpetuate poverty must be denounced. Such forces continue to exploit our lands and rob millions of people of their God given right to daily bread and a decent life. These

©LUCSA

1�Diakonia

forces include unjust economic systems, the escalation of conflict and violence and the forced flight of people from their ancestral lands. The spread of HIV and AIDS is exacerbated by poverty. Human beings are compelled to live under bridges and forced to search in dumps for their daily bread. Men, women and chil-dren have no more tears and are robbed of their rights, gifts and potential. The number of young people who lack jobs and hope continues to increase alarmingly. In nearly every situation of impoverishment, the bur-den borne by women, who groan in constant travail, is overwhelming. Such crushing conditions are intol-erable and sinful.”�

Migrationisonemajorexpressionofthisre-ality.Thereareunprecedentednumbersofrefugeesanddisplacedpersons.In2007,nearly32millionrefugeeswereregisteredworldwideinmorethan70 countries. Of these, almost 14 million wereinternallydisplacedpeople.Inaddition,millionshavelefttheirhomecountriesinsearchofabetterfutureforthemselvesandtheirfamilies,tryingtoescapepovertyorsituationsof insecurity.Asmi-grantworkers,theydonotalwayssharetherightsand access to facilities which longtime residentshave.Theyarevulnerabletoabuse,andareoftenalsoexposedtodiscriminationandxenophobia.

Humantrafficking isanother,andperhapsthemostpainfulexperienceofsuchhumansuf-fering. Considered to be the fastest growingcriminalbusinessintheworld,itforceshundredsofthousandsofpeople,mainlywomen,intothemodernformsofslaveryofprostitutionanddo-mesticservitude.

“Socialfluidity”hasbecomean importantterm for describing the tendency in most soci-eties to move from fixed structures often deter-minedbyclass,ethniccompositionandculturalheterogeneity,towardspluralisticformsofliving

3 “So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth”. Poverty

and the Mission of the Church in Africa.Geneva,LWFStud-

ies,01/2007,p.16.

together. Migration and urbanization are twoimportant factors in this development. Socialfluidity may break down traditional ethnic andculturalbarriers.Itmayalsocauseerosionofcol-lective identity and responsibility, and promoteforms of individualism that leaves each personaloneinthestrugglesoflife.

Anotherconsequenceofthis“fluidity”isthatethicalquestionsareconsideredrelative,leavingituptotheindividualtomakedecisiononsuchissues as abortion, euthanasia and genetic inter-vention. Modern technology and advanced sci-encehavemadethequestionsofhumanlifeanddeathmuchmorecomplexthanwasthecasejustagenerationago.Cansuchissuesbedealtwithonanindividualbasis?Dotheyinsteadneedtobeanchoredinvaluesystemsthatcantakethembeyondtheimmediateconcernofaction?

“Socialcohesion,”(understoodascommunitythatcountsmorethanthesumoftheindividualsthatcomposeit,)hasbeenliftedupasanecessaryconditionforformingsociety.Howissuchsocialcohesion constructed? It seems that it includesseveraldifferentcomponents:politicalideas,ethi-calvalues,basicconvictionsandvisionsregardingwhatisgoodandworthfightingfor.Faithrelatestoalltheseelements,andpeopleoffaithmayplayanimportantroleintheprocessofconstructing

©ECCB/JanSilar

1� Diakonia

social cohesion.This isoneof thepotentialsofpost-modernity’s openness to religious and cul-turalplurality.Theso-called“returnofreligion”has this promising dimension, but it also mustbe considered in relation to its frightening di-mension,thatoffosteringreactionaryandviolentfundamentalism.Fordiakonia,thisdevelopmentopensnewopportunitiesforintegratingfaithandaction, for promoting hope, love and justice inthemidstofhumanreality.

Alltheseissueschallengechurchestoshapetheirdiakoniatoactboldlyinfavorofsufferingand marginalized people and to be committedto thecauseof liftingup justice,peaceandtheintegrityofcreation.Theymustinfluencethese-lectionofpriorityareasfordiaconalaction,andshapedecisions aboutwhycertain activities aregivenmoreattentionthanothers.Theyalsohavemethodologicalconsequencesforthewaydiacon-alworkisdone.Inall,thisdiakonia—inpraxisandinitstheory—mustreflectitsunavoidablere-lationtoitsenvironmentwithallitsdimensions:social,political,religious,economicandcultural.

Awarenessoftheglobalsituationshouldnottake attention away from the local and its im-portance.Globaltrendscanonlybeproperlyun-derstood from the perspective of the local—in-terpreting and evaluating the effects they have

oneverydaylifeforordinarypeople.Theglobalpicturehelpstounderstandthelocal,butitalsogoestheotherwayround.Theword“glocal”hasbeencreatedforthisinterconnectednessbetweentheglobalandthelocal,bothinanalysisandinaction.However,readingthelocalcontexthastogobeyondgeneralpictures.Itmustbeminutelyconnected to local conditions and challenges.Onlythen,canthebroaderpicturebeunderstoodwhichwillenablediaconalactorstocriticallyde-terminewhethertheirworkrespondstotheiden-tifiedchallenges,orwhetherthere isaneedforrenewal, for reformulatingobjectivesandstrate-gies,andforestablishingnewalliances.

For the very same reason, the potential ofthe local context to resist, and even present al-ternatives to global trends, should not be un-derestimated. One encouraging example is fairtradeinitiativesthatlinklocalgrowerswithlocalconsumersinanotherpartoftheworld.Historyholds incredible stories of unexpected renewaland change emerging from what has been con-sidered the periphery. Nathanael’s cynical re-markinJohn1:46:“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” provedtobewrong,andisaconstantreminderwhenpeopleexpressdisrespectforlocalrealityanditspotentialfortransformation.

3. Changing contexts for diaconal actionDiaconalactionhaschangedfromonegenerationtothenextaccordingtocontextualconditions.Thisispartiallyduetochallengesliketheonesthathavebeen referred toabove; itpartlydependson ideo-logicalconditionsandthesortofinterpretationthatisgiventodiaconalinterventioninsociety.

Inmostregionsglobaltrendshavesignificantconsequencesfordiaconalwork.Theycreatenewchallengesandchangetheconditionsfordiaconalintervention.Someofthesearereferredtoabove.

©LWF/S.Lim

1�Diakonia

But,therearealsolocalorregionalrealitiesthatimpactdiaconalwork.InmanycountriesintheglobalSouth,thegeneralimpoverishmenthasconsequencesforthechurch.Inmostcontextsithasbecomemoredifficult tomaintaindiaconalinstitutionssuchashospitals.Financial supportfrompartnersintheNorthisdiminishing.Somechurches for instance, may conclude that theyarenolongerabletocontinuetheworkandmayhandhospitalsovertogovernmentortothepri-vate sector. Itmaybe argued that these institu-tionsareaheritagefromthetimewhenforeignmissionaries brought sufficient resources fromabroadwiththem,andthatdiaconalworktodayshouldbemoremobileandcommunityorientedandlessdependentoncostlystructures.Ontheotherhand,itispainfulifchurcheshavetogiveuptheirhealthwork,especiallyinatimeofenor-mouschallengessuchastheAIDSpandemic.

In its local setting,povertyhasdistinct ex-pressions and specific root causes. Weak gover-nance, corruption, ethnic conflict and civilwararesomeof the factors thataddsufferinguponsufferingforpeoplelivinginpoverty.Atthesametime,thesealsoarefactorsthaturgechurchestorenewtheirdiaconalcommitmentandfindnewways of caring for, and working with the poorand oppressed, lifting up their dignity and de-fendingtheirrights.

Eastern Europe is a region that has expe-rienced dramatic changes over recent decades.In thepast,churcheswere involved indifferentkinds of diaconal work including many institu-tions.Whenthecommuniststookpower,allthisworkwasstoppedandmanybuildingswerecon-fiscatedbythegovernment.WhenCommunismcollapsed, churches felt challenged to revitalizetheirdiaconalcommitment.Especiallyinthefirstphase,theyenjoyedstrongsupportfromdiaconalpartnersintheWest,whichmadeitpossibleforthemtoinitiatediaconalactivities.Buttheysoonlearned that theycouldnotdependonexternal

©LWF/D.Lorenz

1� Diakonia

resources,norcouldtheygobacktothesituationas it was before Communism and the positiontheyaschurcheshadheld.Therewasaclearneedto re-orient thediaconal engagementaccordingtonewchallengesandnewpoliticalconditions.

InWesternEurope significant changeshavealso taken place in the last decades. As a conse-quenceoftheestablishmentofthewelfarestateinthe1950sand1960s,diaconalinstitutionswereinte-gratedintothesystem.Thiswasexperiencedindif-ferentwaysindifferentcountries.Thefundamentalprinciplehowever,wasthattheaccesstohealthandsocial serviceswasbasedonsolidarityand justice,notoncharity.Anotherimportantassumptionwasthattheseservicesshouldbeperformedbyprofes-sionalsandaccordingtopublicstandards.

Modern welfare work could no longer bebuiltonreligiousmotivationandvalues,butwasinstead based on political ideas and social con-

cerns.Thishashadastrongimpactondiaconalaction, especially when it is financed by publicmoney,or is inotherways, integrated intopub-lichealthandsocialprograms.Itmaybearguedthatinsuchsituations,thesecularizationofsoci-etyhasledtoacertainsecularizationofdiaconalinstitutionsanddiaconalwork.

While this continues to be a challenge, an-other has been added over the last decades. Wel-fare systems have come under pressure in someWesterncountries.Criticsclaimthattheyarenotefficient,andthattheyaretooexpensive.Privatiza-tionandothermarket-orientedsolutionsarebeingintroduced. Where do diaconal institutions placethemselves in thisdiscussion?Asnon-profitorga-nizations,theyareneitherpublicnorprivateinthesensethattheyarenotcommercial;theyoftenresistthedemandofbeingcosteffective,especiallyifthisisatthecostofbasicvaluesandthequalityofcare.

Hau

ptar

chiv

der

v.B

odel

schw

ingh

sche

nA

nsta

lten

Beth

el

1�Diakonia

Howdoesthedistinctideologicalidentityofdiakonia respond to these different challenges?Does diaconal work provide added values andspecificcompetence?Isthereariskthatpoliticaland financial pressures can empty diaconal ac-tionofitsidentity?

The relation between diakonia and gov-ernmental authorities often reflects the relationbetweenchurchand state ina country. In someplaces, this means close cooperation in the un-derstanding that diaconal work is performed onbehalf of the government and financed fully bypublicmoney. Inotherplaces,amutualattitudeofsuspicionhinderssuchrelations.Thequestioniswhethercooperationbetweengovernmentalau-thoritiesanddiakoniapresupposesthetraditional

“state-church”allianceinordertobefunctional,orcanotherformsofrelationsbeestablishedas,forinstance,withintheframeworkofcivilsociety?

4. Spirals of hopelessness and spirals of hopeThepictureoftheglobalizedworldaspresentedhere, may be perceived as a spiral of hopeless-ness.Difficultiesandsufferingexperiencedatanindividual level are connected to correspondingexperiences atother levels suchas social,politi-cal,andideological.Inthatprocessthesenseofpowerlessnessandfearisnotonlyaffirmed,butevenincreased.

Atthepoliticallevelinsomecountries,peo-ple see that subsidies for staple foods arebeingreduced,oftenduetopressurefrominternationalfinancial authorities. In other countries, publicwelfaresystemsarebeingcutbackoreliminated.Inbothcasesthepoorestarethemostaffected.Attheideologicallevel,thisisexplainedbymarket-orientedneo-liberalism;othersclaimthatpublicwelfareistooexpensiveandeventuallywillerodethenationaleconomy.

Inmanycountries,privatewealthhasincreasedat the same time thatpublic institutionshavebe-comeimpoverished,whichprobablyreflectsatrendofindividualizationinpost-modernculture.

Individualization is the lifestyle of autono-mous human beings seeking individual opportu-nities,witheachonesolelyresponsibleforhisorherownfuture.Butunfortunately,notallareabletocreateagoodlifeontheseterms.Theremaybepersonal,economicorculturalreasons,orevenacombination of them, that bar people from hav-ing their share of what are considered commongoodsandrights.Instead,theyaremarginalizedfromaccess tosuchgoodsandrights.Thespiralofhopelessnessnotonlyaddsonenegativeexperi-enceontoanotherasitlinksoneleveltoanother,italsohasakindofcentrifugaleffect,inthesensethatitsendsthosewhoarecaughtwithinthissys-temfurtherouttowardsthemargin.

Marginalizationmustthereforebeseenasamulti-dimensionalexperience. Ithasapersonaldimension of taking away people’s self-esteem.Peoplearestigmatizedandsilenced.Onasociallevel, mechanisms of exclusion are establishedandideologicallyjustified.

Describing reality in this way is of course,very one-sided and fortunately most people ex-periencelifemuchmorerichlythanwhatispre-sentedinthisspiralofhopelessness.Peopleexpe-rience loveandgoodness and relationships that

©L

WF/

D.L

oren

z

20 Diakonia

give reasons for hope and a future. Experiencealsoshowsthatitispossibletobreakthespiral.The entry point can be any of the different lev-els:theindividual,thesocial,thepolitical,ortheideological.Thestruggleagainstapartheidisoneimportantexamplewheredifferentactorsfounddifferententrypointsforengagement.

Ashumanbeings, eachof us lives our lifeasanindividualandaspartofacommunity,asafamilymember,aneighbor,acolleague,afriend,a citizen. The well known African concept ofUbuntu,conveysanunderstandingoftheidentityofapersonasbeinginrelationtoothers.Arch-bishopDesmondTutudescribesthisasapersonwhose self-assurance comes from knowing thatheor shebelongs toagreaterwhole.Thereforeallarediminishedwhenanyoneishumiliatedordiminished,torturedoroppressed.

This identity can be imagined as a spiral,where relationsare linked inaway thatalwaysexpands and includes others, as Nelson Man-delaoncedescribedUbuntu: “A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn’t have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not address them-selves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?”�

ConceptslikeUbuntucan,ofcourse,beusedinaromanticwaythatidealizesatraditionwith-out acknowledging the harsh social reality andexperiences of fragmentation in South Africansociety. One of its strengths is that it includescareinaholisticmanner.Nevertheless,itpointstotheimportanceandpromiseofbeingconnect-ed to others, in a way that continuously keepshopealive.Thefollowingdiagramofaspiralofhopemaybeonehelpfulwayofillustratingthis.

4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(philosophy)

Individual dimension

Ideological dimension

Political dimension

Hope

dimension

Fig. �: The spiral of hope

Thestartingpointhereistheunderstandingthathumandignityisexpressedandaffirmedinava-riety ofdimensions and in the relationships be-tweenthem.Thisiswhatformscommunionandishowthevaluesofcommunionareexperienced.

Thepolitical dimensionreferstothefactthatpoliticallifedependsoncitizenswhoexpresstheirhope and vision for the future. The multitudeof socialmovements formingcivil societygivesexampleofthis,withtheirpowertostrengthendemocracy and participatory political processesfrombelow.

Thislinkstotheideological dimensionwhichdefineswhatistrue,goodandright,andwherepeoplebringtheiragendaspromotingsolidarity,justice,peaceandcareforcreation,accordingtotheirworldviewandvalues.

Thesocial dimensioniswhereitbecomesclearwhetherornoteachindividualisgivenspaceforparticipationaccordingtoherorhisownidentityand engagement. If there is no space, ideologymaybecometotalitarian,whichisthecasewhenonly one truth is allowed, or only one under-standingofhopeisexpressed.Itisthepotential

21Diakonia

of the social arena to establish mechanisms ofinclusionandempoweringforparticipation,andacknowledgingthathumandifferencesareapo-tential,notaproblem.

Themanydimensionsofreality,areofcoursemuchmorecomplexthanthisillustrationisableto account for. There are also contradictionswithineachofthedimensionsthatdonotallowactionforabetterlifeasstraightforwardlyasonemighthope.

Inspiteofthis,roadmapshavealwaysbeenimportant for people on the move. Hope alsoneeds roadmaps. The real question is whetherhope,asprofoundanxietyineveryhumanbeingfor somethingbetter tohappen, isgrounded inwhatweareasGod’screation.Hopeisnotonlyanintrinsicdimensionofbeing.Weallhaveseenhope become reality, as witnessed in many sto-ries—a family member recovers from a seriousillness, a communal problem is solved throughjointaction,oroppressedpeopleachievefreedom.Insuchinstances,spiralsofhopewereexpressedandbrought strength to abroader reality in itspolitical,ideologicalandsocialdimensions.

Diakoniaischallengedbythespiralofhope-lessness,andinitsaction,itseekstosupportthespiral of hope. Diakonia takes initiatives of ac-companimentwhenpeoplemovefromonestepto another, envisioning transformation, recon-ciliationandempowerment.

5. Existential challenges in all contextsIt is important to remember that some funda-mental dimensions of human life are constantandindependentofthemanycontexts.Theyre-veal existential challenges that will always askfor diaconal response, namely the fact that weall are vulnerable to sickness, pain and suffer-ing, and thatwearemortalbeings that cannot

escapedeath.From this perspective it becomesclearthatdiakoniaisataskandapossibilityinallhumansituations.

Inaddition,weallexperiencethedestructiveforceofevilinsideusandsurroundingus,whichtriestodamageanddestroyrelationsandrespon-sibilities.Sometimesweactagainstourdeepestconvictionsandfailtodowhatisexpectedofus.Goodintentionscanalsobeexperiencedastheiropposite.Fromatheologicalpointofview,thisrelatestotheconceptoforiginalsin,therecogni-tionthatallhumanbeingsbytheirverynatureareengagedinsinfulaction.Thisrealitymakesallofusvictimsofevil,evenasitalsomakesusco-responsibleforevildoing.

But that is not the whole truth. In Christweare“a new creation”(2Corinthians5:17),nolongerboundbythepowerofsin.Therefore,dia-conal action seeks to resist evil at all levels, in-

In2003,theEthiopianEvangelicalChurchMekaneYesus(EECMY)beganaprojectforchildrenorphanedbyAIDS.Mosthadbeenlivingaloneforyearsandwithoutanycareorhopefortheirfuture.Thechurchworkedtogetherwiththeleadershipofthecommunitytoidentifythe150childrenmostinneedtobeacceptedintothisproject.Theaimwastonotonlyprovidefoodandshelter,buttointegratethemintonewfamilies.Ineverycase,thesechildrenfoundhomeswithfamiliesintheirformerneighborhood.Fundsweremadeavailabletothosefamiliestoprovidefood,bedsandblankets,thenecessaryschool-equipment.Regularvisitsfromchurchworkerssecuredaccesstomedicalcareandfurthereducation.Afterthreeyearsthesechildrenwereaskedtonamethegreatestchangeintheirlivesfromthisproject.Allansweredinthesameway:Wenowhaveaplacetostayovernight,togetdailyfood,tovisittheschoolandwenowhavenewparentsandsistersandbrotherstolivewith.Themostwonderfulchangeisthatbefore,wewerehomelessandleftalone,butnowwebelongandthisgivesushopeforourfuture.

22 Diakonia

cluding the socialandpolitical level.Evilmustbe addressed and denounced. Diaconal actionboldly announces alternative ways of being hu-manintheperspectiveoffaith,loveandhope.

Thecontextwillofcourseinfluencehowtheseexistentialchallengesaremet.Withinaspiralofhopelessness,painisoftenaddedtopain.Thismay

bethecaseinanaffluentsocietyaswellasinplacesofextremepoverty.Inthesamemanner,sufferingmaybealleviatedwherespiralsofhopecreatespaceforcare,solidarityandcommitmenttojustice,andfortheloveinChristthat“never ends”and“bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”(1Corinthians13:7-8).

Questions for Further Reflection

1. Whatarethemostpressingissuesinsocietythatcallfordiaconalresponsefromyourchurch?Aretheylocal,regionalorglobal?

2. Howisdiaconalworkbeingcarriedoutinyourchurch?Howdoesitrespondtotheissuesreferredtointhepreviousquestion?

3. Is“theSpiralofHope”(p.20)relevantinyourcontext?Howwouldyouuseittointerpretthesituationinwhichyoulive?

2�Diakonia

PART ii: ThE iDEnTiTy oF DiAkoniA

2� Diakonia

Part ii: The identity of diakonia1. The faith we confess in the Triune God

Christians confess faith in the Triune God. Itis this faith that constitutes the identity of theChurchandthereforetheidentityofdiakonia.

Faith in God the Creator confesses that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1). Faith inthe Creator also implies admiration and praise,

acknowledging the dignity and profound qual-ityofwhatiscreated.ThisisconsistentwiththeCreator’sownconclusionattheendofeveryday’screation: “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”(Genesis1).

Psalm 19 even announces a cosmic cel-ebration of God as the Creator! “The heavensare telling thegloryofGod;andthefirmamentproclaimshishandiwork,daytodaypoursforthspeech, and night to night declares knowledge.Thereisnospeech,noraretherewords;theirvoiceisnotheard;yettheirvoicegoesoutthroughalltheearth,andtheirwordstotheendoftheworld.”Inasimilarway,theauthorofPsalm8praisestheCreator, “O Lord, our Sovereign, how majesticisyournameinalltheearth!”Andhecontinuespointingattheunexpectedroleanddignityofhu-manbeings: “When I look at yourheavens, theworkofyourfingers,themoonandthestarsthat

©EYCE

2�Diakonia

youhaveestablished;whatarehumanbeingsthatyouaremindfulofthem,mortalsthatyoucareforthem.YetyouhavemadethemalittlelowerthanGod,andcrownedthemwithgloryandhonor.”

Suchfaithcontradictsworldviewsthatreducecreationtomaterialthingsthathumanbeingsarefreetoconsumeandeventowaste.Thematerialisneverjustmaterial,butanexpressionofGod’sgoodwill, touched by God’s endless love. God’s goodcreationcannotbereducedtoanobjectofhumanconsumption, but deserves respect and care. Allbeingsbelongtogetherintheecosystemofmutualrelationships and inter-dependency. Especially intimes of dramatic ecological crisis, this systemicpointofviewbecomesaveryurgentpriority.

Thedignityofhumanbeingshas itsdeepestrootsintheircreationintheimageofGod.How-ever,thisdoesnotgivereasonforanyformofan-thropocentrismwherebyallothercreationsareseentobeonlyattheserviceofhumanbeings.Onthecontrary,Godgives a special responsibility to allhumankind,tocareasstewardsforGod’screation.

Diaconal action affirms this vocation andseekstogiveopportunitiesforbeingpartnersinGod’smission.SuchactionconfessesGod’scon-tinuedpresence in theworld asCreator—everydayandineverysituation.Itaddsitsvoicetothecosmicproclamationof theTriuneGod’sglory.ThisconceptofcontinuedcreationisexpressedinLuther’sSmallCatechism:

IbelievethatGodhascreatedmeandallthatexists.Hehasgivenmeandstillpreservesmybody and soul with all their powers. He pro-vides me with food and clothing, home andfamily,dailywork,andall Ineed fromday today.Godalsoprotectsmeintimeofdangerandguards me from every evil. All this He doesoutoffatherlyanddivinegoodnessandmercy,though I do not deserve it. Therefore I surelyoughttothankandpraise,serveandobeyHim.Thisismostcertainlytrue.

ThisworldviewmotivatesChristiansforallkindsofdiaconalaction.ItalsomotivatesChristianstowork together with all people of good will, ac-knowledgingthateveryhumanbeingiscreatedinGod’simageandtherebygivenamandatetobeGod’s co-worker inGod’songoing loveandcareforallofcreation.

Even so, Christian faith admits that evilforces, injusticeanddeathare trying todestroylife every day—both outside and inside theChurch—and that there are situations whensuch forces seem to be victorious. Even then,hopedoesprevailbasedonthebiblicalmessagethat God is the God of Life who gives futureandhope,especiallytothepoorandtheexcluded(“Hoping against hope...”Romans4:18;“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 1:1). Such faith moti-vatesdiakoniatoresistevilandpromotejustice,toadvocatewithandforpeopleinneed,andtoactboldlyastransformativesignsofhope.

Faith in Jesus Christ confesses him as the in-carnateGodwhocame“nottobeserved,buttoserveandgive his life as a ransom for many.”(Mark10:45).HereJesusreferstohismessianicmissionusing the word “serve” (Greek: diakonein), in awaythatmakesproclamationanddiakoniainte-

Godlovesallhumanity.BecauseGodlovedusfirst,weourselvesareabletoloveandrespectthedignityofanyperson.Diaconalthinkingandactingfocusinparticularonthosewhosedignityhasbeenoffended.Thispresupposesaspiritualbasis,rootedinGod’sworkandintheserviceofChrist.Therefore,theChurchhasthemandatetotestifyforallmankindtoGod’slovefortheworldinJesusChrist.Diaconalactivityisoneformofthistestimony.

Source: DIAKONIA CHARTER of The European Federation for Diakonia (Eurodiaconia), 2000

2� Diakonia

graldimensionsofhiscomingasthein-breakingofGod’skingdom.

From the very beginning, the proclama-tionofJesusaffirmsthebroad-rangednatureofhis mission. Jesus’ diakonia has several dimen-sions.Itisanactofliberationandreconciliation,ofhealingandliftingupallthosewhoare“like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), espe-ciallysidingwiththesuffering,thedowntroddenand marginalized. Through Jesus’ diakonia, hu-mandignityisaffirmedanddefended.Relation-ships are established and affirmed,—relationsthat endure evenduring timesof suffering anddeath.Thusdiakoniawitnessesprophetically tothevaluesofGod’sKingdom.

All this reveals another dimension of Jesus’diakonia: his authority to invite persons, evensinners, to be included in the messianic fellow-ship that he establishes, and to empower themtoparticipateinhismission.ThisisreferredtoattheverymomentofinstallingtheHolyCommu-nion:“But I am among you as one who serves.”(Luke22:27).Thus Jesus’diakonianotonly constitutesfellowship,butitalsoqualifiesthosewhobelongtoit.ItisamanifestationofGod’sgracethatrec-onciles,transformsandempowers.ThisisalsothecoremessageinthestoryofJesuswashinghisdis-

ciples’feet(John13).Althoughnotfoundinthischapter,theworddiakoniaportraystheserviceofJesusaspowerfulactioninthesensethatthedis-ciples“haveshare”withhim(John13:8).Thus,thewashingoffeetisnotanethicaldemonstrationofhumilityinthefirstplace;itannouncesthecom-ingofanewerainhumanhistoryanditdemon-strates Jesus’diaconal authoritybywhich the in-clusivenessof thenewcommunityofdisciples isproclaimed(John1:13).

Faith in the holy Spirit asksGod’s life-givingbreathtograciouslyawakenfaithandtoempowerparticipationinthelifeandmissionofthecom-munionofbelievers.ThestoryaboutthecomingoftheHolySpiritinActs2illustratesthis,tell-inghowtheoncefrighteneddisciplesweretrans-formedastheSpiritfelluponthem,andhowtheywereempoweredforthemissiongiventothem.

OnthedayofPentecost,theApostlePeterannouncedthecomingoftheHolySpiritasful-fillmentofthepromiseoftheprophetJoel,that“your sons and your daughters shall prophesy … even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”(Acts2:17-18).Thespe-cialmentionofyoungpeople,womenandevenslaves, affirms the inclusive nature of the workoftheSpirit,largelycontradictingwhatisoftenconsideredthenaturalorderofauthority.ThisistotallyinlinewiththewayinwhichJesusofteninvertedthesocialorderofhisday,givingvoicetopeoplewhowereexpectedtokeepsilent.

The Holy Spirit makes inclusion a funda-mentalvalueinthelifeofthechurchandindia-conalpractice.BaptismisaholyspaceinthelifeoftheChurchwhereinclusivenessisradicallyan-nouncedasevensmallchildrenareembracedinthe communionofbelievers.At the same time,baptismistheverymomentofempowermentbythe Holy Spirit for participation in God’s mis-sion.AccordingtoanoldtraditionintheChurch,thebaptizedreceivea litcandle,remindingthe

©LWF/E.-S.Vogel-Mfato

2�Diakonia

personandallthebaptizedofJesus’wordstothedisciples:“You are the light of the world! … Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”(Matthew5:14-15).

InPaul’steaching,thisisrelatedtothegifts(charisma) of the Spirit: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord.”(1Corinthians1:4).SuchgiftsequiptheindividualChristianforserv-ice,butalsothecommunityasawholetorepresentthebodyofChrist.Thisaffirmsthevalueofvarie-tiesofgifts,inthesamewaythatabodyconsistsofdifferentmembers.Paulwarns against givingmoreimportancetosomegiftsthantoothersandremindsthatinthebody,eventhesmallestmem-bersarevitalandcannotbelost.

IntheLutherantradition,thisteachingoftheequalvalueofgiftshasledtowhatisunderstoodasthe priesthood of all believers.Thiscanalsobere-formulatedasthediakonia of all believerstowhichallbaptizedarecalledandequipped,regardlessoftheirapparentstatusorsocialconditions.ThebasicconditionforthisrealityistheoutpouringoftheHolySpiritandthegiftofcommunionwithChrist.BecausebaptismgivesusashareinChrist’sdeathandresurrection,“so we too might walk in newness of life,”(Romans6:4).InChrist,whoistheLightoftheworld,hisfollowersaretransformedtobelightoftheworldthemselves.

This reflects Luther’s explanation on theHolySpiritintheSmallCatechism:

Ibelieve thatIcannotbymyownunderstand-ingoreffortbelieveinJesusChrist,myLord,orcometoHim.ButtheHolySpirithascalledmethroughtheGospel,enlightenedmewithHisgifts,andsanctifiedandkeptme in true faith.In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens,and sanctifies thewholeChristian Church onearth,andkeepsitunitedwithJesusChristintheonetruefaith.InthisChristianChurch,day

afterdayHefullyforgivesmysinsandthesinsofallbelievers.OnthelastdayHewillraisemeandallthedeadandgivemeandallbelieversinChrist,eternallife.Thisismostcertainlytrue.

Thisisindeedasolidfoundationforbeinginclud-edandalso forbeingempowered forparticipat-inginGod’smission.

2. Diakonia as integral part of being ChurchFromtheverybeginningitbecameimperativefortheChristiancommunitytogivecontinuitytoJe-sus’diaconalmission.Thememoryofhisteachingcertainly shaped the values and qualities of theirlifestyle:“For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”(John13:15)and;“As the Father has sent me, so I send you,”(John20:21).

Thus, diakonia became a fundamental con-cept in the life of the Christian congregationsall over the Roman Empire. Diakonia also be-camethetermforthedesignationofleadershippositions in the Church (e.g.,Romans11:13; 2Corinthians 4:1; Colossians 4:17). The story ofthe installationof the sevennew leaders in thecongregationinJerusaleminActs6,showshowthemarginalizationofGreekwidowschallengedthechurch’sinclusivenature.Itwasnotonlythedignity of those ignored in the daily diakoniathatwasatrisk,buttheverydiaconalqualityofthefellowship.ToignorethiswouldbetoignorethedevastatingpowerofsinanditspotentialtodestroywhatGodhasreconciledinChrist.The

DiakoniaisthecaringministryoftheChurch.ItistheGospelinactionandisexpressedthroughlovingyourneighbor,creatinginclusivecommunities,caringforcreationandstrugglingforjustice.

Definition of diakonia, Church of Norway Plan for diakonia

2� Diakonia

installationoftheseven,allofwhomhadGreeknames and therefore probably represented thewidows’culturalandsocialenvironment,wasnotmerelyapracticalmatterinordertohavethingsdonebetter.Itwasanactofsecuringthefunda-mentalself-understandingoftheChurch,forthewell-beingofthewholefellowshipandforpublicwitness.Thesevenwereall“ full of the Spirit,”areminderthattheHolySpirit,whoisgivinglifetotheChurch,alsoistheblessingpowerforitsdiaconallifestyle.Thestoryconcludes:“The word of God continued to spread; the number of the dis-ciples increased greatly in Jerusalem…”(Acts6:7).

Diakonia therefore, is related to the congre-gation’s ethos and structures. In other words, itisbothanexpressionofwhatthechurchisbyitsverynature,andwhatismanifestedinitsdailylife,plansandprojects.Itisthereforenaturaltodesig-natecertainconcreteactionsasdiakonia.Oneex-amplealreadymentioned,isthedailydistributionoffoodandotherneededthingsinActs6.

Another is thecollectionorganizedbyPauland his colleagues for the poor congregation inJerusalem.This initiative is referredto inseveral

places in the New Testament,andissimplycalled“the diakonia”.Themostextensivecommentaryisfoundin2Corinthians8and9.ThewayinwhichtheApostlePaul admonishes the congrega-tioninCorinthtoparticipateinthecollectionisinterestingandinstructive even today, for thedevelopment of a theology ofdiakonia.

To start with, it is worth-while to notice that Paul doesnot explicitly refer to the pov-ertyaffectingthecongregationin Jerusalem. It may be, thattheirsituationalreadywaswellknownand that furtherwords

were unnecessary. But more probably, this isdue to the basic understanding of diakonia asgroundedintheologicalandecclesiologicalprin-ciples,andnotprimarilyinthevarioussituationsofhumanneed.

ForPaul,diakoniaisanexpressionofkoino-nia,thenewcommunionofGod’speopleinJesusChrist.Interestinglyenough,Paulevenusestheexpression the koinonia of diakonia (2 Corinthi-ans8:4).TheChristiancongregationsinCorinth,Macedonia,Jerusalemandelsewhereareunitedfor diakonia and at the same time, united bydiakonia,firstandforemostbythediaconalmis-sionofJesus:“For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich”(2Corinthians8:9).

Akeywordhereisgrace.ThewayinwhichPaulusesthisword,leadsustotheunderstandingthatgrace ismore thananattitude; itmanifestsitselfasactiveintervention,asrevealedinthein-carnateJesusandhissalvificwork.CommunioniscreatedandsustainedbyGod’sgracerevealedasworkoflove.TobeinChrist,impliesbeinginhis

©L

WF/

E.-S

.Vog

el-M

fato

2�Diakonia

graceandparticipatinginhiscontinuedandactiveworkoflove.Thepracticeofdiakonia,itsethosofinclusivenessandthemutualsharingofresources,clearlyimplyethicaldemands,butitsbasisistheexperienceofGod’sgraceandthegiftofbelong-ingtothecommunioncreatedbyGod’sgrace.

While thismaygiveus the impression thatdiakonia is somethingonly spiritual and remotefrom everyday life, the last section of 2 Corin-thians8showshowpracticaldiakoniahastobe.Here,Paulraisesquestionsoforganizationandac-countabilityindealingwithcollectedmoney,thuspointing to the importanceof responsibility andtransparencywhendoingdiakonia.Butevenhere,we find references to communion. Honesty is amatterofrelations,bothwithGodandwithfellowhumanbeings.Dishonestywouldmeanbreakingthe communion. It is also significant thatTitus,whoisgivenakeyroleinorganizingdiakonia,ispresentedas“co-worker”,(“koinonos”2Corinthians8:23)whichaffirmspartnershipandcommitmenttothewell-beingofthecommunion.

In2Corinthians9,theintimateconnectiontotheChurch’sliturgyisanotherdimensionadd-edtothetheologyofdiakonia:DiakoniagrowsoutofworshipandaimsatthanksgivingtoGodforGod’sindescribablegift(2Corinthians9:15).Diakonia is a response to concrete situationsofsuffering, need and injustice, the fulfillment ofthecommandmentoflove,andinallthatisanexpression of what the Church believes in andconfesses:thegraceofGod—forthehealingoftheworld.

Diakoniaisthusanintrinsicelementofbe-ingChurchandcannotbereducedtoanactivitybycertaincommittedpersonsormadenecessarybyexternalsocialconditions.Diakoniaisdeeplyrelated to what the Church celebrates in its lit-urgyandannouncesinitspreaching.Inthesameway,liturgyandproclamationrelatetodiakonia.Thecommunion(koinonia)oftheChurchismadevisiblethroughitsthreemainexpressions.

Celebration(leiturgia)

Proclamation (kerygma)

Service (diakonia)

Communion(koinonia)

Fig. 2: The dimensions of being Church

Themainpurposeofthisdiagramistoillustratethatthesethreedimensionsofcelebration,proc-lamation and service are inter-related in a waythateachoneisrootedintheothertwo,andinfactwouldnotexistwithoutthem.Diakoniacan-notbeseparatedfromwhattheChurchproclaimsand celebrates. There is no hierarchy betweenthem,andallareexpressionsofcommunion.

Inasimilarmanner,itbecomesclearthattheChurch’sproclamationandcelebrationhavetoberooted indiakonia. Ifnot,proclamationmaybeperceivedasproselytism,andcelebrationasspiri-tualism.Allthreedimensionsorientandstimulateeachothermutually.Ifonedimensionismissing,thelifeandthemissionofthecommunioncannotbefullyunfolded.Itremainsabodysufferingbe-causeavitalmemberhasbeenamputated.

The key to diaconal identity is that its ver-tical andhorizontaldimensions are inseparable.Without the vertical dimension, diakonia losesitsspiritualworldviewanditsembeddinginwhattheChurchproclaimsandcelebrates.Itrunsthe

TheChurchisacongregationofpersonsassembledinChrist’swordandSpirittobeonebody,puttogetherofvariousmembers,eachwithanofficeandworkdedicatedtobetteringthewholebodyandallitsmembers.

Martin Bucer, 1538

�0 Diakonia

riskofbecomingmeresocialaction,determinedbysecularinterestsandgoals.

The horizontal dimension is equally funda-mental for diakonia. Without it, diakonia wouldloseitsrootednessinreallife,andwouldnolongerbea response to thechallengesof society. If thishappens,diakoniahasbecomespiritualizedandtoolimitedbyitstheologicalandecclesialframework.

Therefore, diakonia must be dialectical in awaythatcommunicatesbothverticalandhorizontalperspectives.Thatmeansthatreflectionondiakoniahastobeinter-disciplinary,takingintoaccountin-sightfromboththeologicalandsocialsciences.

Theaffirmationthattheverticalandthehori-zontaldimensionsindiakoniaareinter-connected,doesnotmeanuncriticallymixingthetwo.InPartIII of this document, the important question ofhowdiakoniarelatestoproclamationisdealtwith.Onecentralissueofthisquestionishowtodistin-guish the two dimensions without separating ormixingthem.Gooddiaconalpracticeisorientedby its Christian identity and faith in a graciousGod.Thebiblicalviewonhumandignity isnotrespectedifdiaconalactionisusedasanopportu-nitytopropagatemoralorreligiousteaching,es-

peciallyifthishappensinsituationswherepeopleareextravulnerableanddependonhelpfromoth-ers.SincethegraceofGodisafreegift,diaconalactionmustbegenerousandunconditional.Onlythen,doesitreflectandgivetestimonytoGod’s

“indescribable gift”(2Corinthians9:15).WhentheChurch isunderstoodaccording

to the dimensions of celebration, proclamationandservice, italsobecomesclear thatdiakoniacannotbesilent,buthastopubliclyraiseitsvoice.Asfaith-basedaction,itwillalwaysgiveaccountofwhatmotivatesitsaction,andgivewitnesstoGod’slovethatnurturesfaithandgiveshope.Inthesamemanner,diakoniahastobefaithfultoitspropheticmandateandspeakupagainstsinfulpracticesandstructuresthatcausesufferinganddegradationofhumandignity,andspeakoutforamorehumanandjustsociety.Often,diaconalworkershavehadapioneeringroleinhelpingtheChurchtoassumearoleasChurchforothers,aservingcommunity,andevenmoreimportantly,aChurchwithandofthepoor.

ThethreedimensionsofbeingChurchaspre-sentedhere, implyanalternativeworldviewbasedonvaluessuchasequalityandmutualityinhuman

relations.Inclusivenessbecomesavitalkeytotestwhethertheiden-tity given by God’s grace is ex-pressedinthelifeoftheChurch.Assuming this role, diakoniamay challenge the Church nottoconformtothestatusquo,butto confront human constructsofpower,notonlyinsocietybutalsowithinitsownstructures.

Leadership models andpractice are an important areafor testing this. All leadershipimpliestheexerciseofauthorityandtheuseofpower.Howeverthereisasignificantdifferencebetweenexercisingpowerover

©LWF/D.Lorenz

�1Diakonia

people and exercising it for people. Jesus exer-cised his Messianic authority (Greek: exousia),as power to lift up the sick and downtrodden,to include the sickandexcluded in society andevenmore in thecommunionofhis reign, andtoempowerthemtoparticipateinhismissiontotheworld.Thisauthorityforpeople,indefenseoftheir dignity and for transformation, reconcilia-tion, andempowerment is the sortof authoritythatJesuscommendedtheapostlestouseintheirleadership roles (Mark 10:42-45; John 13:15;20:21).Itisnotpowerover,asoftenexperiencedintheworldwherethepowerfulusetheirauthor-itytokeeppeopledown,tosilencethemandtobesubjecttotheirexclusiveaction.

Anotherareaisrelatedtogender.Theaccesswomen have, or do not have to leadership anddecisionmakingpositions,clearlyindicateshowchurchespracticeinclusivenessasafundamentalvalueinthelifeoftheChurch.Fromthisunder-standing,theordinationofwomenisfirstofalltheologicallygroundedasavisibleexpressionofthedignityofallGod’speopleandtheirvocationtoparticipatefullyinGod’smission.

The same can be observed in relation toyoung people and the elderly. When youth areencouraged to participate actively and assumeleadership positions, it is not only for the sakeoftheyouth,butforthewell-beingofthewholecommunity that needs the perspective and en-gagementofyoungpeople.Inasimilarmanner,the contribution of elderly people is lost whentheirexperiencesandwisdomarenothonored.

Infact,thesecretofinclusiveandparticipa-torypatternsofbeingtogether, is thatallpartsinvolvedbenefitfromsuchpractice.Thetheolog-icalunderstandingofbeingacommunionaffirmsthis,asitconfessesthatthecommunionitselfisGod’sgift,andthatthisgiftisfullyexperiencedwhenwe,asdifferentmembersofonebody,ac-knowledge each other and mutually share thegiftsgiventoeachofus.

3. The diakonia of the table

HolyCommunionisanother importantspace inthelifeoftheChurchwhichincludesandempow-ersforservice.AsweareservedbytheLordofthetable,wearealsostrengthenedforourdiaconalser-vice.IntheOrthodoxtradition,diakoniaissome-timescalledtheliturgy after the liturgy,indicatingthemysteryoftransformationthatisexperiencedatthetable,equipstheparticipantstobeagentsoftransformation,empowermentandreconciliationastheyreturnfromthetabletoeverydaylife.

The celebration of Holy Communion an-nouncesGod’sunconditionalloveinChristandtheinclusivenatureofGod’sdiakonia.Weallap-proachthetablewithemptyhands,andwiththeacknowledgementthatitisonlybyGod’sgraceinChrist,thatwehaveaccesstothecommunion

©F

EL

M

�2 Diakonia

of the table.The fact thatChristhimselfhoststheHolyCommunion,encouragesandmobilizesusforourparticipationinGod’sdiakoniatotheworld. This understanding challenges churchesthathave the customof celebratingHolyCom-munionafewtimesayear.

It happens however, that because somechurchesadministerthissacramentinamannerbywhichtheyexcludefromparticipation,thosewhoby certain behavior, are considered “unworthy”5members of the congregation. Such moralisticuseofchurchdisciplinemayobscurethediaconaldimensionofHolyCommunionanditspowerastransformativesacramentand“spaceofinclusion”inaworldwheresomanyexperienceexclusion.

To consider someone unworthy to partici-pateinthecelebrationofHolyCommunion,maytakedifferentformstoday,butitshouldalwaysbeareasonforself-examinationintheChurch.Notlongago,somechurchesdeniedpeopleaccesstotheLord’sTablebecauseofthecoloroftheirskin.Today,somearestigmatizedbecausetheyareliv-ingwithHIV,orbecausetheirfamilysituationisnotconsideredmorallyacceptable.Thevocation

5 Perhapswithreferenceto1Corinthians11:27.Theissuehere

is,however,notunworthypersons,butunworthymanners.

of inclusivenesswill alwaysbean importantex-pressionoftheChurch’sdiaconalnature.

Inhis lettertothecongregationinCorinth,theApostlePaul sharply criticized suchwaysofcelebratingtheHolyCommunion(1Corinthians11).Insteadofbeingaspaceofunion, ithadbe-comeamomentofmanifestingdivisionandself-centeredness.Inaskingthemtowaitforeachoth-er,Paulmostlikelyreferredtothepoorestamongthemwhohadtoworkuntilthelateeveningbe-causeoftheirstatusasslavesorservants.Ifothersstartedthemeal,notallowingthepoorest tobepartof the celebration, theverydiaconaldimen-sionofthecommunionwouldbejeopardized.

Inaddition to inclusiveness,HolyCommu-nionhasotherkeydiaconaldimensions. Indif-ferentways, all express the transformingpowerofGod’sgraceinJesusChrist,andcontributetothebasicidentityofdiakonia.

Hospitalityisanotherdimensionofdiakonia.TheNewTestamentcontainsanumberofnarra-tivesonhospitality(Luke7:36-50;14:7-24;22:14-30).TheyreflecttheethosoftheperiodofAntiq-uity,accordingtowhich,communionatthetablemeans much more than just eating together; itimpliesfriendship,mutualsocialacceptanceandsolidarity. That is why Jesus provoked so manywhen he ate with those whom the ‘respected’people would not like to see at their tables. In-vitedtothetableinthehouseofSimontheleper,he stronglydefended thewomanwhoanointedhim. On that occasion, even his own discipleswereangrythathegavethatwomanaccesstothetablewherehewassitting(Matthew26:6-13).

Inthisway,JesusrevealedGod’shospitalityasafundamentalelementofhisMessianicmission,intheSpiritofwhatlongbeforehadbeenproclaimedbythePsalmist:“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”(Psalm23:5-6).

©L

SS-N

CA

/K.M

iller

-Hol

land

��Diakonia

InthediaconaltraditionoftheChurch,suchshelterisgiventohomeless,orphansandwidows.Persecuted people are offered asylum. In doingso,theChurchrunstheriskofbeingpersecuted,paying the price of sacrificing its own peacefullifewithinthesociety.ButfollowingtheexampleofJesus, itbelongstothemandateofpropheticdiakonia to grant hospitality. That is affirmedby the apostolic exhortation: “Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”(Romans12:13).Thisformofhospitalityalsoin-cludesadvocacyandprotection.

Sharing is another profound diaconal di-mensionoftablecommunion.Notonlyarewords,stories and experiences shared at the table, butoftenalsowhatiseatenanddrunk.Herewearenottalkingabouttableasakindoffurniture,butmoreasametaphorforthatspacewherepeople

sit togetheraroundameal, sharing thegiftsofbelongingtogether.

Thetableisaboveall,aprivilegedspaceforreconciliation. The table allows people to meetface to face, with names and identities, withtheirstoriesandanxieties.Thespiritofsharingconstitutesnewrelationsthatmoreeasilypermitforgivenessandnewbeginnings.BecauseChris-tiansthemselvesexperiencereconciliationattheLord’sTable,itmotivatesthemforthechurch’sministryofreconciliation(2Corinthians5:18).Itis worthwhile noticing that the Greek originalreads“diakonia”ofreconciliation,certainlymod-eledbythediakoniaofJesusandhisholisticap-proachindealingwithsufferingandinjustice.

ThemysteryoftransformationisthecenterofHolyCommunion.OrdinarybreadandwinearereceivedasChrist’spreciousbodyandblood.Sins

©LWF/J.Schep

�� Diakonia

areforgivenandsinnerstransformedtobeagentsoftransformationastheyreturntotheireverydaylife.Despondencyistransformedintohopeandreadinesstoservewithjoy.Thatiswhatthedisci-plesofEmmausexperiencedastheircompanionontheroadbrokethebread intheirhouseandrevealedhimselfastherisenLordattheirtable.Inamysteriousway,theyetstillunknownguesttooktheroleofbeingthehost,openingtheireyeswhilehewassharingbreadandwinewiththem.The gifts of the table strengthened their body,soul and spirit, and empowered them to hurrybacktoJerusalem,eagertosharewiththeotherdiscipleswhathadhappenedtothem.

Ofcourse,therearealsosituationswhereitisdifficulttoregisteranysignoftransformation,es-peciallyinlightofwhatisexperiencedineverydaylife.Butnevertheless,confidenceinthemysteryoftransformationcontinuestodrawbelieverstothetable,praying“comeLord, transformtheworld!”And theywill again andagainfindnew inspira-tioninstoriesoftransformation,liketheoneaboutZacchaeus,whoinvitedJesustohistable,butreal-izedthathehimselfwastheinvitedone.Thisex-periencetransformedhimandmadehimdeclare:

“Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”(Luke19:8).

Thisstoryindicatesthatcompassionandjus-ticearevisiblesignsoftransformation,andthere-forealsosignsoftheChurchbeinganagentoftransformation.

4. Good worksDoinggoodtoothersisanintegralpartofthenewlifegiveninChrist.Lutheranshavealwaysbeensuspiciouswhengoodworksareliftedupasneces-sarydemands.Itisfearedthattoomuchattentiononworks(ordeeds)mightunderminetheprincipleofjustificationbyfaithalone.Forthisreason,someLutheransmayevenfinddiakoniainprincipletobeproblematic,especiallyifdiakoniaispresentedaspartofwhatconstitutestheChurch.

Therefore,itisusefultorememberhowtheConfessio Augustana (CA)presents theLutheranteachingongoodworks:

“Likewise,theyteachthatthisfaithisboundtoyieldgood fruitsand that itought todogoodworkscommandedbyGodonaccountofGod’swillandnotsothatwemaytrustintheseworksto merit justification before God. For forgive-nessof sinsand justificationare takenholdofby faith, as the saying of Christ also testifies.”(Luke17:10):“Whenyouhavedoneall(things)

…say,“Weareworthlessslaves.”“TheauthorsoftheancientChurchteachthesame.ForAmbro-sesays:“ItisestablishedbyGodthatwhoeverbelievesinChristshallbesavedwithoutwork,byfaithalone,receivingtheforgivenessofsinsasagift.”(CAVI)

What is rejected is an understanding of goodworksasactionwiththeintentiontoobtainmeritsbeforeGodandhumanbeings.Whatisdefended,aregoodworksasvisibleexpressionsof thenewlifeinChristgivenbyfaith,asitiswrittenintheJoint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification:

©LWF/D.Lorenz

��Diakonia

“Grace as fellowship of the justified withGod in faith,hope, and love is always receivedfromthesalvificandcreativeworkofGod.Butit is nevertheless the responsibility of the justi-fiednottowastethisgracebuttoliveinit.Theexhortationtodogoodworksistheexhortationtopracticethefaith…”�

ForLuther, this isdeeplyconnected tohisunderstandingofGod’slovethatispresentintheworldthroughChrist.AllbaptisedareinChristgifted by the same love, and their actions ex-pressGod’sgoodwillforallcreation.Therefore,ChristianobedienceisnotobediencetomoralorpiousstandardsinanefforttobecomelikeJesus,but,obediencetowhatweareinChrist.Itdoesnotdependoncommitmentandstrongwill,butflowsoutof thenew life inChrist and theem-poweringpresenceoftheHolySpirit.

6 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, TheLutheran

World Federation/Catholic Church, Wm. B. Eerdmans

Publishing,2000,Annex2D,p.45.

ItisimportanttohavethisinmindifdiakoniaiseverpresentedasthegratefulresponseofChris-tianstowhattheyhavereceivedinfaith.Thismaygivetheimpressionthatdiakoniabecomesasortofsecondact,whereasthejustificationbyfaithisthefirstact.Diakoniawouldthenbeunderstoodasaconsequenceoffaith,anobligationtoproducegoodworksingratitudeforthegracegiveninChrist,andnotasanintegralpartofwhatconstitutesfaith.

Luther did not understand justification byfaithinthatway,asadramaoftwodifferentacts.ThebelieverisjustifiedinChristandinChristonly,andthishastwoequallyfundamentaldimensions:Ontheonehand,itmeanstobeonewithChristinhisrelationtoGodtheFatherandtobecomeinChrist,justifiedchildrenofGod.Ontheotherhand,itimpliestobeonewithChristinhismis-siontotheworld,onewithhiminhisdiakonia.

Lutherelaboratesthisunderstandinginhiswriting,On the Freedom of a Christian,wherethefollowingfamousaphorismisfound:“A Christian is the freest lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian

©E

CC

B/Ja

nSi

lar

�� Diakonia

is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.”ThisdoubleidentityasbeingsimultaneouslyfreelordandservantismodeledinChristJesus

“who, though he was in the form of God … emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in hu-man likeness.”(Philippians2:6-7).

Bybaptism,thebelieverisgivenpartinthisidentity.Lutheraffirms:“We conclude therefore that a Christian does not live in himself, but in Christ, and in the neighbor, or else is no Christian; in Christ by faith, in the neighbor by love. By faith the person is carried upwards above himself to God, and by love he sinks back below himself to his neighbor …”

Allthismayleadustothinkthatdiakoniaiseasilyexplainedandeasilydone.Realityisofcoursemuchmorecomplex.Asanyotherhumanaction,diakoniaalsosometimesfailsandmissesits objectives. Theologically this is grounded intheconceptof simul justus et peccator (simultane-ously justified and sinner), which is the under-standing thataChristian,although justifiedbygrace,continuestobeasinner.Christianlifeisconditionedbythestrugglebetweenwhatweal-readyareinChristandwhatwecontinuetobeas sinfulhumans.This reality shouldnot causeustobepessimistic,sayingthatdoingwellisnotpossible.Norshoulditmakeusnaive,believingthat good persons are able to perform what isalwaysgood.It shouldgiveusa realisticunder-standingofourconditionashumanbeings,ourlimitations and sinfulness, but also our dignityas created in God’s image and our vocation asmembersofChrist’sbody.

There are still other theological terms thatmaybehelpfultoorientdiakoniawhendealingwiththedialecticbetweenwhatisnewinChristandwhatcontinuestobe,accordingtotheorderofthepast.IntheNewTestament,thetermaion(age—Ephesians 2:7; Galatians 1:4; Colossians1:26)isusedtodescribedifferentperiodsoftimetowardthefinalfulfillmentofGod’splanofsal-vation,andalsothetensionsbetweenthem.

©LWF/J.Schep

��Diakonia

Theologians likeLutherprefertotalkaboutthe two kingdoms, one being the present worldwherewe,ascitizensaresubjecttoitslimitationsandsuffering,theotherbeingGod’skingdomthatJesusannouncedwasnear,andinhimhasalreadycome,andalsowhereweanticipatethefulfillmentofallitsblessings.(Mark1:15,Matthew12:28)

Diaconalactionisperformedwithinthissi-multaneityofwhatisalreadyandwhatisstilltocome. Itbearswitness toGod’sgrace andcareforcreationasChristiansareempowered todogoodwithandforothers.Butitalsoreflectshu-man shortcoming and corruption. This realityshouldwarnusagainstromanticandeventrium-phalconceptsofdiakonia.Diakoniamustbeself-criticalandrealistic,buteventhenneverloseitsconvictionthatbyGod’sgrace,fragile“clay jars”cancontaintreasures.(2Corinthians4:7).

5. Diaconal spirituality“Ora et labora” (Latin for “pray and work”), thefamousmottoofStBenedict that laterbecameaguidingformulaforthelifeinmonasteriesandconvents,pointsattheinterrelationbetweenspir-ituallifeanddiaconalwork.Theformuladoesnotonly say that both elements are important, butthat theymutuallydependoneachother.Trueprayerisincarnatedintheexperiencesofreallifeandinthestruggleagainsttheforcesofdeath.Inthesamewaydiaconalworkisimbeddedinthatforwhichfaithseesandhopelongs.

WorshipanddiakonianurtureeachotherinthedailylifeoftheChurch.Mostelementsoftheliturgy have a clear diaconal dimension. Whenthesacramentsareadministeredcorrectly(Confes-sio AugustanaVI), theyarevehiclesofgraceandof diaconal identity, both in the life of the indi-vidual Christian and in the life of the commu-nion.ItwasawellestablishedpracticeintheearlyChurchandavisiblesignofthisinterconnection

betweenworshipanddiakonia,thatthedeaconsbroughtthebreadthatwasleftoveraftertheHolyCommuniontothepoor.Thisdiakoniawascalledthe “liturgy after the liturgy”, and itmade visiblethebridgebetween the twomoments—of trans-formativegraceinfavorofthepoor.

Thespiritualityofdiakoniaisorientedbythemysteryoftransformationandofthesignificanceofwhatapparentlyisinsignificant.ItisinspiredbythepromiseoftheLordwhoidentifieshimselfwiththenakedandthehungry.(Matthew25).Itseesvisita-tionandhospitalityasnotonlyformsofdiaconalactivity,butasmomentsofspiritualencounterwith

“angels without knowing it.”(Hebrews13:2).Spiritualitymaybeinterpretedasawayofsee-

ingthingsinadeepersense.DiaconalspiritualityseesthepresenceofGodineverydaylifeandespe-ciallyinsituationswherepeoplestruggleforlifeanddignity.ItknowsGodastheOnewhoproclaims:

“I have observed the misery of my people …I have heard their cry … I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them …”(Exodus3:7-8).ThiswayofseeingGodisclosertoverbsthatindicatesalvificinterventionthattonounsthatexpressstaticbeing.

Diaconalspiritualityseeshumanbeingsascre-atedandgiftedbyGod.Alongthesameline,hu-mancommunionisseenasthespacewherepeaceand justicemaybeexperienced,promotedandin-terconnected.Thefactthateachofusisgifteddif-ferentlyallowsustoperceivetherichnessofacom-munitywheregiftsareshared.DiaconalspiritualityseekstodiscoverandtoaffirmtherichnessofsuchbelonginginChurchandinsociety.

Finally, diaconal spirituality is shaped bythetheologyofthecross.ThistheologyaffirmsthatonlyGodcanputanendtoevil.Thecross

WedoGod’sworknotbecauseGodneedsustodoso,butbecauseourneighbordoes.WedoGod’sworkinChrist’snameforthelifeoftheworld.

Bishop Mark S. Hanson, President of the LWF 2003-2010

�� Diakonia

ofJesusChristisGod’s“No”tohumanself-con-fidence; itannouncesGod’ssalvificvictoryoversuffering, injustice and death. God’s graciouscompassioncreatesaspiritualitysensitivetopeo-ple who suffer and mobilizes for solidarity andboldaction.Thisspirituality isnurturedby thebelief that in Jesus Christ the way has alreadybeenopenedthatleadsfromthecross(via crucis)toresurrection(via resurrectionis).Inotherwords,it rejects easy ways and simplistic answers tocomplexchallenges,andisintheveryend,readytopaythecostsforsuchdiaconalactionofsoli-darityandcommitmentforabetterworld.

Consequently, diaconal spirituality not onlyshapesourdoing,butalsoourbeing.Itshapesthewhole person and forms the heart of everyone in-volved.Diakoniabecomesawayoflife,awayofbe-inginthisworld.Diaconalspiritualityisalife-longholistic experience that empowers and forms theheartinsuchawaythatdiakoniabecomesacertainhabitus ordispositionthatorientsandmotivateshowwelive.Thisholisticunderstandingofdiaconalspir-itualitycomesoutofanembodiedspiritualpraxis.

Diaconalspiritualityisanimportantresourcefor people who are constantly attentive to otherpeople’sneeds.Ithelpstoacknowledgeone’sownneeds and to bring them before God in worship,prayerandritual.Volunteersandfull-timediaconal

workerswithoftendemandingtasksarecalledtofollowJesus’invitation:“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”(Matthew11:28).Itisimportanttohavespace and time for spiritual nourishment. Whenoverworked staff and volunteers realize that theyexperienceburn-out,diaconalspiritualitybecomesanimportantpartoftheirdiaconalcommitment.

Perhapswithasenseofhumour,Jesustellsthestoryoftheslaveswhoreturntothehouseaf-teralongdayofwork.Butinsteadofgettingrest,theyareorderedbytheirmastertopreparesup-per.“So also you”,Jesusconcluded,“when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”(Luke17:10).

Atafirstglimpse,thissayingmaygivetheim-pressionofdiakoniaasuntiringservice,notrecog-nizedevenbytheLord,andofpeopleengagedindiakonia like worthless slaves. Diaconal spiritual-ity,however,seesthisinadifferentway:asabsolutefreedomtoserve, independentof individualquali-fications,reportsofperformanceandeventuallytheapplause of those surrounding us. This freedom,againandagainisnurturedbyGod’sgraceasweexperiencethatwearenotleftalonewhileworkinginthefield,butaccompaniedbytheLordandbymanyothersprovidingcommunionandsharing.

Questions for Further Reflection

1. HowdoesthetheologicalreflectionpresentedinPartIIcorrespondtoteachingandprocla-mationinyourchurch?

2. Whataretheconnectionsbetweenthistheologicalunderstandingandthedifferentexpres-sionsofdiaconalworkinyourchurch?Howcouldsuchconnectionsbefurtherdeveloped?

3. Inthissection,somebiblicalentrypointsaregivenforatheologicalunderstandingofdiakonia.Whichothertextsorconceptswouldyouaddorevengiveastrongerfocusto?

4. Inyourexperience,howisdiakoniarelatedtoworshiplifeandspirituality?Howwouldyouliketoseetheserelationshipsdeveloped?

��Diakonia

PART iii: ThE ACTion

oF DiAkoniA

�0 Diakonia

Part iii: The action of diakonia1. The purpose of diakonia

TheDictionaryoftheEcumenicalMovementde-finesdiakoniaas“responsibleserviceoftheGos-pelbydeedsandbywordsperformedbyChris-tiansinresponsetotheneedsofpeople.”�

7 Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement,WCCPublications

Geneva2002,p305

This definition contains several importantelements. It is first of all clear that diakonia isactionandcannotbe limited tostatementsandgood intentions. Diakonia contains deed andwords, formed as “responsible service” whichmeansactionforwhichoneisaccountable.

Secondly,itaffirmsthatdiakoniaisperformedbyChristians.Thisisnottobeunderstoodinanexclusiveway,asifonlyChristiansareabletodorender“responsibleservice”,butasanaffirmationofthedistinctivenatureofdiaconalwork.

Thirdly,diaconalworkhas a focus,namelytheneedsofpeople.Itisthereforenotcorrecttousediakoniatodesignateallkindsofgoodwork.Such a wide understanding of the term wouldmakeitloseitsfunction.Inthelongtraditionofthechurch,diakoniahasbeenlinkedtothesitu-ationofsick,poorandmarginalizedpeople,and

©LWF/D.Lorenz

�1Diakonia

hasbeencarriedouttoaccompany,supportanddefendpeoplewhoarevulnerable.

Thus,themostcrucialquestionis:HowdoestheChurch respond to theneedsof vulnerablepeople?Thisisaquestionthatmustbereflectedupon well. Only then can diakonia be “respon-sibleservice”.

1.1 Responding to individuals and groups

A first concern to address is whether it is theneedsofindividualsand/ortheneedsofgroupswhichinvitediaconalresponse.Ontheonehand,there isanethical imperative thatcomesoutofChristiananthropologytodefendthedignityofeach human being and her or his ability to beasubjectabletoassumeresponsibilityforherorhisownlifeandcivicparticipation.Toooftenithappens that individuals are reduced to anony-mous parts of a target group, or characterizedas victims, clients, or recipients. It is thereforeimportanttorememberthateachpersoncarriesindividual experiencesof suffering andofhope,and also capacities that are to be affirmed andstrengthenedintheprocessoftransformation.

On the other hand, it is also important toremember that an individualistic approach india-conalworkhasmanylimitations.Itisforinstanceclearthatpoverty,whichhassevereindividualim-pact,isarealityofsystemsaffectinglargesectionsofpopulations.AsLatinAmericansbecameawareof the growing poverty in their continent in the1960s,theyconcludedthatpovertyisnotagivenre-ality,butsomethingveryoften“produced”byunjusthistoricalprocessesofoppression.Peoplearemadepoor(“empobrecidos”).Actiontoovercomepovertyhastotakethisintoconsideration;povertyisaso-cial and political reality, not just the unfortunatesituationofanindividual.Withoutthisperspective,itcouldhappenthatpoverty is interpretedasper-

sonalfateduetolackofeducationorevenlaziness,suggestingthatthepoorarealoneresponsible fortheirownsituationsofpoverty.

According to Christian teaching, the great-est commandment is to love God “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “your neighbor as yourself.”(Matthew22:37-39).Respondingtotheneighbor whentheneighborisa community,oragroupofaffectedpeoplealsohas theadvantage thatmanypeople,not just in-dividuals,canbeinvolvedindiaconalprocessesoftransformation.Itispossibletoestablishnetworksofpeople,andstimulateorganizedinitiativesandinstitutional responses. This is applicable in nu-meroussituations:forpeoplelivingwithHIVandAIDS, for residents inapoorurbancommunity,forfamilymembersofdrugaddictsetc.

1.2 Short-term and long-term action

Responsible diaconal service will contain bothshort-termandlong-termobjectives.TheparableoftheGoodSamaritanillustratesthiseffectivelywhenitdescribesthedifferentstepsofhisaction.Thefirstconsistedof“comingnear”theseriouslyinjured man on the road. This is a step that ex-

©LWF/J.Schep

�2 Diakonia

pressessolidarityandtheovercomingoffearandapathy regarding the suffering of others. “Com-ingnear”isalsonecessaryinordertoseewhathashappenedandtoknowwhatisneeded.Thesecondstep concentrates on responding to the immedi-ateneedofsuffering,usingexistingresources—inthiscasebandages,oilandwine—inordertogetthe healing process started. The third step con-cernsrehabilitationandreturntonormallife,withpreparationforcontinuedsupportifnecessary.

Inagroupdiscussionoverthistext,someoneonceasked:“WheredidtheSamaritangoafterhehadleftthevictimattheinn?”Aninterestingan-swerwasproposed:“Hewenttothemayor’sofficein Jerichoandreported thesituationdemandingactionagainst violence and for theprotectionofthe victims”.Of course this is pure imagination,butitpointstoyetanotherstepofadvocacy,which

illustrates the intimate relation between compas-sionandjustice,andoftheneedtoholdtogetherdifferentobjectivesindiaconalaction.

Therefore, even when diaconal work takestheformofimmediateactiontoalleviatehumansuffering which always will remain a priority,thewidercontextofsufferinganditsrootcausesmustbegivendueattention.

Thisattentiontothelong-termimplicationsrelatedtorootcauseshastobeconsideredfromthestart,inthewaythatdiakoniaiscarriedout.It shouldbe reflected from theoutsetwhenob-jectivesfordiaconalworkareformulated.Someofthemostimportantelementsinclude:

1. thedignityofpeopleisaffirmedanddefended;

2. peoples’rightsareupliftedandpromoted;

©LWF/J.Schep

��Diakonia

3. processesofempoweringpeopleareinitiated;

4. space is created forgivingpeople access torights,participationandresponsibilityinso-ciety(buildingcitizenship);

5. building-blocks towards societal transfor-mationarelaid.

Whentheseelementsareinplace,thereisgoodreasontohopethatdiaconalworkmaycontributetosubstantialchange,notonly in the lifeof in-dividuals,butalsoinchurchandinsociety.Thismay correspond to a concept which is also ap-pliedtodevelopment:aprocessoftransformationof the human condition that envisions justice,peaceandtheintegrityofcreation.8

However,havingpointedtothiswidercontextfordiaconalactionandtheneedformany-facetedobjectives, it must nevertheless be rememberedthatnotalldiaconalactionwillbeabletofulfillthis broad ambition. Even then, diaconal workcontinuestobeanimportantandvaluabletask,forinstancewhenadyingpersonisaccompaniedtofinal rest incareandprayer. In situationswherechangeapparentlyisnotpossible,diaconalactionhasthemandatetooffersignsofhopethroughitsministryofpresenceandaccompaniment,evenintheabsenceofsignsofhope.

2. The basic directions of diaconal workTheLWFdocumentMissioninContextpointsto transformation, reconciliation and empower-ment as three dimensions of mission that “per-

8 In1990,theWCCsponsoredtheWorldConvocationonJustice,

Peace,andtheIntegrityofCreationinSeoul,Korea.AttheCan-

berraAssemblyin1991theWCCstronglyaffirmedtheJPICpro-

cess,andaJustice,Peace,andCreationUnitwasformed.

meateallmissionendeavorsandprovidecriteriawithwhichtheChurchjudgesitsfaithfulnessinbeforeChristwhohassentitintotheworld.”�Asan integral part of the Church’s mission, theseare also key concepts for diakonia: they showthebasicdirectionsofdiaconalwork,andatthesame time transformation, reconciliation andempowermentindicatehowtheworkisdoneandbywhichvaluesitisoriented.

2.1 Transformation

MissioninContextdescribestransformationas“anongoingprocessof total reorientationof lifewithall its aspirations, ideologies, structures, and val-ues.”Itis“acontinuousprocessofrejectionofthatwhichdehumanizesanddesecrateslifeandadher-ence to thatwhataffirms the sanctityof life andgiftsineveryoneandpromotespeaceandjusticeinsociety.”10Transformationengagesandchangesallwho are a part of it. In thatmanner, transforma-tional diakonia helps to overcome so-called help-ers’syndromes,practicesandrelationsthatseparate

9 Mission in Context,p.32.10 Ibid.,p.32-33.

©L

WF/

S.L

im

�� Diakonia

between“we”and“they”.Intheend,nopersones-capesvulnerability.Weallneedtobetransformed,reconciledandempowered.Forthatreasonweareallinneedofdiakonia,firstofallofGod’sdiakoniaasrevealedinJesusChrist,andthenasmutualcareandaccompanimenttowardoneanother.

Transformationisclearlyaprocess,butatthesametime,transformationenvisionstheachieve-mentofcertaingoals,ofarrivingatanewsitua-tionwherehumandignityismorerespectedwithpeaceandjusticeformorepeople.Thus,transfor-mationiscloselyrelatedtowhatalsomaybede-finedassocialchange,progressordevelopment.

From a theological point of view, transfor-mationisareminderofGod’sconstantrenewalofcreation(Latin: creatio continua),aseverymorn-ingweexperience that thedarknessofnight istransformedintothelightofanewdaybreakingforth.AspeopleofGod,weseetransformationasGod’sgraciousgift forwhichweowepraiseandservice.Itlinksdiaconalworktotheadmon-ishmentofStPaulwhotoldthebelievers“not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and per-fect.”(Romans12:2).

Thus, transformation rejects conformism.It expresses an alternative way for experiencingGod’swill.AstheMission in Contextdocumentreads, “transformation, perceived in the light of Christ’s resurrection, is the unfolding of the potential life-giving nature of all creation and an expression of the working of God’s grace in nature. It is the ongo-ing work of the Holy Spirit to effect transformation in and through the church to the whole world.”��

2.2 Reconciliation

ForChristians,reconciliationisGod’smercifulgiftgroundedinthemessagethatGodhasreconciledtheworldinJesusChrist.Thisgiftisapromiseforabrokenworld,anddiakoniaseekstowitnesstothispromisethroughinitiativesoffurtheringpeaceand reconciliation. As people of God equippedfor mission, the church is called to participateinGod’s reconcilingmission, beseechingpeopleonbehalfofChristtobereconciledwithGod(2Corinthians5:19)andoneanother.Reconciliation firstofall referstoGod’saction,throughwhichhumanbeingshavetheirrelationtoGodrestored.Atthesametime,restorationimpliesbeingtrans-formedandempoweredfor“theministry(Greek:diakonia)ofreconciliation”Theconcept“diakonia”clearlyremindsusthatthediakoniaofJesus,hisway of unconditional presence among the poor,hispropheticdefenseoftheexcluded,hisactsofhealing,andlastbutnotleast,hisannouncementofforgivenessandnewlifeunderthepromiseofanewagetocome,isthewayforthechurchtofol-lowinitsmissionofreconciliation.

AccordingtoRobertSchreiter,reconciliationopensanewnarrative thatovercomes“the narra-tive of the lie.”�� In situationsof violenceandop-

11 Ibid.,p.33.12 RobertJ.Schreiter:Reconciliation: Mission and Ministry in a

Changing Social Order.Maryknoll1992.©LUCSA

��Diakonia

pression,victimsarenotallowedtotelltheirstories,andrealreconciliationcannothappenifthetruthaboutthepastisnotrevealed.Whenamnestywasdeclared inElSalvador after theyearsofbrutalviolationofhumanrights,itwasontheconditionthatthoseheldresponsiblefortortureshouldgofree.Thustheoppressor’snarra-tivewasupheldastheofficialone,the one everybody is supposedtobelieve.HowdifferentlythiswashandledinSouthAfricaaf-terapartheidwasabolished,andPresident Mandela appointed aTruth and Reconciliation Com-missionwhichwasgiventhetaskof telling the true storyofpastyears,forthesakeforreconcilia-tionandhealingofwounds.��

Truth is not always al-lowed to be told; it requiresan environment of safety andmutual respect. In some casesconfidentialityhastobeapartofthatenvironment,asitalsomayhappenthatthetruthmaybeabusedforthesakeofincreas-ing hate and violence. This has often been thecase of women telling the truth. On the otherhand,theirstoriesasvoicesofthevulnerableandsilenced must be given special attention. Theirstoriesmayturnouttobethemostpowerfulen-ergizingprocessesofreconciliation.

Reconciliationandjusticearedeeplyinterre-lated.IthasbeennotedthattheworkoftheTruth and Reconciliation Commission indeedcontributedto unmasking the truth regarding the time ofapartheid inSouthAfrica.Butdid it contributesubstantially to restoring justice? Some felt that

13 A theological analysis on reconciliation reflecting the ex-

periencesinSouthAfricaisfoundinJohnW.deGruchy:

Reconciliation. Restoring Justice.Minneapolis2002.

the general amnesty not only gave impunity topeople responsible for committing atrocities, butthatitalsosilentlyacceptedinjusticesthatcontin-uetohavedramaticeffectonpoorpeople’slives.

It is in line with the Christian concept ofreconciliationthat itnevertakespeoplebacktowhere they were before. Reconciliation is morethantheremovalofsufferingforthevictimandconversionfortheoppressor.Reconciliationtakespeopletoanewplace; itempowersthemforre-newedrelationsandresponsibilities.

2.3 Empowerment

As a theological concept, empowerment referstothebiblicalunderstandingofcreationthatev-eryhumanbeingiscreatedintheimageofGod,withcapacitiesandabilities,independentoftheirapparentsocialsituation.

Further,itrelatestothepromiseofPentecost,“you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come

©L

WF/

G.D

riau

�� Diakonia

upon you; and you shall be my witnesses … to the end of the earth.”(Acts1:8).ThestoryofPentecosttellshowthedisciplesweretransformed,howtheirfearwasovercome,howtheirquestionsofthepastwerereplacedbywordsproclaiming“the mighty works of God,” as their language was transformed accord-ingtothecontextthatsurroundedthem.Itistheconviction of the church that God continues to

empower people, not only theApostles and others who haveassumed leadership, but espe-ciallythosewhoarerarely,ifever,given the opportunity to speak.This conviction should shapediaconalaction,itsmethodologyand itspriority setting.Suchac-tion witnesses the faith in Godwhorevealshisgraceandpowerbychoosing“what is low and de-spised in the world,” (1 Corinthi-ans 1:28).Thishas inspireddia-conalworkersinLatinAmericato addaparallel concept to em-powerment, namely “dignifica-tion”, which means establishingdiaconalpracticesthatliftupthedignityofpeopleandgivethemtheirabilityofbeing“subjects”—bothinchurchandsociety.

It should be rememberedthat empowerment always im-plies shifting of power, whichmeansthatimbalancesofpowermustbedealtwithcritically.Di-akonia should constantly raisethisissue,notonlyinsocietyandintherelationsbetweenhelpersandthosehelped,butalsowithreferencetodiaconalpraxisandhow power is established andlivedoutinthelifeofthechurch.Toooftenthequestionofpower

issilencedinthechurch;insomecasesitisevendisguisedbehindservicelanguage.

Thetaskofbeingabridge-builderisintegraltotheverynatureofdiakonia.Asnotedearlier,theclassicalGreekuseoftheworddiakoniapointstothemissionofago-between,amessenger,orevenanambassadorwhohasbeenmandatedtorestorerelations,tohealandtoreconcile.

©LWF/J.Schep

��Diakonia

In the Ancient Church, the deacon wascalled“theearandthemouthofthebishop.”Itwas the deacon who had the responsibility tobringthestoriesfromthemargin,fromthelivesofthepoorandthesickintothechurch.Themis-sionofgo-betweenissuccessfulifdistancescanbebridged.Whenthishappens,diaconalactioncancontributetotransformationofthechurch—bothinitscenterandperiphery.

All diaconal actions, including those ad-dressing immediate needs, are embedded in acomprehensivemandateofbuildingrelationships.Asadiaconalmethod,accompanimentseeks toovercomeisolationandexclusion,andtoidentifypathwaysthatmayofferpossibilitiesforbroadersharinginmutualsolidarity.ALatinAmericanregionalmeetingondiakoniadescribedthistaskas“migrantdiakonia”,inacontextwherepeopleoftenareontheroad,tryingtoescapepoverty.

Ago-betweenneedsthecapacitytolistentodifferentversionsofastory,andtoseewhysuchdifferencesemerge.Thenthereisnecessityofre-allygoingbetween,ofbuildingbridgesofunder-standingandacceptance.Againthisisrelatedtocommunionbuilding,ofidentifyingprocessesofreconciliationandofinclusion.

Thereareendlesssituationswhichcallforthediaconal action of bridge-building, both insideandoutsidethechurch.PeoplelivingwithHIVandAIDSareoftenstigmatizedbythecommu-nity. Migrant groups are discriminated against.Women suffer violence and their voices arenotheard.Childrenofpoorparents receive inferioreducation.Insituationslikethese,diakoniacan-not limit its responsibility to denouncing injus-tice—whichofcourseisimportant—butneedstofindwaysofgoing-between.Concreteinitiativesandprojectsaretoolsthatmaycontributetotheprocessofconstructingamore justandsustain-ablesociety.

Thechurch’sroleofgo-betweencanalsoberequiredincomplicatedpoliticalconflicts.When

Madagascarexperiencedadeepcrisisin2002andagainin2009,nationalchurchleadersplayedanimportantrolefacilitatingdialoguebetweenthepolitical leaders. The churches in the GermanDemocraticRepublicprovidedanopenspaceforpeopletomeetandexpresstheirhopeforanewtime,facilitatingmovementtowardsthecollapseoftheregimein1989.

A go-between cannot be silent. Commu-nication is a basic component of bridge-build-ing. This communication often needs to be pa-tientanddiplomatic,buttherearealsosituationswhencommunicationhastobepropheticandtoliftthevoiceofthesilentandthesuffering.

3. The different expressions of diaconal action

3.1 Individual diakonia – the diaconate of all believers

Asnotedinthepreviouschapter,allthebaptizedare empowered for diakonia. This brings us tothe first and most basic expression of diaconalwork,namelythatofindividualdiakonia,whichnormallyisspontaneousineverydaylifeandex-pressedthroughawidevarietyofgoodworks.

Individualdiakoniamayoftenbereferredtoas ordinary human behavior that natural help-ers are accustomed to do, independent of faithand worldview. It has already been stated thatdiaconalworkinthefirstplace,respondstotheconcrete needs of people. An important bibli-cal text that has shaped this understanding isfound inMatthew25:31-46where thehungry,thethirsty,thestranger,thenaked,thesickandtheimprisonedareliftedupasbeinginneedofcareandattention.Again,itisclearthatnotonlyChristians are moved to act when confronted

�� Diakonia

withsuchneed.Thespecificdiaconaldimensionofthisstoryhowever,isthewayinwhichChris-tianidentityrelatessuchactiontoChrist,andtohisidentificationwiththoseinneed:“… you did it to me!”

Theparable of theGoodSamaritan (Luke10:25-37)isanotherbiblicaltextthathasinspiredChristiansfordiakoniathroughoutthecenturies.Thesurprisingelementinthetextisthatanout-sider, representingadespisedandmarginalizedreligious group, acts compassionately when see-ingafellowhumanbeinginneed,whilethepriestandtheLevitepassby.Inacontextofdiscussionabouthowtoinheriteternallife,andprovokedbythequestion“Who is my neighbor?”Jesustellsthestoryofonewhoshowedmercy,andconcludes,

“Go and do likewise.”Butnowthequestionhasbeeninverted,from“Who is my neighbor?”to“Who was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”Inotherwords,it isnotthedefinitionoftheotherthatqualifiesformercifulaction,butaGod-givenqualitygiventoeveryhumanbeing,ofbeinganeighbortoothers.

Mostoftensuchactionsdonotneedtobenamed, as they are in and of themselves con-siderednatural and right. Itmighthowever,behelpful to also affirm their importance by giv-ingitameaningfulname.AfteraworkshopondiakoniainBrazil,awomansaid:“Now I know that what I have always been doing has a name. It is diakonia!”Shetoldaboutherengagementwithpoor farmers who were poisoned by pesticides,herinvolvementinhumanrights’activities,andhercustomofvisitingsickandlonelymembersofhercongregation.“I always felt that all this had to do with my faith,” she said, “but I did not know that it has it proper name. Now I know!”Suchknowl-edgemaynotmeanonewoulddootherthingsortodothemdifferently,althoughitmayalsomeanthat.Inanycasenamingsuchworkasdiakoniaaffirmswhatisdone,identifiesitsource,andmo-tivatesandempowersforfurtheraction.

3.2 Organized diakonia – the collective effort of the congregation

Veryoftenthewholecongregationrespondstodia-conalchallenges.Act6:1tellsusthatthecongrega-tioninJerusalemorganizedadaily diakonia,prob-ablyasystembywhichthepoorreceivedtheirdailyfood.Ithowever,turnedoutthattheorganizationhadtobeimproved,andnewleadershipwasidenti-fiedandgivenauthority for thework.LaterPaulorganizedacollectionofmoney—simplycalledthe diakonia—amongtheGreekcongregationsinordertohelpthepoorcongregationinJerusalem.

Research has documented the appalling liv-ingconditionsinfirstcenturyurbansettings,withlifeexpectancylessthan30years,unsanitarylivingconditions,scarcedrinkingwater,rampantdisease,constantinfluxofimmigrants,andethnicconflicts.In this context the churchbegan itsmission andministry,anditsdiaconalpracticewasexperiencedassomethingradicallynewanddifferent.RodneyStarkhasdescribedhowcareforthesickandmar-ginalized,thewelcominglifestyleofcongregationsandthefirmbeliefinthepowerofresurrectionat-tractedpeoplefromallsocialclassesandcreatedaChurchthatwithinafewcenturiesgrewfrombe-ingasmallgroupofpeopletobecometheleadingreligiousmovementintheRomanEmpire.��

Sincethenthereareendlessexamplesofinitia-tives that have been taken and organized in con-gregationsandlocalchurchesallovertheworld.Intimesofplague,visitationtothesickwasorganizedandthedeadweretakencareof.Intimesofwar,refugeeswerehostedandgivenasylum.Timesmaychange,buttherehasneverbeenatimewhenneedsceasedtoexistorcongregationsceasedtorespond.ThecommandmentthatJesusgavetohisdisciplesuponthenewsthatpeoplewerehungry—“You give them something to eat.”(Matthew14:16),—hasbeen

14 RodneyStark:The Rise of Christianity. A Sociologist Reconsid-

ers History.1996

��Diakonia

echoed in a variety of contexts and related to inmanyformsofresponseuntilthisday.

Suchdiakoniahowever,mustbeorganizedand someonehas tobe given the responsibilityoforganizing.Thisistherealityofanythingthatis considered important.Becauseworship is im-portant,timeandspaceforworshipservicesareorganizedandwellprepared,withpeoplegivenresponsibilityaccordingly.

Withdiakonia,itisthesamething.Inordertobedonesystematicallyandtobecontinuouslypartofthelifeofthechurch,itneedsstructuresandleadership.IntheChurchofSweden,everycongregationisobligedtopresentayearlyplantothebishopthatincludesdiakonia,worship,edu-cationandmission.Theplanhelpsthecongrega-tiontoseealldimensionsoftheirworktogetherandtohavethisinmindwhentheydefinepriori-ties,responsibilitiesandneededresources.

Itcanhappenthatdiaconalworkinthecon-gregationcomestobeunderstoodashelpingsomepoorpeople“outthere.”Thereisagrowingrecog-nitionofthefactthatdiakoniaisnot“for”others,but “with” others. According to the biblical un-derstanding,helpisanexpressionoflove(1Cor-inthians13)thattakesplacewithinaframeworkofmutualityandequality(2Corinthians8:13-15).Diaconalserviceblessesboththegiverandthere-ceiver.Inaddition,theonewhoreceiveshelptodaymaytomorrowbetheonetakingcareofanother.In societies where social differences allow someclasses to be much more privileged than others,helpmaytoooftenturnintocharity,whichmeansthatthewellfortunedintheirbenevolenceprovidesomeassistancetothepoor.Inthiscase,theprovi-sionofhelpmaydeependifferencesandcreateasituationwheresomepeoplealwaysare“resourcedhelpers”,whileothersalwaysare “helpless receiv-ers.”Itcertainlyisthecasethatmuchdiakoniahasbeenorganizedascharityworkthroughtheactionoftherichandpowerfultowardsthepoor.Suchpractices shouldbeprofoundlyquestioned.Such

helptendstobepaternalisticandalienating,asitisorganizedaccordingtowhatbenefitsandservestheneedsof thehelpers.InLatinAmerica, thispracticeisoftencalled“asistencialismo,”asitsaimistoassist,andnottogivespaceforequalityandmutuality. Therefore, since such action perpetu-atesdifferenceandseparation,itisnotlikelythatitwillcontributetorealchange.

Theseobservationscouldgivetheimpressionthatcharity is somethingnegative.Onthecon-trary, it isavirtuethatbelongstothetraditionofthechurch.SouthAfricantheologianMolefeTselestatedattheLWFconsultationonprophet-icdiakonia:“Wemustresistthetendencytoturncharityintoadirtyword.Godischaritabletohisentire creation. Society as a whole needs to bemademorecharitable”.�5

True charity relates to community and jus-tice.Community-baseddiakoniaenhancesinclu-sivenessandmutualityindealingwithchallengesofsufferingandinjustice.Itaffirmsthevalueofdoing things together and the conviction thatallpersons aregiftedandable toparticipate inworkingforwhatisgoodandright.ItresemblestheAfricansaying:“Ifyouwanttohurry,walkalone.Ifyouwanttogofar,walktogether.”

15 Johannesburgreport,p54.

Building Stronger Families

EveryTuesdayandFridaymorningforthepastthreeyearsNancyKrausehasvisitedthePolkCountyJailforonehourtoteachinmatesaboutparenting.ItispartofLutheranServicesinIowa’s(USA)MobileParentingProgram,whichoffersclassestoIowanswhocan’teasilytravel—immigrants,peoplelivinginjailorathomelessshelters.Manyoftheparentsliveorhavelivedinpoverty.“Povertylimitsyourchoices,”saidKrauseaboutherinmatestudents.“Youliveinaworldoflimitedchoices,oflimitedpossibilities.”

�0 Diakonia

3.3 Institutionalized diakonia – when a more structured approach is needed

There are situations when diaconal challenges re-quireeffortsthatgobeyondwhatcanbeorganizedatacongregationallevel.Veryearlyinthehistoryofthechurchitwasrecognizedthatdiaconalworkoften demanded more solid structures. Hospitalsandhomesfororphansandthehomelesswerees-tablished.Strong links continued toexitbetweencongregationsandtheseinstitutions.Withouttheselinks and the continuous support of the churchmembers,theseinstitutionswouldnotexist.Therewasalsoaconsciouscontinuityofidentity.Theveryname“hospital”reflectedthechurch’smandatetopractice diaconal hospitality. The architecture oftheoldesthospitalsalsopointstotherelationshipbetween faith and care, as the rooms were oftenconstructedinawaythatallowedallpatientstosee

thealtarandtherebyberemindedofthemessagethatGodisthehealerofthesick.

Themoderndiaconalmovementthatbeganin Germany in the 1830s has led to the estab-lishment of countless diaconal institutions, notonly in that country, but across Europe and inother continents. Due to the fact that the offi-cialchurchatthattimewascloselyrelatedtothestate, initiativesofmissionanddiakoniahadtobe organized as free associations, surely insidethechurch,butindependentorganizationsintherelationtochurchauthorities.

OneofthepioneersofthisdiaconalmovementwasTheodorFliedner,apastorinKaiserswerth,asmall communitynot far fromDüsseldorf in thewesternpartofGermany.InSeptember1833,heandhiswifeFriederikeopenedahomeforreleasedfemaleprisoners,followedbyotherinitiativessuchasakindergartenandahospital.Theysoonrealizedtheneedfortrainedworkers,andthreeyearslatertheyfoundedaMotherhousefordeaconesseswhowere trained as nurses and kindergarten teachers.Inthefollowingdecades,thousandsofwomenweretrainedandconsecratedasdeaconesses.TheMoth-erhouseresembledaCatholicconventinmanyways,andthesisters,as theyactuallywerecalled,werecommitted to the rules of the community whichmeantobedience,sharingofresourcesandcelibacy.

Also in September 1833 Johann HinrichWichern opened a home for homeless childrenfromthepoorsluminHamburg(Germany).Hewasmotivatedby theconviction thatgoodedu-cationwouldsavethemfrommisery,especiallyiftheeducationincludedtrainingforaprofession.Thisshowsthateducationwasanintegralpartoforganized diaconal action, as an important in-strumentforovercomingpoverty.Forthatreason,a largenumberof educational institutionshavebeenestablishedwithinthetraditionofdiakonia.Someofthemtargetchildrenfrompoorandso-ciallydisadvantagedfamilies.Othersgiveschoolopportunitiestochildrenwhotraditionallywere

©L

WF/

D.L

oren

z

�1Diakonia

excludedfrompublicschoolsforreasonssuchasblindness,deafness,ormentalillness.

ThisisverymuchinlinewithLuther’sstrongcommitmenttoeducation.WhentheReformationtookplace,heproposedthatmonasteriesbeturnedintopublicschools.HeremindedparentsthattheyhadreceivedtheirchildrenasgiftsfromGod,andthereforewereaccountabletoGodfortheirwell-be-ing,andeducationwasintegral.Hewrotetopoliti-cal leaders inGermanyandrecommendedschoolsfor all children reminding themthat“a city’s best and greatest welfare, safety and strength consists rather in its having many able, learned, wise, honorable, and well-educated citi-zens (...) than in “mighty walls and magnificent buildings.”��

It isnotpossiblehere forabroadpresentationofthediacon-almovementofthe19thcentury,andtothemanyactorsandthedifferent forms these commit-tedpersonsgave todiaconal en-gagementatthattime.Itshouldbe observed however, that thismovement revolutionized theroleofwomeninchurchandso-ciety. For the first time, unmar-ried women were given educa-tionandposition.Throughtheirwork, modern health and social care was shaped,andmodelsweredevelopedthatlaterwereadoptedbythestatewhenwelfaresystemswereintroduced.

Inmanyways,thediaconalmovementwasinspiredbypietismanditsratherindividualisticspirituality.Thestrengthofthisinfluencewasitspersonal approach and individual vocation, fo-

16 “To theCouncilmenofAllCities inGermanyThatThey

EstablishandMaintainChristianSchools”(1524),English

translation by A. Steinhaeuser in Luther’s Works. Vol. 45

(Philadelphia:1962),pp355-356

cusingonpersonalrelationships.Itcreatedspaceforinitiativesandledtotheestablishmentofin-stitutionsofeducation,healthandsocialcareAsa resultof thismovement thereare todaysome30,000 diaconal institutions in Germany. Thiswasmadepossiblethankstoacomplexsystemoffundingwherestronglinkstothegovernmentalauthoritiesarewellestablished.

Although these institutions function ashealth and social institutions according to gov-

ernmental norms and requirements, there arestill strong links between diaconal institutions,national churchbodies and local congregations.Inmanycasestheysupportprofessionaldiaconalwork by providing financial resources, gover-nance inboardsandother leadership, volunteerparticipationandspiritualaccompaniment.

In the USA, the Evangelical LutheranChurch in America (ELCA) has affiliated so-cialministryorganizationsthatprovideservicesacrossthecountry.Thereareapproximately280healthandhumanserviceorganizationsinthou-

©LWF/J.Schep

�2 Diakonia

sandsofcommunities,servingmorethansixmil-lionpeopleeachyear,or1in50Americans.Fivepercentoftheseorganizationsarequitelargeandserveinmultiplesitesandacrossmanystates.

It must be recognized that many of these in-stitutionsgiveauniquewitnessofChristiancareforpeople in need. They promote professional compe-tenceandcivilresponsibility.Ahomeforyoung,un-married,pregnantwomeninBrazilbecomesaspacefordefendinghumandignityandforpreparingforthefuture.Aproject forruralcommunitydevelop-ment in Madagascar allows small farmers to rec-ognizetheirownresourcesandimprovetheirfoodproductioninasustainableway.AtrainingcenterinIndiaoffersopportunitiesforyoungpeoplewhohavebeenexcludedfromestablishededucationsystems.

ManydiaconalinstitutionsintheglobalSouthwereestablishedbymissionaries.However,manyoftheseinstitutionswerenotsustainablewhenmissionorganizations reduced their financial support andpersonnel.Therearealsoimpressiveexamplesofdia-conalinstitutionsthatwerebroughtintolifebylocalinitiatives,andhaveadaptedtolocalconditions.

The modern missionarymovement was often institution-alizedasanindependentstructurewithinthechurch.ItisonlyaftertheWCCAssemblyinDelhiin1961, that mission was fully in-tegratedintheecumenicalvisionof being church, and no longerviewedasanactivitybelongingtoa feworganizationsmainly local-ized in the North. It is difficulttoseeasimilarfullintegrationofdiakoniaandespeciallyofinstitu-tionaldiakonia in the lifeof thechurch.Thisisduetothefactthatsome churches fail to recognizeinstitutional diakonia as an in-tegratedpartofwhatthechurchis and does, but also due to the

tendencyof somediaconal institutions tocontinuetoorganizetheirworkindependentlyfromordinarychurchstructures.Thisrepresentsachallengetotheinstitutionsandtothechurch.Thisisnotalwaysthecase.Otherchurches,inNorthAmericaforexample,have developed structures that guarantee the insti-tutions professional leadership and institutional in-dependence,whileensuringchurchparticipationingoverningboards,thereforeshapingthemissiontheinstitutionshaveandinrelationtothechurch.

3.4 International diakonia – response to human need with and on behalf of the worldwide communion of churches

Theveryecumenical��natureoftheChurchimpliesthatdiakoniainitsactioncannotbelimitedbygeo-graphic,ethnic,socialorevenreligiousborders.This

17 Ecumenical is derived from Greek “Oikoumene” which

means“theinhabitedworld”or“thewholeworld”.

©ELCA/LauryRinker

��Diakonia

understandinghas stronglymarked theLutheranWorldFederationanditsvocationalidentity.�8

One of the major factors which led to the1947foundingoftheLutheranWorldFederationat its first assembly in Lund, Sweden, was theneedtoprovidehumanitarianaidtothepeopleofEuropewhoweresufferingasaresultoftheSec-ondWorldWar.Therewasastrongmotivationofself-helpintheoriginalcharteroftheLutheranWorldFederationService toRefugees—tohelptheoneinsixLutheranswhowasapostWorldWarIIrefugeeordisplacedperson.ThisgavetheLutheranWorldFederationa strong refugee re-sponseorientationwhichcontinuestoday.

Of concern to the second Hanover assem-blyin1952however,wastheriskthattheLWF,likeitspredecessortheLutheranWorldConven-tion,mightdwindleoncetheimmediatepostwarneedsofLutheranshadbeenmet.Inanhistoricdecision the Assembly affirmed the on-goingnatureofthememberchurches’commitmenttohelpthoseinneed,butwithanewfocus.Helpwastobegivenirrespectiveofwhotheymightbe,asacalloftheGospel.ThuswasestablishedtheworkoftheLWFinmeetinghumanneed,withaclearmandatetoextendaidtopeoplebeyondtheconfinesoftheLutherancommunity.

FortheLWFDepartmentforWorldService(DWS) which holds the responsibility for carry-ingoutthisworkonbehalfoftheLWFmemberchurches, the point of departure is human need.CentraltothetermsofreferenceofDWS,adoptedbytheHanoverassembly, is themandateto:“con-duct, administer…such services [which] shall be global

18 The following depends on Brian Neldner’s presentation

in“DevelopmentEducationForum”, June1997.Ahistory

ofLWFWorldServiceisalsogivenin“LetUsHelpOne

Another:Service in theLWF”, in JensHolgerSchjørring,

PrasannaKumari,NormanA.Hjelm(Eds.):From Federa-

tion to Communion. The History of the Lutheran World Federa-

tion.FortressPress,Minneapolis1997,pp.85-141.

in scopeand for the benefit of people in need irrespective of race, sex, creed, nationality or political persuasion.”

This task of meeting human need throughtheworkofDWSmustbe seen in relationshipwiththecounterpartmandateoftheDepartmentfor Mission and Development (DMD) whosetaskistostrengthenthewitnessofthechurchesthroughmissionanddevelopment.Thisispartlydonethroughprogramsthatarecoordinatedbythe secretariat in Geneva. Some programs areundertheresponsibilityofoneoftheareadesksandthenrelatedtoconcernsofaspecificregion,forexampletheissueofpovertyinAfrica,inter-faith cooperation in Asia, illegitimate debt inLatinAmerica,andstate-churchrelationshipsinEurope.Otherprogramsarerunbyglobaldesks,focusingonHIVandAIDS,genderissues,youthparticipation,humanrecoursesdevelopment,andcommunication services. In addition DMD iscoordinating support to some230projects thataredesignedandimplementedbyLWFmemberchurches.HerethemaintaskofDMDistofundtheprojectsandtoaccompanytheprojectholdersintheprocessofimplementationandreporting.

Throughoutitshistory,LWFhasmaintaineditsconfessionalidentityandfosteredanecumeni-cal approach to providing humanitarian aid onaninternationalbasis.

Close cooperation began from the outset,with a ground-breaking ecumenical structureof aid to refugees in Africa in the early 1960s.TheTanganyikaChristianRefugeeServicewasestablishedbytheLWFonbehalfoftheWorldCouncilofChurchesandincooperationwiththeChristianCouncilofTanzania.Subsequently,asimilarprogramwasbeguninZambia.

Atthesametime,anLWFprogramforChi-neserefugeesinHongKongbecameacomprehen-sivesocialserviceprogramwhichwasthenhandedovertotheHongKongChristianCouncil.

ThegreatdroughtsofAfricafromtheearly1970’ssawcoordinatedchurchagencyactionin-

�� Diakonia

volvingLWF,WCCandtheCatholicagenciesthroughCaritasInternationalisandtheirnation-alcounterpartsintheChurchesDroughtActioninAfrica.Itledtofurtherjointapproaches,notonlyontheinternationallevelbutinnewfoundcooperation among local churches such as inEthiopiaandEritrea.Currently, involvementofthe LWF in Action by Churches Together af-firmsacontinuedecumenicalcommitment.

In1970, thehumanrights resolutionat theEvian Assembly provided the framework andthe commitment of the LWF through its mem-berchurchestoworkinconflictareas.Thisledtowiderangingaidtopersonsinvolvedinoraffectedby, the struggle for liberation especially in Mo-zambique,Angola andNamibia. It includedaidtoexiles, refugees, repatriationoperations, recon-struction,rehabilitationanddevelopment,aswellassocialandpastoralministriestothoseinexile

andengagedinliberationstruggles.Thepastoralministry toNamibians inexile,organized inco-operationwiththemajorchurchesinNamibiaandtheChristiancouncilsinthecountriesofasylum,wascarriedoutbyDWSthroughtheLWF.

The decision in 1974, of the CommissiononWorldService,tobeginworkintheIslamiccountry of Mauritania was a significant actionaffirmingtheconceptofaglobalcommitmentbyDWSonbehalfofalltheLWFmemberchurches.Such programs play an important bridge-build-ingrolewithpeopleincountrieswithotherma-jorityfaiths.In1997,theLWFCouncilaffirmedthat the LWF understands human rights as in-trinsictoitsinvolvementinhumanitarianaidanddevelopment.

TheoperationalcapacityofDWSgeneratesextensiveresourcesfromintergovernmentalorga-nizationsandgovernmentalback-donorsthrough

©LWF/J.Schep

��Diakonia

LWF related agencies. Through the work ofLWFWorldService,thesefundsarechanneledintoprogramsthatareanexpressionofChristianservicetotheneighborinneed.

DWS also works closely with the UnitedNations.At its veryfirst assembly, theLWFad-dressed its concerns for refugees and displacedpersons to the Secretary General of the UnitedNations.InthatsameyearLWFwasaccreditedtotheUnitedNations.Thisisthegenesisofthelong-standingDWSpartnershipwithUNagencies,es-peciallytheUnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugees(UNHCR).TheLWFseesitsworkas complementary to that of the UN, providingapeople-to-peopleapproachwhichmustcontinuetobe theessenceofpartnershipwithallgovern-mentalandintergovernmentalpartnerships.

In the years ahead, the challenges to inter-nationalhumanitarianresponsewillbedrivenbypoliticaldecisions, economicsandnaturaldisas-ters.Itwillalsobedeterminedbyculture,funda-mentalismandreligiousdivides.TheLWFcanbeago-between “diaconalbridge”across thosedividesasit,withandonbehalfofthememberchurchesoftheLWF,respondtopeopleinneed.

Today,DWS(withitsassociatedprograms)operatesin36countriesinAfrica,Asia,Europe,LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean.Thevastma-jority of its annualUSD100millionbudget isdedicated to humanitarian and developmentprograms. Oriented by the motto “Uphold theRights of the Poor and Oppressed,” DWS hasidentifiedsixprioritiesforitswork:

1. respondingtoandpreparingfordisasters;

2. creatingsustainablecommunities;

3. combatingHIVandAIDS;

4. promotingpeace,reconciliationandhumanrights;

5. transforminggenderrelations;

6. protectingtheenvironment.

As already stated, Lutherans share this commit-mentwithotherChristians,andconsequently,in-ternationaldiakoniahasbeenanintegralpartoftheecumenicalmovementfromitsverybeginning.In 1922, the European Central Bureau for Inter-Church Aid(EuropäischeZentralstellefürkirchli-cheHilfsaktionen–EZ)wasfoundedinZürich,Switzerland, under the auspices of the FederalCounciloftheChurchesofChristinAmerica,theFederationofSwissProtestantChurches,andlaterjoinedbyotherEuropeanchurches.TheofficewasmovedtoGenevain1928,andin1945itmergedwiththeWorldCouncilofChurches(WCC).

In1938,whenWillemA.Vissert’HooftwasaskedtobecomethefirstgeneralsecretaryoftheWCC,hesetasconditionthattherewouldbeadepartment for inter-church aid, because “there

©LWF/F.Longakit

�� Diakonia

couldbenohealthy ecumenical fellowshipwith-outpracticalsolidarity.”In1949,oneyearafterthefirstWCCAssemblyinAmsterdam,theCentralCommitteestatedthatinterchurchaidisaperma-nent obligation of the WCC, and that it is ren-deredmosteffectivelyecumenically.In1971,thisunitwasnamedCICARWS(CommissiononIn-ter-ChurchAid,RefugeeandWorldService).

CICARWS’mandatewasto“Assist the church-es to manifest their solidarity by sharing their human, material and spiritual resources and to facilitate such sharing so as to promote social justice, human develop-ment, and relief to human need.”Towardstheendof the 1980s, the unit started to be more proac-tiveintryingtohelpchurchesandrelatedgroupsin their reflections about the root causes of theproblems,andtofindmethodologieswhichwouldallow them to respondmore comprehensively topeople’sneeds.As a result,CICARWSreducedits involvement in projects, but continued a sys-temofdrawinguppriorityprojectstorespondinverypracticalwaystotheprioritiesandchallengesoftheecumenicalmovement.In1992, itwasre-placedbyanewunitcalledSharing and Service.

Aspointedout,themiseryafterWorldWarIIpromptedchurchleadersinmanycountriestoset

up structures for international humanitarian aid. Even before that, in 1922, Folkekirkens Nødhjelp(DanChurchAid) was founded in Denmark, re-spondingtoneedsinEasternEuropeandwiththespecialmandatetoaccompanyminoritychurchesinthatregion.Atthesametime,similarchurch-relatedorganizationswerebeingformedthrough-out the world and in response to the context ofWorldWarII.Infact,someoftheseorganizationswereformedtoreceiverefugeescomingfromEu-ropeafterthewar,andlaterexpandedtheirworktoglobalinternationaldiakonia.

Bytheendofthe1950s,manyoftheseagen-cies had turned their attention to the emergingindependentnationsintheglobalSouthandtheirstruggle toovercomepovertyandpatternsofco-lonialism.Newinitiativesweretaken.Protestantchurches in Germany started a program calledBread for the World in1959.Today, thisorganiza-tionsupportsmorethan1000projectsincoopera-tionwithlocalchurchesandpartnerorganizationsinAfrica,Asia,LatinAmerica andEasternEu-ropeunderthemotto“Justice for the poor.”

Theagenciesareontheonehand,instrumentsforindividualsandcongregationsthatseeitastheirChristiandutytonotlimittheirdiakoniatotheir

immediate neighbor, but to allwhosuffer.On theotherhand,theyarearmsoflocal(ornation-al) churches, mandated and di-rectedbythemwithaclearaimoffightingpovertyandinjustice,and in assisting partners to doso. The agencies can thereforebe seen as intermediaries,man-datedbytheirconstituencies,todiaconal action in cooperationwith like-minded partners inotherpartsoftheworld

Since the 1960s, many ofthese agencies have received fi-nancial support from their re-

©FELM

��Diakonia

spectivegovernments,andtheyhavebecomemoreandmoreinvolvedinlongtermdevelopmentwork.Advocacy initiatives have also become an impor-tantpriorityfortheirwork.Overthelastdecadesthishasledtosomechangesinthewaytheagen-ciesunderstandtheirwork.Firstandforemost,isthattheagenciesmoreclearlyrecognizetheirroleas agents for transformation, both in their owncontextandintheglobalSouth.Thisisgroundedin an improved understanding of the structuralreasons forpoverty,andthathumanneedsmostoften have root causes related to systems of op-pressionandinjustice.Secondly,recognizingthismakes it clear that development work is not aneasyendeavorandrequiresprofessionalexpertise.

When ecumenical diakonia was organizedafterWorldWarII,itwastooktheformofmul-tilateraloperation.Thisrecognizedthatthechal-lenges of responding to post-war Europe weretoolargeforonesinglechurchoragency.Fromthe1970’sbilateralcooperationhasgrowntobethemostcommonformofinternationaldiakonia,favoredbymanybecauseofthedirectcontactbe-tweencooperatingpartners.

Bilateral cooperation is often preferred be-cause it is considered to be faster and more ef-fective than multilateral efforts. On the otherhand,bilateralismalsoimplieschallenges.SomechurchesinAfricacooperatewithmanypartnersbilaterallywhichmeansalotofworkrespondingtoeachpartner’sstrategicgoals,requirementsforreportingetc.Amultilateralapproachallowsforbettercooperation.Aswellthereistheproblemofhowtohandle the imbalanceofpower inbi-lateralpartnerships.Withinmultilateral cooper-ationtherearemorepartnersinvolvedandpowercanbebettershared.Anotheradvantageofmul-tilateralcooperationisitspotentialofconnectingmoreactorsandofsharingknowledgeandexpe-rienceswithinabroadernetwork.

These developments have also providedmotivation for stronger ecumenical cooperation.

Fromtheearly1990s, agencies fromtheglobalNorthmetregularlyastheHeads of Agencies Net-work, althoughovertimetherewasgrowingcon-cern that churches and church-related responsemechanisms from theglobalSouthwerenotatthis table. In 1995, Action by Churches Together(ACTInternational)wasestablished toprovideaglobal,coordinatedresponsetoemergencies.In2000, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA)was formed to coordinate the global advocacyof churches and church related organizationson particular issues (currently HIV/AIDS andfood security). This was followed by initiativesfor strengthening collaboration in the area ofdevelopment, andWCCwas asked tohost theprocess.

In February 2007, ACT Development wasformedas “aglobalallianceofchurchesandre-lated organizations who are mandated to workecumenicallyindevelopmentandwhochoosetowork together”, and with the goal to “promoteand facilitate cooperation between participants

The1982GenevaConsultationon“ContemporaryUnderstandingsofDiakonia,”characterizeddiakoniaasanecumenicalresource-sharingsystemintermsofeightkeyphrases.Diakoniais:• Essentialforthelifeandwellbeingofthechurch• Concentratingonthelocallevel• Worldwideininternationalsolidarity• Preventiveofthegrowthandsustenanceofunjust

structures• Concernedwithstructuralandpoliticaldimensions• Humanitarianbeyondthehouseholdoffaith• Mutual• Liberatingwithstressonempowermentand

promotingparticipationofthepeople

Source: FromInter-churchAidtoJubilee.AbriefhistoryofecumenicaldiakoniaintheWorldCouncilofChurches.

WCC, Geneva 2002, p. 13

�� Diakonia

toimprovetheireffectivenessintransformationaldevelopment”.��

As of 2009, Act Development was com-posedof70organizationsworkinginlong-termdevelopment in more than 150 countries andwith an annual budget of all the organizationstogether of approximately USD 1,400,000,000.Itfocusesonlong-termdevelopmentbystrength-eningthecapacityofitsparticipantsandtheco-operationbetweenthem.AlreadyatthestartofACTDevelopmentitwasclearthatthereshouldbe a strong interrelationbetweenhumanitarianwork, development work and advocacy, prefera-blybeingcoordinatedbyoneglobalalliance.Forthis reason much work has been done to bringACT International and ACT Development to-gether.Afteracarefulprocessincludingregionalconsultations, the two Assemblies of ACT In-ternationalandACTDevelopmentdecidedwithoverwhelmingmajoritiestomergetheiractivities

19 www.actdevelopment.org/pages-en/documents-en.html

andtostartinJanuary2010withthenewunifiedACTAlliance.

Thereisnodoubtthattherehasbeenanur-gent need to coordinate international diakonia,andthattheestablishmentofthesealliancespres-entsimportanttoolsinthatdirection.Atthesametime,theseinitiativeshaveraisedquestionsaboutthebroadermutualityofdiaconalresponse.Oneconcernisinrelationtotheconcentrationofpow-erandhowtoensurethatagenciesfromtheglob-alNorthwillnothaveadominatingroleinnewstructures.Anotherfocusesontheunderstandingofdevelopment,andaskshowtheestablishmentofACTDevelopmentrelatestothechurchesandtheunderstandingofholisticmission.Athirdconcernrelatestothenatureofprofessionalandeffectivework,andaskswhohasthepowertodeterminewhen andhow this is achieved.AlthoughACTInternationalandACTDevelopment seek tobeglobalinstrumentsofdiakonia,questionsremainaboutwhether theagendas,analysisandrequire-mentsfromagenciesintheglobalNorthmaybeimposeduponchurchesandorganizationsintheglobalSouth.Theseissueswillcertainlycontinuetobeontheagendaofecumenicaldiscussions.

The LWF Addis Ababa global consulta-tionondiakonia inOctober2008affirmedtherich tradition of agencies that continue to playanimportantroleininternationaldiakonia.Butitalso stated that “there is an ongoing need to en-gage with one another in discussions about roles and approaches.” The consultation recommended: toseek“new synergies and connectivity,”and“to pro-mote an honest dialogue between global South and North partners about new paradigms for cooperation in mission and diakonia which are mutually benefi-cial and complementary.”

Inthisendeavorasset-basedandrights-basedapproachesarecritical in that theyassumethatallindividualsandthelocalcommunityhaveim-portantcontributionstosecuretheintegrityandsustainabilityofwhatisdone.

Thereareninebiblical,theologicalaffirmationsforecumenicalDiakoniainthemidstofglobalization.Ecumenicaldiakonia:• Mustrespondtoourcontext:Globalandlocal• IsacalltoparticipateinGod’smission• Ispropheticdiakonia• Istransformativeandjustice-seeking• Isinseparablefromkoinonia• Isglobaldiakoniaandisforallpeopleandforallof

creation• Isabouthealing,reconciliationandreconstruction• Isaboutbuildingjustrelationships,mutualityand

sharingWearecalledtobeunitedinGod’smission,in

compassionate,reconciling,transformative,justice-seeking,andpropheticdiakonia.

Source: Chris Ferguson and Ofelia Ortega: Ecumenical Diakonia. Unpublished WCC Document, 2002, p. 3

��Diakonia

4. Diaconal methodology

4.1 The importance of methodology

Emphasis has already been given to the impor-tance of good planning in diaconal work. Onekeyelementofgoodplanningistheformulationof objectives and goals. Another is identifyingmethods.Theword“method”comesfromGreek(meta+hodos)andmeanstravelingor followinga road.Methodologypaysattention to thewaythatisusedinordertoreachaspecificgoal.

Fordiaconalpraxisthequestionofmethod-ology is crucial. No method is neutral, and allmethodsarevalue-laden.Itistherefore,aprima-ry task to identifymethodsofworkthat favourparticipatory processes and empowerment, andthataffirmthebasicvaluesofdiaconalwork.

The so-called “hermeneutics of suspicion”can be one important tool for bringing criticalperspectives to diaconal action. Hermeneuticsmeans “way of interpretation” and requires aninquisitive mind. This includes always asking:Whose interests are behind what is said anddone?Theworldanditsproblemslookdifferentfromtheperspectiveofthepowerful,thanfromtheperspectiveofmarginalizedgroups.Reflecteddiakoniahastobeawareofthisconflictandgivespacetovoiceswhichareignored.Suchpracticebelongstogoodbiblicaltradition,pointinginthedirectionofpropheticdiakonia.

4.2 See – reflect – act

Themodelofsee – reflect – act,asusedbyLatinAmericantheologians,hasbeenwidelyacceptedasausefultoolforconnectingtheorytopraxis.Ithasalsoproventobeaveryhelpfulmethodforplanningandimplementingdiaconalactivities.

Toworkwiththismethodimpliesfollowingthreesuccessivesteps:

The first step is to see—which means to make athoroughanalysisofwhatisbeingdone,usingtheinsightofsocialsciencesandotherrelevantdisci-plinesinordertogetawellreflectedpictureofthecontext inwhichthediaconalactiontakesplace.Such analysis should, as its first step, pay atten-tiontoexperiencesandwitnessesfromthecontext.How is reality seen from the perspective of thepoor and marginalized? What has been learnedbyongoingdiaconalpracticeandbyotherscom-mittedtotransformativedevelopments?Whatarethestrengthsandtheweaknessesofsuchinterven-tion?Thisgivesspaceforwhatsometimesiscalled

©LWF/J.Schep

�0 Diakonia

“silent knowledge,”andforvoicesthatdonotalwayshaveaccesstodisciplinedreflection.

Thesecondstepisto reflect—whichisthemomentofbringinginconcernsandimpulsesfromChris-tian identityandfaithwhenreflectingonpraxis.While the first step is primarily analytical andrelated to secularknowledge, this secondstep ismorehermeneutical,inthesensethatitseekstointerpretwhatisseenandanalyzed.HowdowediscernwhatishappeningassignsofthetimeinthelightofGod’sWordandthepromiseofthein-breakingreignofGodinChrist?�0HowareweasChristians,challengedtoact,havinginmindthemandatetoparticipateinGod’sholisticmission?Whatdiaconalactionmaybearelevantanswer?

Suchdiscernmentwillhelp thechurch liftupitspropheticvoiceindenouncinginjusticeandsin,andtoannouncethegoodnewsofGod’scareforthepoorandsufferinginwordandaction.

Insomesituations,itmayturnouttobehelp-fultowaitforthissecondstepbeforetheologicaltools of interpretation are used. When startingonlywiththeologicalreflection,theperspectivemaybecometoonarrow.Thedialecticinteractionbetween analytical observation and theologicalreflection provides a sound interdisciplinary ap-proachtodiaconalaction,andmaygiveitaddedvalueasprofessionalsocialintervention.

Thethirdstepisto act—andtobringtheinsightfromthefirsttwostepsintothearenaofdiaconalactivity.Hopefully,thiswillmakeactionmorereflectedanddisciplined,morefocusedandmoreeffective.

Althoughthismethodispresentedasathree-stepprocedure,itshouldberememberedthatthefirst step starts from action, and the third stepnecessarily should lead to new reflection overpraxis. The process is therefore, circular. Thisdoesnotmeanthatitisself-affirming,sincecriti-

20 Mission in Context,p.23.©LWF/J.Schep

�1Diakonia

calperspectivesandquestionsshouldaccompanytheprocessthroughallthreesteps.

4.3 Building citizenship

Whendiscussingthepurposeofdiakonia(PartIII:1),thequestionwasraisedwhetherdiaconalworkshouldaddressindividuals,groupsorentirelocalcommunities.Whileformanyyears,thetendencyhasbeentogivepreferencetoactivitiesthatwouldinvolvewholecommunities,newexperiencepointtotheimportanceofalsoincludinganindividualapproach.Inmanycases,thereisnoneedtodif-ferentiatebetweentheseoptionsbutrathertolookforapproachesthatbringsynergybetweenthem.

Oneexampleof this synergicapproachwasdevelopedinSouthAfricaduringthetimeofapart-heid.BlackSouthAfricansforinstance,oftensuf-feredinjusticesbecauseexistingrightsweredeniedornotappliedbytheirwhiteemployers.Thissitu-ationmadesomediaconalactorsstartprogramstoaddresspolicyand legal issues.Campaignswerestarted in the townships to raise awareness andempowerpeopletoclaimtheirrights.Atthesametime,legaladvicewasofferedtoindividualswhowereinneedofdocumentsthatwouldgivethemmoreprotectionasworkersandcitizens.

AsimilarexperienceoccurredinLatinAmericarelatedtotheconceptofbuildingcitizenship(Spanish

“construir cidadania”)asacommunaleffortmotivatedbyavisionofagoodsociety.Citizenship isunder-stoodasthesetofrightsthatgivesapersonthepos-sibilityofparticipatingactivelyinthelifegovernanceofhisorherpeople.Lackofcitizenshipmeansbeingmarginalizedorexcludedfromsocial life,fromde-cision-making,andbeingleftinaninferiorpositionwithinasocialgroup.Buildingcitizenshipthereforemeansinitiativesandprocessesbywhichindividualsempowerthemselvestoassumenewrolesinsociety,bothindefenseoftheirownrights,andasactivepar-ticipantsinsocialandpoliticalmovements.

Thischallengeisexperiencedinmostpartsof the world. Due to experiences during Com-munism,peopleinEasternEuropeacknowledgethattheyneedtolearnhowtotakeinitiativesto-getherandbecomeparticipatoryandresponsiblecitizens. Many Western countries experiencethatfewerpeopleparticipateinorganizedpoliti-cal life and that traditional voluntary organiza-tionsarelosingmembers.

The diaconal commitment to building citi-zenshipismotivatedbythesesocialandpoliticalchallenges.Butitisalsoorientedbytheoldtradi-tionofcatechismthat,inlinewiththeTenCom-mandments,willtellushowtoliveascitizens.

Themethodofbuildingcitizenshipcontainsthree main elements: advocacy, education andmobilization.Allof themenhanceaprocessoftransformationwhichhasmanydimensions.Ona personal level, people need to overcome at-titudes of inferiority or of the kind of fatalismwhichacceptsdestinywithoutraisingquestions.Onasociallevel,thereistheneedtobuildknowl-edgeandskills,andtobetrainedtoparticipateinorganizedactivities.Acriticalchallenge inthisprocessistoavoidmanipulation,suchasmakingpeoplecopywhatevermindsetthetrainershave.Trueempowermentallowspeopletocreatetheirownoptions,evenifthismaycontradictsomeoftheexpectationsthataproject-holdermayhave.

Ithasbeendiscoveredthatbuildingcitizen-shipisfundamentalforstrengtheningdemocrat-iccompetenceinasociety.Democracyneedstobebuilt frombelow.Empoweredcitizensknowhowtoaddress theneedsof, andvoice supportfor, therightsofordinarypeople.This includeslegal rights aswell as economic, social and cul-tural rights. Empowered citizens know how tomake an effort in order to influence importantdecisionsandpoliciesthataffecttheirlives.Theyknowwaysofholdinggovernmentsaccountable,andtheyarecommittedtopeacefulco-existenceinmulti-ethnicandpluralisticsocieties.

�2 Diakonia

4.4 Constructing community

There is a strong mutual link between buildingcitizenshipandconstructingcommunity.Projectsthataredirectedtotheneedsofaspecificgroup,such as people living with certain physical chal-lenges,willeventuallycontributetothewelfareofthewholecommunity.InsomecontextsdiakoniahasthecapacitytocreatespaceforpoliticalactionwhichforexamplewasthecaseinCentralAmer-icaduringthetimeofmilitarydictatorshipinthe1980’s.Therefore,nodiaconalactioncanbeseeninisolationfromitssocietalandpoliticalcontext.

Communitydevelopmenthasbecomeanim-portantactivityininternationaldiakonia.Itsgoalisthatawholecommunity,andnotonlyaprivilegedgroup, shouldparticipate inandbenefit fromtheworkbeingdone.Itsmethodistoincludeasmanysectorsaspossiblewhenworkingwiththecommu-nity:water,sanitation,foodsecurity,environmentissues,education,genderissuesetc.Whatevertheentrypointfordiaconalaction,whetheremergencyrelief, rehabilitation, disaster preparedness or anyformofdevelopmentwork,effortsshouldbeintrin-sicallylinkedinawaythatpreparesforaparticipa-toryandintegratedapproach.

This integratedapproach isorientedby theknowledgethatall thesedifferentareasaremu-tuallyrelatedtoeachother,andthatsustainabledevelopment is only possible if all of them areaddressed. Of course, this is normally too de-mandingachallenge,asnoactoraloneisabletodealwithsuchavarietyoftasks.Forthatreason,networkingandworkingwithlocalpartnersisoffundamentalimportance.

Over the last decades, it has been learnedthat sustainability requires strong local partici-pation and ownership of processes of changes.For that reason, community development seekstoempowerindividualsandgroupsofpeoplebyprovidingthesegroupswiththeskillstheyneedtoeffectchangeintheirowncommunities.Theseskillsareoftenconcentratedaroundbuildingpo-liticalpower through the formationof large so-cialgroupsworkingforacommonagenda.Com-munitydevelopersmustunderstandbothhowtoworkwithindividualsandhowtoaffectthecom-munities’ positions within the context of largersocialinstitutions.

Fordiaconalactors,itisalwaysademandingchallengetobalancetheirownroleandpower,inrelationtotheroleandthepowerofalocalcom-

munity. Restraining, listening,andcommitment to sharedap-proachesandsolutionsmustbea high priority. Solutions im-posed from theoutsidedonotwork.Theyviolatetheintegrityof individuals and the commu-nity, aswell as the knowledgeand decision-making that ispart of their active citizenship.Thatiswhytoday,agenciesandother diaconal actors try to re-ducetheirroleinimplementingcomplex projects, and insteadseek local partners with goodknowledgeoflocalconditions.

©LWF/D.Lorenz

��Diakonia

Another problem may appear when thisworkrelatestosensitiveissues,forinstancelandownership, gender issues or cultural practiceslikefemalegenitalmutilation(FGM).Howout-spokencanadiaconal actorbe, related to suchissues?Should theyuse their authority inorderto raisequestionsof justice, or is this an abuseoftheirpower?Wouldit,ontheotherhand,beneglecting the prophetic dimension of diaconalworktokeepsilent?

It has been made clear over the last yearsthatdiaconalworkmustbe rights-based.LWFWorldServicehas includedtherights-basedap-proachasoneofitsmainstrategicapproaches:

TheRights-BasedApproachfirstandforemostinvolvesbuildinguprightsawarenessonalllev-els,bothamongthepowerlessandthepowerful.Development objectives are also human rightsobjectives.Anemphasisonhumanrightsinthecontext of development helps to focus atten-tionofthestructural inequitiesthatcauseandmaintain impoverishment and exclusion. Con-sciousreferencetohumanrightsstandardsandobjectiveshelpstoensurethattherootcausesofpoverty and exclusion receive proper attentionin the formulation and implementation of de-velopmentprograms,andtoguardagainstnar-rowtechnicalobjectivesbecomingthereferencepointfordevelopmentactivities.Thisapproachalso reduces the risk that thepoorare seenasneedyobjectsofcharity.��

Asit isclearthatdiaconalactionnevercanveilitsChristianidentity,itisequallyevidentthatitcannotdenyitsbasicvaluesanditscommitmenttojusticeandhumandignity.Howthisisdonehowever,maydependonthelocalcontext.

21 Uphold the Rights of the Poor. Global Strategy 2007-20�2.

LWFWorldService,Geneva2007,p.9.©FELM

�� Diakonia

4.5 Networking with others

Overthelastyears,civilsocietyhasemergedasanimportantarenaforpromotingpeople’sparticipa-tionandsocialchange.Civilsocietyissometimesreferredtoasthe“thirdsector”whenseeninrela-tionstateandmarketthatmaybeconsideredastheothertwobasicsectors insociety.Tostrengthencivilsociety,meanstobalancethepoweroftheseothertwo,asthefollowingdefinitionindicates:

Civil society refers to the arena of uncoerced col-lectiveactionaroundsharedinterests,purposesandvalues.Intheory,itsinstitutionalformsaredistinctfromthoseofthestate,familyandmarket,thoughinpractice,theboundariesbetweenstate,civilso-ciety,familyandmarketareoftencomplex,blurredandnegotiated.Civilsocietycommonlyembracesadiversityofspaces,actorsandinstitutionalforms,varyingintheirdegreeofformality,autonomyandpower. Civil societies are often populated by or-ganizations such as registered charities, develop-mentnon-governmentalorganizations,community

groups,women’sorganizations,faith-basedorganizations,professionalas-sociations, trades unions, self-helpgroups, social movements, businessassociations,coalitionsandadvocacygroups.��

Theroleofcivilsocietyinstrength-ening horizontal structures insociety, and thereby furtheringdemocraticprinciplesiscommon-ly recognized as a primary func-tion.Anotherobservationisthatgoodgovernancedependsontheexistenceofindependentinformalnetworks.

Churches and faith-basedorganizations are important ac-tors in civil society. This arenagiveschurchesanewopportunity

toplayanactiveroleinsociety,whichwasoftennotthecaseinthepast—especiallyinEurope—whenthechurchwasapartofthestatepower.Asanac-torincivilsociety,thechurchisnolongerseekingpoweraspartofahegemonicmodel,butlookingforopportunitiestoparticipateinimportantpublicissuesandtoserveforthesakeofpublicwell-being.

Fordiakonia,civilsocietyrepresentsauniqueopportunity for influencing society as a whole.Diaconalinitiativesmaybeseenaspioneeringex-amplesofpublicresponsibility.Thisrelatestothebasicconviction thatdiakoniaalonecannot takeresponsibilityforallhumanandsocialchallenges,butshouldbuildallianceswithallpeopleofgoodwill.Theinternalfreedomofeachpartneroftheallianceshouldberespectedandencouraged.Civ-ilsocietyoffersagoodarenafornetworkingandcommunication,anditisimportantthatdiaconal

22 Definitionaccording to theLondonSchoolofEconomics

and Political Sciences: www.lse.ac.uk/collections/CCS/

what_is_civil_society.htm

©L

WF/

E.-S

.Vog

el-M

fato

��Diakonia

actorsexplorethispossibilityandbringtheirworkintothisbroadercontextofpublicengagement.

Civilsocietyalsorepresentsopportunitiesforadvocacy.Incaseswherediaconalactionisnotabletogiveadequateattentiontoissuesofjustice,linkstoother actorsmaybehelpful.Thismay alsobethe case when establishing relations with govern-mental structures. In some countries, experiencesofthepasthavecreatedadeepmistrustofpoliticalauthorities, and in other countries churches havebeenveryloyaltogovernments,perhapseventothepoint of being submissive. Within such contexts,alliances,preferablywith likemindedactors,maybebuilt.Thedialoguewithgovernmentalauthori-tiesmaytherebybegivenmoreweight,andinsodoingthequalitycanalsobeenhancedandcontrib-utetothegeneralpublicdebateinacountry.Atthesametime,italsogivesvisibilitytotheconcernsofchurchesandtheirdiaconalwork.

4.6 Accountability

Mutual accountability is often pointed at as abasic value in international diakonia. Account-ability refers to thepracticeofbeingmutual re-sponsible,asforinstanceincooperationbetweentwoormorepartners.Normally, accountabilityincludestwokeycomponents:answerabilityandenforceability.Thefirstreferstotheobligationtojustifydecisionsandactions,thesecondtheabil-itytoensurethatanagreedactionistaken.

Whenaccountabilityismutual,itgivesallpart-nersanequalrightinholdingtheotherresponsiblefordeliveringonitscommitments.Inreality,thisisnotalwaysthecaseasthereoftenwillbeasymme-tries in the relationsbetween thepartners.Tradi-tionaldonor-recipientrelationscarrywiththemim-balancesinpoweranddecisionmaking,andshouldbequestioned,especiallyindiaconalwork.

Ontheotherhand,itneedstobestronglyaf-firmedthatmanagementcompetenceandeffective

workpracticearecrucialindiaconalwork,withmu-tualaccountabilitybeinganintegralpartofit.With-outsuchcompetence,eventhebestofintentionswillnottranslateintosolidandresponsibleaction.

Today, Joint Planning, Monitoring and Evalu-ation(PME)hasbecomeausefultoolforfundingagenciesintheglobalNorthandtheirpartnersintheglobalSouthforimprovingmanagementcompetenceandworkingpractices.Themotivationis“to improve internal working methods, so that limited resources could be used optimally in the struggle against poverty and in-justice”, andalso “to improve communication between Southern organizations and Northern funding agencies by harmonizing their management information systems, orienting them towards learning and not just account-ability, and ensuring the timely exchange of relevant in-formation at the key stages of a project between partners working together towards shared development goals.”��

TheParisDeclaration,aninternationalagree-mentsignedbypoliticalandorganizational lead-ersin2005undertheauspicesoftheOrganizationfor Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD), is a significant example at thehighestpoliticallevel,ofajointcommitmenttoimprovethequalityofaidanditsimpactondevelopment.Oneofthekeyprinciplesofthiscommitmentisstrongermechanismsforaccountabilitywhichholddonorsandrecipientsofaidmutuallyaccountabletoeachotherandcomplianceinmeetingthecom-mitmentswillbepubliclymonitored.��

Theseconcernsshouldnotbeinterpretedtobedemandsfromexternalpartnerswhichisarisk,astheyrepresentpowerandcancut their support ifcertain requirements formulated by them are not

23 Building bridges in PME. Guidelines for good practice in the

planning, monitoring and evaluation of community-based de-

velopment projects implemented by Southern NGOs with sup-

port from European Ecumenical Agencies.PublishedbyICCO,

TheNetherlands2000.Idemp.6.24 More information on the Paris Declaration and its

implementationisfoundatwww.oecd.org

�� Diakonia

observedbythepartners intheSouth.Allactorsshouldembracetheprinciplesofplanningandac-countabilityastheirownstrengths,valuesandskills.Communication is important, and honesty aboutpowerimbalanceshouldbeapartofthedialogue.

Good management and working practicesareneededforthesakeoftheworkthathastobedone. Professional diaconal competence shouldbeenhancedaboveall,forthesakeofthepeopleinvolvedinthework,andtheirdignityinstrug-gling for a better life. There also is a need formore accountability within churches. It is notacceptable if some church leaders say that theyare“accountabletoGodonly”,iftheyfailtopres-entaccountsfortheirfinancialresources.Churchleadersshouldbeintheleadandsetexamplesofresponsibleandtransparentstewardship.

Ageneralprobleminprojectworkisthattheprojectholderofteniseagertodomuchmorethanis possible, taking into consideration the avail-ableresources.Goodplanningiscrucial.Atthisstage, itmaybehelpful toundertakeaSWOT-analysis,25oranotherkindofassessment,suchasanassetassessmentorappreciativeinquiry.Asa

25 SWOT-analysisisaprocessofidentifyingStrengths,Weak-

nesses,OpportunitiesandThreats.

result, thecomparativeadvantageoftheprojectholderwillbecomeclearer,astheactivityshouldnotbebasedsolelyonaneedsassessment,butonasolidanalysisincludingstrengthsandavailableresources.Mostlikely,thiswillmaketheprojectmanageableandmoresustainable.

Itisnoteasyforchurchestochoosetodoless,buttodoitbetter.Itis,however,importanttore-member that there are many other organizationsoutsidethechurch,andthatdiakoniacannottakeresponsibilityforallchallengesinsociety.Forthatreason,alliancebuildingwithotheractorsisimpor-tant.Italsobecomesmoreurgentforchurchestofocustheiractioninareaswheretheirdiaconalef-fortmaymakethemostsignificantcontribution.

5. Diaconal actorsDiakoniahasmanyactors;mostofthemareanon-ymousinthattheydowhattheyconsidernaturalandrightwhenchallengedbysuffering,needorin-justice.Thisisespeciallythecaseinrelationtowhatinthepreviouschapterwasdescribedasindividualdiakonia.Butalsowithintheotherexpressionsofdiaconalaction,itisnormalthatmanymorepeopleare involved than thosewhohavedirect responsi-bility.Itshouldbeconsideredaprioritytogivemorevisibilitytopersonswhoengageinsuchservice,notonly to honor their commitment, but also to en-courage others to follow their example. Withoutanydoubt,morepeoplewouldliketobeinvolvedindiaconalworkiftheyjustweregivenopportunity.

Women have always played a key role in dia-conalwork,anditisquitecommonthatmorewom-enthanmenareengagedbothasvolunteersandem-ployed.Theremaybemanyreasonsforthis,includinghistoricalreasons.Itisarealitywhichshouldinviteour thoughtful and critical reflection.DeaconessesplayedaverycentralroleinthediaconalmovementthatstartedinGermanyinthe1830s.Thishadtodowiththefactthattherewerenojobopportunitiesfor

©L

WF/

F.L

onga

kit

��Diakonia

womenatthattime,sofromahistoricalperspectivethismovementsignificantlycontributedtoprovidingaspaceforwomen,bothinchurchandsociety.

Atthesametime,womenwere,andinsomecasesstillare,normallyexcludedfromleadershippositionsinsocietyandinthechurches.EventheMotherhousewouldhaveaman,mostoftenapas-tor,asthehighestleader.Inmanycasesthisisstillthesituationtoday,wheremenoccupyleadershippositionsandaretherealdecision-makersregard-ingdiaconalactivities.Inothercases,womenmaybeinleadership,butdecisionmakingandbudget-ingisdonebymen.Anothersadreality inmostpartsoftheworldisthatmenarebetterpaidthenwomen,eveniftheyareholdingthesamejob.Thisisaninheritedinjusticethatclearlycontradictstheidentityandvaluesofdiakonia.

Theassumption thatdiakoniafirstand fore-most is a task for women may sometimes be re-ferred toas the “feminization”ofdiaconalwork.This may be based on the mistaken understand-ing that diakonia is of secondary importance inthelifeofthechurch,andinterpretedascareandhumbleservice.Such“feminization”ofdiakoniaisnotinlinewithitstheologicalbasissincediakoniabelongstothewholebodyofChristinwhichbothmenandwomenarecalledtoparticipate.

A gender approach is therefore very muchneededindiaconalwork.Thisincludesbothpracti-calandstrategicdimensions.Agenderanalysisad-dressesthecontextofsocializedpractices,whethertheyareinfamily,churchorsociety.Genderrolesin diaconal work can be critically discussed relat-edtothisanalysis:Shouldtheyjustreflectwhatispracticedinthecontext,orcouldtheypresentanalternative for equal participation by women andmen?Itisimportanttoseesuchanapproachrootedintheidentityofdiakoniaandinitscommitmentforinclusivenessandaparticipatorysociety.

Analyzing gender roles in diakonia shouldbe considered both faith-based and rights-based.Itemphasizesthatwomenandmenaremadein

theimageofGod,withequalstewardship,andarebaptizedintoequalcommunionandenergizedbytheHolySpirit tobeequally responsible for thewhole of God’s creation. In this process, it maybehelpfultoreflectonhowwomenandmencanjointlytaketheirshareindiaconalwork.Aretheircapacities and roles similar or different? Can italsobethecase,thatengagementindiaconalworkwillchangetherolesofmenandwomen,bothinchurchandsociety?Oristheoppositeexperiencedthatchurchesdelayprocessesinsocietyforrecog-nizingandupliftingtherolesofwomen?

It is important that this approach be prac-tical, inthesensethat itoffersconcretehelptowomen andmen through training andorganiz-ing.Empowerment impliesashiftofpower. Inthiscase,itmeansdeconstructingmindsetsthatgive exclusive power to men, and putting envi-ronmentsandpoliciesinplacethatsecureequal-ityinparticipationandleadership.

5.1 Volunteers

Asamatteroffact,mostdiaconalworkisdoneby ordinary people. This is also the case whendiaconalworkisorganized;eventhenvolunteersplayacrucialrole.Theroleofthevolunteerisofcoursehighlyvalued,andmanychurcheslaunchprogramsof recruitingvolunteers in theirwork.Thisisbasedonthefirmconvictionthatchurchlifecannotdependontheworkofthosewhore-ceivesalariesforwhattheyaredoing.

Insomecases,volunteersarehighlyqualifiedpersonswhousetheirprofessionalskillsindiaconalactivitieswithoutreceivingasalary.Amedicaldoc-tororadentistmaygivesomehoursoftheirfreetimeeveryweektoadiaconalclinicforpoorpeople.Someregardthisasa“goodwillservice”,asachanceofgivingbacktothecommunitywhattheythem-selveshavereceivedfromthesociety.Inothercases,thevolunteersarethemselvesinneed,andmayre-

�� Diakonia

ceivea small recognition forwhat theydo,as forinstanceafreemealorsomepocketmoney.

In many countries, opportunities are orga-nizedforyoungpeoplewhoarewillingtospendone year as a volunteer helping others. One ex-citing example is the so-called Diakonisches Jahr(diaconal year)inGermany,inwhichchurchesof-feryoungpeoplebetween theagesof16and27the possibility of serving in congregations or indiaconalinstitutions.Anotheristheinternationalnon-governmentalyouthmovementChangemaker,originally formed by young people who volun-teered with Norwegian Church Aid. They havemobilized young people to be involved in inter-nationaladvocacy,withtheaimofattackingthefundamentalcausesofunequaldistributionofre-sourcesbetweenrichnortherncountriesandthepoorSouth.AthirdexampleistheYoungAdultsin Global Mission Program organized by theEvangelicalLutheranChurchinAmerica.

Havingthisinmind,theroleofvolunteersdeservesamorethoroughreflectionthanoftenisthecase,especiallywhenvolunteersareexpectedsimplyto“fill in”withtasksdeterminedbythehired staff. It is important to remember that a

volunteer isnot an assistantofapaidworker,butapersonthataccordingtoherorhisgiftsandcapacities,isabletoperformim-portant tasks. Many churcheshavesetuphotlineservicesforpersons struggling with differ-ent kinds of difficulties, allow-ingthemtoaskforhelpbytele-phone.Normallythoseservicesare staffed by volunteers withrelevantprofessionaltraining.

In diaconal work, especial-lyat thecongregational level,aprimetaskistorecruit,motivate,enable and accompany volun-teers.Ithappensthatvolunteers

feeltheyareaskedtodotoomuchandtoooften,orthattheyareleftaloneintheirservice.Somewith-drawafterashortperiod,sometimeswithasenseofbadconscienceorofbeingabused.It is there-foreimportantthatvolunteersarerecognizedforwhattheydo,thattheyareincludedinprocessofplanningandevaluationandthattheyarerespect-edasimportantpartnersinthework.Volunteerswillnormallyfeelmorecomfortableinwhattheyaredoingiftheyareofferedtrainingopportunities.Andlast,butnotleast,mostvolunteersseeadeepconnectionbetween their faithand their service,andthismustberecognizedandnurtured.

From a certain perspective, it may be saidthat the term “volunteer” is somewhat mislead-ing,especiallyifitgivestheimpressionthatthereis a principal division between volunteers andhiredstaff.Thismaynaturallybethecaseinveryspecializeddiaconalwork,wherespecificrespon-sibilitiesrequirecertaincompetence,andwheretheworkisorganizedaccordingly.Thisfactdoesnotjustifyanyhierarchybetweentheprofession-alsandthevolunteers,anditshouldbynomeansbecomeanargumentforreservingdiaconalown-ershipandresponsibilityforaprofessionalelite.

©LWF/F.Longakit

��Diakonia

Astheterm“volunteer”isbasedontheLatinword“voluntas”whichmeans“will”,itmaybeun-derstoodthatvolunteerworkdependsonpersonalwill. From a human point of view, this makessense.Fromatheologicalpointofview,whentalk-ingaboutdiaconalservice,itishoweverpossibletotakeonefurtherstepandtalkofserviceasvoca-tion,giventoallbaptizedandasanexpressionofanewlifestyleempoweredbyGod’sHolySpirit.

MartinLutherdevelopedhisteachingontheethics of vocation based on this understanding,and pointed to the world as the place for livingoutChristianvocation.Thismeant, forexample,that a farmer should see daily work as servicegivenbyGod,asshouldalsoashoemakerandateacher. This means that secular work, and notonlyworkwithinthechurch,isunderstoodasvo-cation,whereeverydaylifeanimportantarenaforexpressingGod’scareforcreation.Thisteachingisofcourseimportantfordiaconalaction.

5.2 Professional workers

Withthisunderstandingregardingwhatmaybecalledthe“deaconhoodofallbelievers”,theroleofprofessional,traineddiaconalworkerscanbedealtwith. One may ask what happens when “goodwork”isperformedbyprofessionalworkersthatre-ceivesalaryforwhattheydo.Isitstill“goodwork”inthetheologicalunderstandingofthatconcept?FollowingthepositionofLutherthatwhateverisdone“ingoodfaith”isgood,itcancertainlybeaf-firmedthatprofessionalcompetenceorreceivingasalarydoesnottakeawaythevalueofgoodwork.Itmayevenaddqualitytowhatisdone.

Professional training and competence is firstof all a means for securing quality in organizeddiaconalwork,eitheratthelevelofcongregationaldiakoniaoratthelevelofdiaconalinstitutions.Tra-ditionally,deaconsanddeaconesseshavepersonal-izedsuchtraininginthelifeofthechurch,butother

professionalssuchashealthworkers,socialworkers,administrators,economists,alsoparticipateinthetaskofsecuringtheprofessionalqualityofdiacon-alwork.Qualityhereisunderstoodintwosenses,bothasinputincludingmotivation,attitudes,skillsetc.,andasoutputtobefoundinhowtheworkisdoneandinitsoutcome.

Theprofessionalizationofhealthcareandso-cial work took place mainly after World War II,andwasinmanycases,linkedtothedevelopmentof welfare systems. Its objective was on the onehand,toliftupthestatusofpeopleworkingwithinthisfield,andtoprovidegoodtrainingandworkingconditions.Ontheotherhand,andevenmoreim-portantly, professionalization was intended to im-provetheservicesofferedtothoseinneedofthem.Itwouldbecomeagovernmentalrequirementthataprofessionalhealthorsocialworkershouldhavetheknowledgetointerveneincomplexsituationsof

©FELM

�0 Diakonia

humansufferinginordertoimprovethequalityoflifeinawaythatwouldrespectthedignityofthepersoninneed.

Thesameprocess canbe seen in theprofes-sionalizationofdiaconalwork.Asamatteroffact,diaconal educational institutions often played apioneer role in the professionalization of healthcareandsocialwork.Indiakonia,themainobjec-tive of professionalization is to secure quality inwork performance. Qualified diaconal work im-pliesdifferentdimensions.One isof course, themanagementdimension,meaning that theworkiswellorganizedandaccountable,fromplanning

to implementation, with proper use of resourcesandgoodreporting.Moreimportantlyhowever,isthe contentdimension, referring to theoutcomeof what is done and whether defined goals areachieved according to identified objectives. Forthat, professional work includes analytical tools,knowledgeofmethodsandreferencetovaluesys-tems.Themostimportantisnevertheless,thehu-mandimension.Therealqualityofdiaconalwork

is how human dignity is respected according toholisticworldviews,howpatternsofexclusionsareovercome,howpeopleareempoweredtobesub-jectsof theirown lives, andeventuallyhowthiscontributestothetransformationofsociety.Thisqualityalsoincludescompetenceindealingwiththespiritualdimensionofsuchprocessesconcern-ingindividualsituations,thecapacityofrespond-ing to spiritualneeds in aprofessionalway, andinincludingfaith,spiritualityandreligionintheoverallunderstandingofhumanlife.

Alloftheseconcernsareveryrelevantfor in-ternationaldiakonia.Emergingopportunitiesand

challenges require professionalknowledge and skills. The im-pressionissometimesgiventhatthisisprimarilyanissuefurtheredbyWesternagencies,enforcedbygovernmental back-donors andtheirincreasingdemandsregard-ing performance and reporting.This may be important, but thereal reasonfordiaconalworktobe professional is the commit-menttoquality,inwhatisdoneand what it intends to achieve.Toputitbluntly,themostvalidreason to be professional is therespectandtheconcernforthosewhoareservedbysuchwork.

Critical discernment is abuilt-in component of profes-sional training. It is crucial

however,thatsuchdiscernmentalsobecomesself-critical and raises questions regarding the risksandthelimitationsofprofessionalwork.Itcanforinstance, be performed in an elitist way that ex-cludes thewisdomandparticipationofnon-pro-fessionals.Italsobecomesaproblemifitleadstoasortofelitismbywhichdiaconalworkisreservedfordiaconalspecialists,orifitisorientedbystrictsecularisminawaythatgivesnospaceforspiri-

©LWF/E.-S.Vogel-Mfato

�1Diakonia

tual values and practices. Con-frontedwiththeseattitudes,or-dinarypeoplefeelpowerlessandareoftensilenced.Insuchcases,theprofessionalisexperiencedasa“technocrat”,asillustratedbyastory fromMadagascar.Aproj-ectwasvisitedbyrepresentativesfromapartneragencythathadbeen supporting it financiallyfor many years. After the visitthose implementing theprojectcommentedwithsadness:“Theyonlyaskedforfilesandreports,theyspentmuchtimecheckingouraccountingsystem,andonlya little time meeting people in-volvedintheproject,andtherewere no questions on what im-pacttheprojecthadoneverydaylife.”

TheAddisAbabaconsultationasked for “acultureoflistening”indiaconalwork,andhelditasfundamental,“thatprofessionalcompetenceincludeslocalexpertiseandcommitment,andisopenformutualempowerment.”Indeed,itisim-portant to witness to the interconnectedness ofallexpressionsofdiakonia,andthateachoneismandatedtosupportandstrengthentheothers,although in somecircumstancesoneexpressionmaytakealeadingroleinorganizingwhatneedstobedone.Thismaybethecaseinanemergencysituationthatrequirescapacitiesfarbeyondwhatalocalcongregationorchurchmayhaveattheirdisposal.Buteventhen,itwouldbewrongtoig-noretheroleofthelocalchurchandthedistinc-tivenessinitsdiaconalcapacity,especiallyinthelongtermperspective.

Diaconalworkaimsatempoweringpeopleto participate in processes of change. The skillto achieve thisgoalmustbe in integralpartofdiaconal training and professional competence.

Suchskillsareexpressedinbothapproachesandinmethodology.But theyarealsoevidenced ina holistic understanding of human reality, andin theability tomobilize faith, spirituality andvaluesystemswhenengagedinactivitiesinordertoimproveconditionsoflife.

5.3 Orders of ministry

Deacons and deaconesses represent an explicitformofprofessionaldiaconalworkastheyhavebeen trained and employed for diaconal work.SomeLutheranchurcheshaveestablishedthedi-aconateasapartofthechurch’sministry.Insomechurches,(SwedenandBrazil,forexample),thedeaconisrecognizedasanintegralpartoftheor-dainedministry,whileotherchurchesreservetheterm“ordination”forpastors,andusetheterms

“commissioning”or“consecration”whendeaconsbegintheirofficialministry.AnotherexampleisIndonesiawhere theHKBPchurchhasa train-

©

�2 Diakonia

ingschoolfordeaconesses,andin1983madethedecisionthatdeaconessescanbeordained.

There is, however, no consensus among Lu-theransregardingthenatureandroleofdiaconalministry. Luther abolished the Catholic traditionthatbeforeapersonwouldbeordainedasapriest,heshouldbepartoftheorderofdeaconsforatime,normallyayear.Thisso-calledtransitory diaconate

continuestobethenorminchurchesthathaveahierarchicalunderstandingof theministry, for in-stancetheRomanCatholicandAnglicanchurches.

InLuther’sopinion,adeaconshouldnotbeasortofmini-priest,butonewhoassiststhepoorintheirneeds.HecommentedthattheChurchwouldneedsuchdeacons,butonlyafewconcreteinitiativesweretakentoestablishaneworderofdeaconsintheLutheranchurchesatthetimeoftheReformation.Thepastorbecameinfact,theonlyexpressionofministry,stronglyorientedbyLutheranorthodoxyanditsreadingofConfessio Augustana which primarily defines the church’sministryasoneofpreachingtheGospelandad-ministeringthesacraments.Thiswouldnormallybeinterpretedastheministryofthepastor.

Theordersofdeaconsanddeaconessesthatwere established later, as part of the diaconalmovementinthe19thcentury,werenotrelatedtotheChurch’sministry,althoughsomeinitiativesweretakeninordertoestablishsuchlinks.Com-missionedfordiaconalwork,veryofteninhealthandsocialinstitutions,theirmandatewouldnotinclude“preachingtheGospelandadministeringthesacraments”inthestrictmeaningofthisex-pression.Inotherwords,theywouldcertainlyberecognizedaschurchworkers,butnotbelongingtothechurch’sministry,

Inrecentyears,apossiblerenewalofthedia-conalministryhasoftenbeendiscussed,bothinecumenicalcirclesandwithinLutheranchurches.One important impulsewasgivenby theWCCand itsCommissiononFaithandOrder that in1982 launched theso-calledBEMdocumentonthe understanding of Baptism, Eucharist andMinistry.Here,attentionisgiventothethree-foldministryofbishop,presbyter(pastor)anddeacon,aswasrecognizedintheearlyChurch.Regardingthediaconalministry,theBEMdocumentstatesthat“todaythere is a strong tendency in many churches to restore the diaconate as an ordained ministry with its own dignity and meant to be exercised for life.(...)

Ihearfromtimetotimethatcounselinganddiakoniamustbeseparated.DiakoniaissometimesdescribedastheGospelinaction.Tositdownwithanotherhumanbeingisonesignificantexpressionactionthatgivesmeaning.Thereforeforme,counselinganddiakoniaareintrinsicallyconnected.

Stigs Kerstin Olsson, Deacon in the Säffle congregation, Church of Sweden

©

��Diakonia

Deacons represent to the Church its calling as servant in the world. By struggling in Christ’s name with myriad needs of societies and persons, deacons exem-plify the interdependence of worship and service in the Church’s life. They exercise responsibility in the wor-ship of the congregation: for example by reading the scriptures, preaching and leading the people in prayer. They help in the teaching of the congregation. They ex-ercise the ministry of love within the community. They fulfill certain administrative tasks and may be elected to responsibilities for governance”.��

SomeLutheranchurcheshaveshapedadia-conalministryaccordingtothisbroadtraditioninthechurch.Deaconsnormallycarryaprimaryresponsibilityfororganizingthediaconalworkofthelocalcongregation,andinaddition,theyareexpectedtohavearoleintheworshiplife.Thiscanincludespecificliturgicaltasks,forexampleleadingtheprayersforthesickandthoseinneed,orensuringthatconditionsexistforallpeopletoparticipate in the Holy Communion, includingthosewithphysicalchallenges.

When discussing diaconal ministry, a gen-eralskepticismisoftenexpressedregardingthethree-fold ministry, especially if this is inter-pretedhierarchically, thedeaconbeing the low-estorderoftheministryafterthebishopandthepastor. The Lutheran tradition only knows one

“ministeriumecclesiasticum.”Ontheotherhand,mostLutheransacknowledgethatthereisadis-tinctionbetweenthebishopandthepastor.��Ifitcanbesaidthattheserepresenttwoexpressionsofthesameministry,thequestioniswhetherthediaconalministrycanbeunderstoodasanotherneededexpression?

Thatdiscussionshouldnotfocusonthethree-foldministry,butontheunderstandingofwhatit

26 Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry.WorldCouncilofChurch-

es,Geneva1982.§31andattachedCommentary.27 Episcopal Ministry within the Apostolicity of the Church. The

Lund Statement 2007.LWFGeneva2008.

meanstobechurchintoday’sworld.ThebishopsoftheChurchofNorway,discussingthisissuein2004,concludedthatreflectionsonthediaconalnatureofbeingchurch,togetherwithcontempo-rarychallenges,givegoodreasonsforincludingthedeaconintothechurch’sministry.Itisthenseenasafundamentaldimensionofthechurch’soneministry,asatheologicalprinciplethatmaybeappliedifthechurchchoosestorestructureitsministryinawaythatincludesthediaconate.

Inthiscase,thedeaconisnotunderstoodasa“mini-priest”,butapersonwithspecificdiacon-altrainingthatqualifieshimorhertoassumealeadershiproleinthechurch.Itisunderstoodasanexpressionofthe“bene esse”(well-being)oftheChurch,inserviceofitsidentityandmission,andnotasadoctrinalpositioninawaythattheminis-tryoftheChurchhastobeorganizedlikethis.

TheLWFConsultationonPropheticDiakoniainJohannesburg,2002,initsfinalmessage,pointedtotheimportanceofdiaconalleadershipandurgedchurches to initiate and strengthen education fordiakonia.“As a ministry, it should be fully integrated into the church’s ordained, consecrated and commis-sioned ministries, as a reflection of the fundamental sig-nificance of diakonia for the being of the church”.�8

Herealso,theentrypointistheunderstandingofbeingchurch.Ifdiakoniaisanintrinsicdimen-sionofbeingchurch,thismustalsobereflectedintheleadershipofthechurch.Thisconcernwasfur-therelaboratedduringaLWFConsultationontheDiaconalMinistryintheMissionoftheChurchinSãoLeopoldo,Brazil,2005.“We are convinced that, for a number of reasons, the importance of diakonia within the church’s witness has grown in recent years. Most LWF member churches find themselves in diverse sociopolitical and multifaith contexts, and sometimes in minority situations. (…) Under these conditions, the

28 Prophetic Diakonia: “For the Healing of the World”.Report.Johan-

nesburg,SouthAfrica,November2002.LWFGeneva,p.9.

�� Diakonia

diaconal ministry can be an especially effective way of expressing the love of God.”��

The report from the consultations furtherstates:“We understand diakonia as referring to a core component of the essence of the church and its mission in the world. Diaconal witness is the manifestation of diakonia in the life of the church in which every Christian is called to participate through baptism in daily life as an expression of the priesthood of all be-lievers. Diaconal ministry is a specific expression of the one ministry of the church (ministerium ecclesias-ticum, Confessio Augustana V).(…)We assume that the potential of our Lutheran tradition has not yet been fully exhausted. The one (public) ministry of the church (Confessio Augustana V and XIV) is divinely instituted. Nonetheless, in light of ever changing his-torical realities, the church must address the task of or-dering it anew. As we have seen, the biblical witness

29 The Diaconal Ministry in the Mission of the Church. LWF

Studies01/2006.LWFGeneva,p.82.

itself as well as the history of the church, the Lutheran included, reveal that there is no uniform or universal patterns of ordering the public ministry.”�0

Thisreflectionledtothefollowingconclusion:“We call upon the member churches to reexamine the ways in which they have ordered the ecclesial ministry and, in particular, to do so in such a way that the diaconal re-sponsibility of their mission is adequately expressed”.��

6. Training for diakoniaMost often diaconal action occurs in direct re-sponsetotheneedsandvulnerabilitiesofothers,andforthepurposeofpromotingtheirrights.Itisareactiontobothexternalchallengesofsuffer-ingandneed,andinternalimpulsesmotivatedbycompassion,solidarityandevenofindignationor

30 Ibid.,p.82andp84-85.31 Ibid.,p.88.

©F

EL

M

��Diakonia

protest,when fellowhumanbeings suffer injus-ticeandarebeingexcluded.

Itisprobablycorrecttosaythatapersoncannotbetrainedforspontaneousaction.Nevertheless,itisalsocorrectthatnoactionistrulyspontaneousinthesensethat itwillalwaysexpressaperson’sbasicat-titudes,valuesandreflections.Researchhasshownthatwhatoftenisdescribedasintuitionisformedbyformerexperiencesandquiteoftenbytraining.

This indicates that spontaneous diakonia canalsobepreparedforandgivenaddedqualitythroughtrainingactivities.Thismaybethecaseforexample,when a congregation, located in a context wheremanylivewithHIV,organizesaworkshopinordertostrengthenpeople’sawarenessofhowtoactinor-dertodefendhumandignityandpromotecare.

All training should incorporate the founda-tionalprinciplethatalldiaconalworkwill incorpo-rateactionbeyondcharity,anddistinguishbetween

“we—the helpers” and “they—the helpless.” In ad-ditionitshouldberecognizedthatallcommunitieshavewisdom,giftsandabilitiesthatcontributetodi-aconalresponse.Forinstance,inthecaseofHIVandAIDS,basicinsightisaddedwhenpeoplewholivewithHIVandAIDSareinvolvedastrainers.Onlythen,canthedifferentdimensionsofthischallengeget ahumanperspective thatmaybe transformedintoactionsofcompassion,careandjustice.

Training to invite growth and change in atti-tudesisanimportantdimensionofthisprocess.AschoolofdiaconaleducationinSwitzerlandthatalsowasmaintaininganinstitutionforpeoplelivingwithseverementaldisabilities,usedtohaveasapartofitsprogram,thatduringthefirstyearthestudentswouldsharearoomwithoneoftheresidents.Bothwereexpectedtolearnfromthisexperience.

Educationindiakoniabecomesevenmoreur-gentwhendiaconalworkisorganized.Somecon-gregationshaverealizedthatvisitationtosickandlonelypeoplerequirespreparation.Suchprepared-nesswillmake the visitormore comfortable, andprobablyalsothepersonvisited.Inaddition,since

the visitation is done in the name of the congre-gationitisimportantforallinvolvedtoknowtheobjectivesofsuchvisitationprograms.Experienceshowsthatgoodstructuresofpreparation,accom-panimentandevaluationforwhatisbeingdone,in-vitesfullparticipationandbringsbetterresults.

Listeningtoexperiences,analyzingthechal-lengeinitsbroadersocial,culturalandpoliticalcontext—these are important elements in goodtrainingfordiakonia.Butsincediaconalpracticeimpliesaction,practicaltrainingisevenmoreim-portant.Roleplayisonefavoritemethodoftest-ingouthowtodothings—asforinstancehowtovisitaprisoner.Anothermethodistoformsmallteamsthatwillact together,and intheprocessalsoevaluateoneanother’sperformance.

Institutionalized diakonia normally requireshigherlevelsofprofessionaltraining.Whendiaconalinstitutions were established in Europe 150 yearsago,educationimmediatelybecameanintegralpartoftheworkinthoseinstitutions.Theseschoolsstillplayanimportantroleinliftingupdiaconalconcernsinchurchandsociety,ineducation,andinresearch.Fromtheverybeginning, thiseducationwas inter-disciplinary.Deaconessesweretrainedasnurses,buttheyalsoreceivedsolidtheologicaltraining.InGer-many, this isoften referred toas “doublequalifica-tion”,havinginmindthetwodistinctspaces—clinicand church—forwhich the student is qualified toact.Butsuchdistinctnessshouldnotbeinterpretedasseparation.Onthecontrary,thistrainingshouldqualifythediaconalworkerasa“go-between”,beingabletoaccompanythepatientinrelationtophysicalaswellasspiritualneed.

Interdisciplinaryapproachesarefoundation-altodiaconaltraining.Thisisbasedonthefactthatreality,bynatureiscomplexandrequiresin-terdisciplinary analysis and action. Professionalintervention related to suffering must take intoconsiderationthatgoodprofessionalsareexpect-ed tobe able todealwith thephysical,mental,spiritualandsocialdimensionsofhumanlife.In

�� Diakonia

addition,gooddiaconal leadersmustalsooftenbringthebestknowledgefromthedisciplinesofaccounting,finance and administration to theirwork.Themostsoughtafterleadersfordiaconalinstitutionshavecombinedtrainingintheologyandbusinessorhealthcareadministration.

Oneoftheassetsofdiaconaltrainingshouldbethatthefaithdimensionofsocialactionistak-enintoconsiderationandreflectedinadisciplinedway, related to theologyandother relevantdisci-plines,suchasinthesocialsciences,forinstance.Inotherwords,itincludesbothfaithaspraxisandtheologyasdisciplinedandcriticalreflection.

The importanceof thisasset isnotonlyevi-denced in health work, in situations when thehealthworkerisexpectedtobecompetentindeal-ingwiththepatient’sspiritualneeds.Itisequallyimportant when diaconal action takes the formofdevelopmentwork.Especiallyinatimewhenithasbecomecommontotalkabout“thereturnof religion,” the interconnectednessbetween reli-gionanddevelopmenthasbecomeevident.Sincepeople’sworldviewnormallyisdeterminedbyreli-giousconvictionsandvaluesystems,thishascon-sequencesfortheirunderstandingofsocialrealityand their commitment to change this situation.Diaconal development workers should be welltrainedtounderstandtheroleofreligion,bothitsstrengthanditsweaknesses,andalsotomobilizereligiousmindsets and values for transformationtowardamorejustandsustainablesociety.

As already indicated, theology is an inte-gralpartofdiaconaltraining.Butthiscanalsobeexpressedtheotherwayround,thatdiakoniashouldbe an integral part of theological educa-tion.Quiteoftenpastoraltrainingislackingthiselement,theresultbeingthatchurchleadershipat different levels does not possess the neededqualifications forunderstandingandorganizingdiaconalworkeffectively.

Ideally,diaconallearningshouldbeapartofallChristianeducation.ItshouldbeathemeinSunday

school classesaswell in theprogramofpreparingforconfirmation.Asthereoftenisalackofteachingmaterial on diakonia, churches could share experi-encesandresourcesinprovidingusefulmaterial.

7. Diakonia and development workPost-colonialismcreatedadistinctionbetweende-veloped and non-developed (later called develop-ing)countries.TheUNdeclaredthe1960sasthefirst development decade, and all over the world,governmentsandNGOsweremobilizedininitia-tivesofdevelopmentaid.Theseeffortsweremoti-vatedbyageneralmoodofoptimismandexpecta-tionthatthetransferofknowledge,technologyandmoneywouldquicklybringlastingchangetothepoorcountriesintheglobalSouth.Sincethen,de-velopmenttheorieshavechangedaccordingtothepoliticalmoodofeachdecade.Inthe1970s,radicalvoicesclaimedthatpoverty isnotonlyaresultoflackingdevelopment,butisprimarilyaconsequenceof oppression and unjust international economicstructures.Later,otherissueswereadded.Onewastherelationbetweendevelopmentandenvironment,whichresultedinthequestforsustainabledevelop-ment.Whenwetodaytalkaboutsustainability,werecognizethatthisconceptrelatestoabroadrangeofdimensions,includingcultural,social,economic,ecological,andevenideologyandreligion.

Themostcriticalvoicesrejectedtheverycon-ceptofdevelopment,pointingtothefactthatitistooembeddedinWesternrationality,formedbytheideologyofEnlightenment.Fromthisperspective,development is understood to “lift up” a country,modeledbywhathasbeenachievedindevelopedcountries,asiftherewasasortof“hierarchyofde-velopment.”Especiallyinthefirstphaseofdevelop-mentaid,“helpers”and“experts”fromtheNorthweresentwiththetaskofbuildingupsocial,politi-calandeconomicstructuresfollowingWestern(or

��Diakonia

Communist if they came fromthatpoliticalbloc)models,intheconviction that thiswouldguar-anteethehoped-fordevelopment.As already indicated, the inter-national structures of economicandpoliticalpowerdonotallowsuch development. Secondly, itsoon became clear that culturaland human factors are funda-mentalconditionsinprocessesofovercoming poverty. What wellintendeddevelopmentaidsoughttobuildup,couldneverworkdueto inappropriate cultural under-standingor communitymodels;or it easily or quickly could bedestroyedasaresultofbadgov-ernanceandcorruption.

The relation between diakonia and develop-mentisanimportanttopictowhichmuchatten-tionisgiven.Oneimportantquestionishowde-velopmentisunderstood,andconsequently,whatrolefaith-basedapproachescanhaveworkingfordevelopment. Related to this is the question ofwhetherdiaconaldevelopmentworkcanbeendis-tinguishedfromordinarydevelopmentwork,orinotherwords,isthediaconalworkofdevelopmentlike similarworkoperatedby secularNGOs,orisitpossibletoidentifydistinctivequalitieswhendiakoniaisengagedindevelopmentwork?

Ithasbeenclearforsometimethatdevelop-mentasaconcept,cannotbelimitedtoeconomicandpoliticalinitiatives.Norcanitbeunderstoodasprojectactivitythataimsatsolvingaspecificproblem,forinstancegettingcleanwatertoavil-lage, or building classrooms for children. Suchinitiativescanbeveryimportantcontributionstodevelopmentprocesses,buttheyhavetobeseenin a broader and more holistic perspective, inwhichthequestionofsustainabilityisgivendueattention.

In 2002, the LWF published a bookletcalledGuiding Principles for Sustainable Develop-ment. Here, sustainable development is definedas“a process of change by which the basic needs and human rights of individuals and communities in any given society are realized while at the same time protecting the basic needs and human rights of other communities and future generations.”

Thedocumentbrings theunderstandingofdevelopment beyond a mere technical or politi-calinterpretation.Notonlydoesitpointtosocialandculturalperspectives,butalsotohowdevel-opmentmaybeinterpretedfromaChristianper-spective, stating that the LWF concept of sus-tainabledevelopment “is grounded in and shaped by the faith Christians confess in the Triune God.”

15GeneralPrinciplesarelisted:

1. Sustainabledevelopmentisaholisticandin-terconnectedprocess.

2. Sustainabledevelopment isnon-discrimina-toryandprotectsthedignityofeachperson.

©L

WF/

J.Sc

hep

�� Diakonia

3. Thewell-beingofhumanpersonsisthepri-orityofsustainabledevelopment.

4. Sustainable development is culturally andspirituallysensitive.

5. Sustainable development does not assumethe superiority of any model of economicandsocialgovernance.

6. Sustainabledevelopmentisparticipatory.

7. Capacity building is a means as well as agoalofsustainabledevelopment.

8. Financialsustainabilityisnecessaryfortheef-fectivepromotionofsustainabledevelopment.

9. Sustainable development depends on insti-tutionalsustainability.

10.Sustainable development focuses on com-munityassets.

11.Sustainable development is technologicallyappropriate.

12.Sustainabledevelopmentisdependentonad-equateconditionsforhealthandeducation.

13.Sustainable development includes advocacyforsocio-economicandpoliticalconditionsforhumanwell-being.

14.The promotion of peace and reconciliationisanessentialfunctionandpreconditionofsustainabledevelopment.

15.Sustainable development requires equitableandeffectiveresourcesharing.

Inadditiontothesegeneralprinciples,someoth-erimportantdimensionsareliftedup:

1. The Human Rights Dimension, stating thathumanrightsprinciplesarethelegalexpres-sionof theGod-givendignityof everyhu-manperson,which the church is called toprotect andpromote, and that the right todevelopment involves the realization of allhuman rights—economic, social, cultural,aswellascivilandpoliticalrights.

2. The Gender Dimension, stating that the pro-tectionandpromotionofthehumanrightsofwomenarefundamentaltothesustainabilityofdevelopment,thatsustainabledevelopmentrequiresgender equality and the full leader-ship of women in all development process,andthatallassessment,planning,monitoringandevaluationindevelopmentworkrequiresagenderperspectiveandanalysiswhichval-uestheworkandexperienceofwomen.

©EYCE

��Diakonia

3. The Environment Dimension, stating thatsustainabledevelopmentisenvironmentallyaware,preserving,maintainingandregener-atingthenaturalresourcebaseandthatsus-tainabledevelopmentinvolvesincorporatingconcernfortheenvironmentinalldevelop-mentdecisionsandoperations.

4. The Communication Dimension, stating thatcommunication builds human communi-ties and allows them to develop, and thatsustainable development therefore dependsuponeffectivecommunicationandcapacity-buildingincommunications.

Asdevelopmentcontinuestobeanimportantitemontheworld’sagenda,churchesarechallengedtoaddressthismatter.Thestateoftheworldandthefactthatmillionsareexcludedfromadignifiedlifeofbasicwelfareandsecurity,urgesthechurchestoact.Thisbecomesevenmorechallengingwhensomechurcheshavetorespondtosituationswherefamineanddeeppovertythreatenthelivesoftheirpeople and the communities where the churchmemberslive.Suchactionshouldbeundertaken

atall levelsofchurch life: thecongregation, thenational church, and international cooperation.Forthesakeofcohesionandeffectiveness,actionatdifferentlevelsshouldbelinkedtooneanother.

Diakoniaasdevelopmentworkmaytakemanyforms.Itmaybeorganizedassmallprojects,orascomprehensiveprograms.Itshouldalwaysbeaimedatempoweringpeople.Asclearlystatedabove,criti-calanalysisofrootcausesandoftheexternalenvi-ronmentshouldalwaysbeincludedinthework.Thisisnotonlyinordertosecuretheanticipatedoutcomeofwhatisbeingdone,butalsotomaintainacriticalconsciousnessthatisrequiredforadvocacy.

What is the distinctness of diaconal devel-opment work? It should be clearly stated thatchurch-based development work does not nec-essarily take forms different than ordinary andsecular development work. Nevertheless, somepotentialelementscanbeidentified:

1. Diaconal development work connects tochurchesandcongregationsatthegrassroots.Thismakespopularparticipationpossible,es-peciallyforwomenwhooftenarewellorga-nizedatthislevel.Italsopromisescontinuity

©

�0 Diakonia

ofwhatisinitiated,asthecongregationwillbethereafteraprojectisfinished.

2. DiaconaldevelopmentworkisbasedonChris-tianfaithandworldview.Itisorientedinallitsactivitiesbytheconvictionthatallhumanbe-ingsarecreatedinGod’simageandthusgivenanincorruptibledignity,andthatGodisthedefenderofthepoorandexcluded.

3. Diaconal development work enriches ourfaithandcontributesitselftoabetterunder-standingofourfaithandourpurposeinlife.

4. Diaconaldevelopmentwork isable torelatetoreligiousmindsetsandvaluesystems.Sinceitisfaith-based,itrecognizestheimportanceoffaithandhopeinprocessesofovercoming

povertyandsuffering.Thisopensupamoreholisticapproachtodevelopmentwork,andcompetence in relating the different dimen-sionsofhumanlifetoeachother.

5. Diaconaldevelopmentworkfavorsworkingmethods that prioritize inclusiveness andprocesses of empowering people for partic-ipation. This is done, based on the under-standingthateachpersonisendowedbytheCreatortobeasubject,withagivenidentity,andthatassuch,belongstothecommunitythataffirmsandsupportsthisidentity.

6. Diaconal development work does not con-necttochurchesonlyatthegrassroots,butchurches are also trusted at decision mak-ing levels. Grassroots initiatives should be

©LWF/J.Schep

�1Diakonia

linked to church leadership engagementwith secular authoritiesonpublicpolicy is-sues(“grass-tops”advocacy).

These possible qualities of diaconal developmentworkdonotexemptchurchesfromordinaryqual-ity requirements when engaged, for instance, inprojectactivities.Suchactionneedstobeplanned,reflectedandorganizedinordertoachievethein-tendedoutcome.Activitiesmustbecarriedoutac-cordingtoidentifiedgoalsandavailableresources.Finances have to be handled with responsibilityandinatransparentway.Tobuildcapacitiesandunderstandings of mutual accountability withinthisareahasthereforebecomeapriority.

8. Prophetic diakoniaThediaconalmovementthatstartedinGermanyinthe1830swasmotivatedbypietisticspiritualityanditsfocusonindividualisticpiety.Thisbackgroundmade it natural to translate the biblical word

“diakonia” as “humble service”, to which deacon-esses and deacons were commissioned. Whetherservingininstitutionsorincongregations,diacon-alworkerswereexpectedtobe“humbleservants.”Humility is certainlyan importantattitudewhenworkingwithpoorpeople,andhumbleapproachesallowdiaconalworkers to see theirvaluesandca-pacities.Butsometimestheimpressionwascreatedthatdiakoniainitselfshouldbehumble,silent,al-mostservile,andshouldnotprovokeanyoneorgetinvolvedincomplicatedpoliticalissues.

Over the last decades this interpretationhas been revised. Biblical scholars, such as theAustralian John Collins,�� have documentedthattheGreekworddoesnotmeanhumbleser-vice, but rather an important task that is given

32 JohnN.Collins,Diakonia.Re-interpreting the Ancient Sourc-

es.NewYork/Oxford1990.

to somebody by an important authority. In theNewTestament, itmostoftenrefers toaminis-try(leadershiprole)oraswehaveseenrelatedtoJesus, hisMessianicmission.From this insight,theconceptofpropheticdiakoniahasbeendevel-oped.Overthelastdecades,thisexpressionhasbecomewidelyused inecumenicalcircles,espe-ciallyamongChristiansintheSouth.

ThisisalsothecasefortheLutherancommu-nion.TheLWFconsultationonpropheticdiakoniainJohannesburgin2002,formulatedthefollowing:

WeacknowledgewithgratitudethemanykindsofdiaconalworkthattheChurchhascarriedoutthroughthecenturiesandwhichnecessarilycon-tinueinourownday.Thisworkisnowchallengedtomovetowardmorepropheticformsofdiakonia.InspiredbyJesusandtheprophetswhoconfront-edthoseinpowerandcalledforchangesinunjuststructures and practices, we pray that God mayempowerustohelptransformallthatleadstohu-mangreed,violence,injusticeandexclusion.��

One important starting point for propheticdiakoniaistolistentovoicesofsufferingandmar-ginalizedpeople.TheLWFAssemblyinCuritibain1990metunderthetheme“IHaveHeardtheCry of My People,” inspired by the biblical wit-nessofGod’ssensitivitytopeopleinneed.“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings...(Exodus3:7ff).

TheAssemblyMessagefromCuritibastatestheimportanceofpropheticwitness:

Prophetic witness, in obedience to God’s word,involvesconfrontationwithcertainsocietalvalues,especiallythosepromotingnewformsofidolatryof seeking human fulfillment apart from God.

33 Prophetic Diakonia: “For the Healing of the World” Report.Johan-

nesburg,SouthAfricaNovember2002,LWFGeneva,p.6.

�2 Diakonia

Any prophetic witness involves both careful lis-teningtothecriesofthepeopleandthewordofGod.(...)Thediaconalwitnessofthechurchisof-tenbetterunderstoodthanwords.Asthechurchdecidesandacts togetherwith themarginalizedanddisplaced,youngandold,womenandmen,itgiveswitnesstoGod’sall-embracinggrace.��

Sowhatdoweunderstandby“propheticdiakonia?”Prophecyisabiblicaltermandshouldbeunderstoodandusedfromthatbackground.Sometimes,politicaldiakoniaandpropheticdiakoniahavebeenreferredtoasbeingthesamething.Theymustbedifferenti-ated,althoughtheyareofcourseinterrelated.

Political diakonia expresses thepoliticaldimen-sionofdiaconalwork.Sincediakoniatakesplaceinthepublicsphere,itmustbeconsciousofitssociopo-liticalroleandbereadytospeakoutwhennecessary.Therearemanygoodexamplesofpoliticaldiakonia.OneexampleisthewayinwhichchurchesinIndiaparticipate in struggle of liberation of 250 millionDalits,formerlycalled“Untouchables,”whoaccord-ing to the caste system, are told that theyare lessthanhuman.AnotherexampleistheinvolvementofLutheranchurchesinLatinAmericainaddressingtheillegitimacyofforeigndebt,andofbuildingal-lianceswithotheractorsincivilsocietyinorderto

34 I have heard the cry of my people. Curitiba �990. Proceedings of

the Eight Assembly.LWFReport28/29,Geneva1990,p.85.

makepoliticianstakeaction.AthirdexampleistheLutheran Office for World Community that hasbeenestablishedat theUNHeadquarters inNewYork,inordertoexpressLWFconcernsandinterests.Lobbyingcanbeanimportantelementinpoliticaldiakonia,butasarulesuchlobbyingshouldnotbefordefendingone’sowninterests,butforpromotingtheinterestsofthepoorandmarginalized.

Prophetic diakonia, on the other hand, hasanotheraccent.It relates to the intrinsicnatureofdiakonia,affirmingthattheprophetictaskispartofthemandateandauthoritythatGodhasgiventhechurchanditsdiakonia.

Inthebiblicaltradition,prophecyappearsastheresponsetodivinerevelationandaGod-givenmandategiventotheprophet.“The word of the Lord came to me, saying…”ThiswordalwaysmanifestsGod’slordshipandpower,asinAmos4:13,“For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth—the Lord God of hosts is his name.”ButitalsoexpressesGod’sconcernforcreation,especiallyforallpeople,remindingthemthatGodisjudgeandredeemer,nowandintimestocome.

Christianssensetherelevanceofsuchwording.Inatimeofglobalizationwhenthemarketandafewpowerfulnationspretendtobegiventherighttosettheultimateconditionsforhumanexistence,thepro-pheticwordremindsthatGodistheLordofhistory.

Whatistherelationbetweenprophecyanddiakonia?

Bothhavethetaskoffindingways andofbuild-ingbridgesinthedirectionofrenewal(repentance)andtransformation.Thetaskofdiakoniaisthatofbe-ingapathfinderandactingasapathfinder.Diakoniais never just words, but rather, actions looking forwaysbywhichtransformationmaytakeplace.

Itisimportanttonotethattheprophetswerestrongdefendersofjustice.Theyreacted,especiallywhen the God-given law of service to the neigh-borwasbroken.This so-calledapodictic lawwas

ThejudgmentofGodisupontheChurchasneverbefore.Iftoday’sChurchdoesnotrecapturethesacrificialspiritoftheearlyChurch,itwillloseitsauthenticity,forfeittheloyaltyofmillions,andbedismissedasanirrelevantsocialclubwithnomeaningforthetwentiethcentury.EverydayImeetyoungpeoplewhosedisappointmentwiththeChurchhasturnedintooutrightdisgust.

Martin Luther King, Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

��Diakonia

establishedatMountSinaiasapartofthecovenantbetweenGodandhispeople.TheTenCommand-ments are central expressions of this law, and itshould be noted how Luther uses the command-ment inhiscatechisms,notonly toconstrainouraction, but to bind us toactions which serve ourneighborandprotectfromharm.Theapodicticlawisdifferentfromthecasuistic lawmadebytheel-derswhometatthegatesofthecity.Thefirstoneisunquestionable. Itbelongs to the covenantanditspromiseofshalomandwellbeing.Thatiswhybreakingthatlawhadsuchdramaticconsequences.

To be prophetic means to defend justice.Diaconal action thereforeby its verynature, in-cludesthetaskofunmaskingespeciallysystemicformsof injustice andofpromoting justice—orbetter:beingapathfinderservingthatcause.

Ontheotherhand,thepropheticvoicecan-notbeinstitutionalizedinthechurch,asthisisavoicethroughthechurch,andnotbythechurch.ThepropheticmindhastobeopentowhattheSpiritsays;itiscarriedbyaspiritualitythatcon-stantly opens for new perspectives, for dreamsofrenewalandforhopeofsalvation.Relatedtothisistheobservationthattheprophetsoftenad-dressedtheirmessagetothereligiousleadership,asitoftenwasinvolvedincorruptionandinop-pressing thepoor.Theyalsoaddressed the rich,themighty,eventheking,forabusingpower.

Advocacy often is related to resisting thepowerofthemightyandtheirideology.Resistancemayimplytheriskofsufferingandevenmartyr-dom,whichwas thecaseofmanyChristians inthe first centuries, and since has been a part ofchurchhistory.KnownmartyrsfromrecenttimesareMiladaHorákováwhosurvivedNaziconcen-tration campbutwas sentenced todeathby theCommunistregimein1950,andGudinaTumsawhowaskilledinEthiopiain1979.

Eventodayitisthetaskofpropheticdiakoniato address the church establishment, in order toquestionhowwearebeing“conformed to this world”

(Romans12:2)indealingwithburningissuesofourtime.Isitfairtosaythatthechurchhassometimesimitatedstructuresofdominationandexclusion,orfocusestoomuchonstructuresofthepastandtra-ditionalwaysofdealingwithdiaconalchallenges?Hasthechurchadoptedalifestyleofreligiouscon-sumerismandethicalindifferenceinsteadofbeingprofoundlyprovokedbythesignsofgrowingpov-ertyandinjusticeintheworld?

Withoutcriticalpropheticquestions,thechurchand itsdiakonia is easily trappedby triumphalism,ecclesio-centrismandothervariantsofthetheologyofglory.Thislinkstothetraditionofreformatio con-tinua,ortheneedofconstantreformationinthelifeofthechurch—sothatweareliberated,renewedandremindedofourGod-givenmandateandtobeontheway—evenwhenthisisawayofthecross.

9. Diakonia and proclamationStFrancis ofAssisi once said: “Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary use words.”ThissayingtellsusthattheGospeliseventandaction,God’sloveincarnatedamidsthumanbeings.Butitalsopointstothefactthatallactioncommunicatesa

MiladaHoráková,lawyerandpolitician,representsthefightforfreedom,democracyandcivilrightsinCzechoslovakia.ShebecamethefirstwomanexecutedbytheCommunistRegime.Hertrialandthatofhertwelvecolleagueswasashowtrialarrangedforthepropagandareasons.Despitemonthsofbrutalinterrogationandtorture,MiladaHorákovástoodfirmanddefendedherselfandheridealseventhoughsheknewthatsuchafightwouldonlyworsenherconditionsandthefinalresult.ShewasexecutedonJune27,1950attheageof48.MiladaHorákováwasamemberoftheEvangelicalChurchofCzechBrethren.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milada_Horakova

�� Diakonia

messageandwitnessesone’s identityandmotiva-tion,whicheventuallymaybeaffirmedbywords.

Nevertheless, one of the greatest challeng-es in diaconal work is how to establish a soundand responsible relation between diaconal workand proclamation. In the message from the Ad-dis Ababa Consultation on Diakonia 2008, theparticipants“acknowledge difficulties in clearly defin-ing the interrelationship between proclamation and diakonia. Both are expressions of the Gospel and both are core elements of the mission of the church. We com-mit ourselves to continue to work on this and to discuss how this had to be applied in our many contexts.”

Thefirstobservationhereconcernsthevarietyofcontextsthatdonotallowafixeddefinitionofhowdiakoniaandproclamationarerelated.It isevident for instance, that in someMuslimcoun-tries diaconal work has to desist from proclama-tion,inordertobeacceptedbythelocalpopulationandavoidaccusationsofproselytism.Itisequallyevident that in other parts of the world, peoplesee an immediate linkbetween faithandaction.They expect prayers to be said before an impor-tantmeetingstarts,andtheyseecareforpeopleassomethingthatalsohasaspiritualdimension.

Neitherofthesecontextsshouldtakeustoaquickconclusion.Eveninthefirstcase,thedia-conalactiongiveswitnesstoChristianloveandcareforothers,althoughthereisnoopenprocla-mation.Thesecondcase,thatmayseemtopresentnoproblem,alsorequirescriticaldiscernmentasreligiouspracticemaybecomeatoolformanipu-latingpeople,especiallyinsituationsofweaknessandsuffering.Wearedealingherewithunequalpowerrelationships,whetherwelikeitornot.

Sotherearemanyreasonsforcontinuingtoworkontherelationbetweendiakoniaandprocla-mation.Experiencesfrompastandpresentdiacon-alpracticecanhelpustoseebetterthedilemmasthathavetobedealtwithinaresponsiblemanner.Withthisinmind,someguidingprinciplescanbearticulatedbasedontheologicalreflection.

OneleadingprinciplewasformulatedbyMartinLuther.Hevehementlyrejectedthepracticeofchar-ityinhistime,andspeciallytheunderstandingthatpeoplewouldberewardedbyGodiftheygavealmstothepoor.Youcannotusethepoortojustifyyour-self,onlyGodhasthepowertojustifysinners.ThefactthatGodgraciouslyhasjustifiedus,byfaithinJesusChrist,setsusfreetoservethepoorandbefreedfromthebondageofpoverty.ForLuther,thisserviceisontheonehandintimatelyconnectedtoGod,andthereforeserviceofGod,andontheotherhand,itisentirelydirected towards theperson inneed. “Now there is no greater service of God (German: Gottesdienst) than Christian love which helps and serves the needy.”�5

It is therefore impossible to reduce diacon-al action to an instrument for another purposethanwhat it basically is: service to theneighborinneed.Itcannotbeaninstrumentwhichservestheneedsof theonehelping,notcan itbecomean instrument forevangelizingpeople.Diaconalactionwouldthenwronglybecomeastrategy,inaconsciousefforttocombinehuman-careactivitiesandproclamationsothatpeoplecanbeconverted.Aresultmayevenbethat thediaconalactivitieswouldbechosenaccordingtowhethertheywouldbeeffectiveinrecruitingnewchurchmembers.

Thismission-focusedmethodcontradictsthebiblicalimperativeofassistingpeopleinneedasaGod-givenmandateandanimportantactioninit-self,asclearlyexemplifiedinthediaconalpracticeofJesus.Inaddition,itbecomesethicallyquestion-abletousepeople’sneedsasanoccasionforevan-gelizingbecausewhen thishappens, thedignityand the integrity of the person are not properlyrespected.Inthe19thcentury,theconceptof“riceChristians”describedthesituationinChinawhenpoorpeoplejoinedthechurchinordertoreceivedaily food rations from the missionaries. Today,

35 Luther’s Works, ed. JaroslavPelikan andHelmutT.Lehm-

ann. Fortress Press, 1958-1972, Volume 45, p. 172; WA

(WeimarerAusgabe)12,13,26f.

��Diakonia

most responsible mission organizations work inpartnership with local churches, and reject prac-ticesthatsetupconditionsforreceivinghelp,suchasdemandingthatchildrenattendSundayschooloradultscometochurchregularly.

Italsoisverydisturbingwhenamissionmeth-odbecomesareflectionofthedivisionbetweentherichandthepoorintheworld,inthesensethatmis-sionaries fromaffluent countries exploit theunjustdivisionbetweenrichandpoor,andseepoorpeople’ssituationsasanopportunityforgettingnewconverts.Instead,churchesinmissionshouldtoliftuptheirpropheticvoicesanddenounce this situation.Theyalsoshouldbeself-criticalabouttheirowninvolve-ment in power structures. In any case, it must bestronglyaffirmedthatasGod’sloveisunconditional,thechurchalso iscalledtobeunconditional in itsservicetopeopleinneed.

ThedifficultiesreferredtoabovemayhaveledsometomovetotheoppositeextremeandclaimthattherecanbenolinksbetweendiaconalactionandtheproclamationoftheGospel.Forinstance,it is sometimes said that international diakoniashould concentrate on humanitarian aid and de-velopment. This is then normally understood asa consequence of a division of labor within inchurch,where someagenciesaregiven theman-datetoevangelize,whileothershavethetaskofpromotingjusticeandovercomingpoverty.

Itmaybethatthispositionhasbeenorientedbyaverycriticalunderstandingofmissionwork,andof seeingproselytismasan integralpartofwhat mission agencies are doing, for instance.But this is not a correct description of missionwork, as proselytism normally is understood asthepracticeofattractingChristianstoone’sowndenomination,andmostmissionagencieswoulddissociate themselves from such practices. Itshouldalsoberememberedthattheworkofmostmission agenciesnormally containsdiaconal ac-tivitythatisdoneunconditionallyandnotforthesakeofrecruitingnewchurchmembers.

Theprincipleofsettingasharpdivisionlinebetweendiaconalworkandevangelismmayalsobejustifiedbythefactthattheworkisfinancedbypublicfunds.Asgovernmentalmoneyissecular,itmaybeexpectedthattheactivitiesitsupportshavetobesecularaswell.ThisisoftenthecasewhenWestern, church-based agencies are involved ininternational diakonia and have to comply withrequirementsofgovernmentalback-donors.

Behind this position is the understandingthatthedeliveryofdevelopmentaidmustnotin-terfereinareligiousrealm,oftenbecausereligionbysomehasbeenconsideredaprivatematter.Infactno interventioncanbeneutralbut isalwaysimbedded in existential and moral assumptions,and which therefore will—consciously or uncon-sciously—impact people’s religious convictionsandpractice.Thatisthecaseofanydevelopmentwork,whethersecularorfaith-based.

There is now a growing awareness amonggovernmental back donors that religion is im-portant indevelopmentwork.Churches arebe-ingrecognizedbecauseoftheirroleasgrass-rootmovementsandasactorsincivilsociety.Whenchurch-basedagenciesarefundedbygovernmen-talbodies,itisduetotheiridentityandabilitytoworkwith relatednetworks in theglobal south.

©LWF/F.Longakit

�� Diakonia

Itgivesthemanaddedvalueasagentsoftrans-formationthatshouldbeactivelyembracedandmadepartoftheirstrategicwork.

Therealtaskforchurchesistofindawayofrelating diaconal work and proclamation that ac-knowledgesboththedistinctnessofdiakoniaandits embeddedness in the holistic mission of thechurch.Diakoniaandproclamationbelongtogeth-erinchurchlife,butinthesamewayassomeorga-nizationswithinthechurchfocusonproclamation,otherorganizationsspecializeindiaconalwork.

TheLWFConsultationonChurchesinMis-sion,heldinNairobiin1998,statedthat“mission encompasses proclamation, service and advocacy for justice.”��Thisunderstandingechoestheaffirma-tion of the 1988 LWF mission document, To-gether in God’s Mission:

Thewholenessofmissionneedstobemanifestedbytheunityofwordanddeedinallofthechurch’soutreach.Botharevehiclesof theunconditionalloveofGodwhoacceptspersonswhile theyareyetsinnersandwithoutanyregardtotheirsocial,

36 Reportp.20.

racialorculturalbackground.Wordwithoutdeedfalsifiestheveryworditselfasitmakesthegospelabstractand denies God’s transformingpower in creation and in incarna-tion. The failure to accompanywitness through word, by witnessthroughlifemayclosethedoortothegospel.Ontheotherhand,thedeedwithoutthewordisindangerofdegenerating intosheerhumani-tarianismandconformitywiththecontext and of failing to conveythe fullness of salvation as God’sgift.Thecredibilityof thewitnessisultimatelygroundednotindeeds,which are bound to remain imper-

fect,butinthegospelitself.��

Thepointhere,isnotonlythatwordanddeedbelongtogether,butthatinfactallactioncarrieswithitawitness that requires interpretation. It isonlynatu-raltoexpectcoherencebetweenlivingandspeaking.Diaconalactioncanneverbesilentandshouldnotpretendtobeso.Thisimpliesthatalsoapersonbe-longingtoanotherreligionoranatheistthatworksinadiaconalinstitution,forinstanceahospital,contrib-utestotherealizationofwhattheChurchiscalledtodo.AllinvolvedshouldbeexpectedtobehonestabouttheChristianidentitytheinstitution,aswellasofitsvaluesystemandguidingprinciples.

Ontheonehand,thisidentityincludesbelong-ingtoachurchthatproclaimstheGospel.Conse-quently,diaconalactioncannotpretendthatproc-lamationisnotpartofthechurch’smissiontotheworld.Ontheotherhand,thedifferentdimensionsofmissionshouldbeheldtogetherinawaythatthedistinctcharacterofeachofthemisaffirmed.Evenifwordanddeedcannotbeseparated,theyshould

37 Together in God’s Mission: An LWF Contribution to the Understand-

ing of Mission.LWFDocumentation,No.27,1988,ch.4.1.4.

©F

EL

M

��Diakonia

notbemixedinamannerbywhichoneofthemisreducedtobeaninstrumentoftheother.

Whatthismeansinpracticemaydifferfromonecontexttoanother.Professionaldiaconalworkrequirescriticalreflectiononthis,inordertosteerawayfromanyabusebyusingthesufferingofoth-erstopropagatetheChristianmessage.But,thisreflectionalsoincludestheawarenessofthespiri-tualdimensionofallsuffering,andofthepoweroftheGospelinprocessesoftransformation,recon-ciliationandempowerment.

Summing this up, some general principlescanbeformulated:

1. Diaconal action is meaningful in itself. Itdoes not need to be justified by other rea-sons;itshouldneverbereducedtobeanin-strumentforotherpurposes.

2. Diaconal action must be unconditional. Itcannotallowconditionstobeaprerequisiteforreceivinghelp,asforinstanceparticipat-inginreligiousactivities

3. Diaconal action must respect the integrityofeachpersonandtheirfreedomtoexpresstheir faith according to their own convic-tionsandtraditions

4. Diaconal action must ensure that persons invulnerablesituationsarenotinfluencedorpres-suredtowardreligiouspracticesandchoices

5. Diaconalactionmustacknowledgethespiri-tualdimensionofhumanlife,andespeciallyofhumansuffering,andthereforebereadyto assist people that ask for assistance, in-cludingcounselingwhenthisisaskedfor

6. Diaconal action must be able to interpretreality and processes of social change in aholisticmanner

7. Diaconalactionmustbereadytoaccountforitsfaith-basedidentity

8. Diaconalactionmusttakeresponsibilityforthewitnessitisgivingtothemessageofthechurch

Itbelongstothecorenatureofdiakoniathatitsverticalandhorizontaldimensionsareinseparable,andtherealtestofdiaconalactionishowthesetwodimensionsareheldtogetherinadialecticmanner,notseparatingthem,normixingthem.Iftheyareseparated,diakoniacaneasilybecomesecularized.Thismeansthatitmaystillbegoodandnecessaryaction,but limited to secular interestsandgoals.Anotherresultofsuchaseparationwouldbethatdiakoniabecomesspiritualizedandtoolimitedbyitstheologicalandecclesialframework.

Intheend,ourconfidenceinthepowerofGod’sSpirittomovethespiritofhumanbeingstowardsfaith,hopeandlovegivesusfreedomtoserveandtotrustinGodandinpeople’sabilitytoexpresstheirchoiceswithdignity.

10. Diakonia and diapraxisDiaconalactionhasalwaysbroughtpeopletogetherfromdifferentdenominationsandfaiths,aswellasatheists,tojointlyworkwithandforsufferingandmarginalizedpeople.Throughthis jointcommit-mentforjusticeintheimmediateneighborhoodaswellasinthewidersociety,diakoniahashelpedto overcome religious prejudices and motivateddialogue.Thisstrongtraditionofbuildingbridgesbetweenpeoplemadethediaconalmovementoneof the foundationsof the ecumenicalmovement.Animportantexample is theurbanmissionthatwas initiated inNorthernEurope in themiddleofthe19thcentury.Here,Christiansfromdiffer-entdenominationsjoinedeffortsinaccompanyingpeopleinneed,whichwascausedbythemanyso-

�� Diakonia

cial problems that followed the industrializationandurbanizationofthatperiod.

Similar experiences occur when people ofdifferent faiths work side by side, supportingemergencyanddevelopmenteffortsaimedatim-proving the quality of life of fellow human be-ings.In1988,DanishtheologianLissiRasmus-sen proposed the term diapraxis in relation tointer-faithcooperation,stating:

Against thebackgroundofmyexperience inAf-ricaandEurope,Iseedialogueasalivingprocess,awayoflivinginco-existenceandpro-existence.ThereforeIwanttointroducetheterm“diapraxis”.Whiledialogueindicatesarelationshipinwhichtalkingtogetheriscentral,diapraxisindicatesare-lationshipinwhichcommonpraxisisessential.38

TheLWFMission inContext document referstodiapraxisexperiencesinIndiawherepeopleof

38 Lissi Rasmussen, “From Diapraxis to Dialogue. Christian-

MuslimRelations,”inLarsThunbergandally(eds.)Dialogue

in Action,NewDehli:PrajnaPublications1988,p.282.

different faith traditions cometogetherfor“actiontogetherinsolidarity that engages in thepromotion of justice, a betterquality of life, and the allevia-tionofhumansuffering.”��

InJune2006,theLWFor-ganizedaconsultationinMedan,Indonesia, bringing togetherChristiansandMuslimstosharethe experience of the devastat-ing tsunami, and the concreteexpressionsofsolidarityandhelpacrossreligiousboundariesinthedaysthatfollowed.Formostpar-ticipants, this consultation wasthe first opportunity to have adialogueonfaithissuesbetween

Muslims and Christians. Some of them found itdifficulttolistentowhattheotherssaid.Theirex-periencesofsufferingtogetherandofhelpingeachother andconstructinganew future together ledthemhowever,tocontinuethedialogue.�0

Thusdiakonia—alsointheformofdiaprax-is—opens people for transformation, empower-mentandreconciliation,evenincontextsofreli-gioustensions,asisthecaseinmanySouthAsiancountries. In Europe, experiences are made oflinkingdiapraxistocitizenshiptrainingwiththegoalofempoweringpeople toparticipate freely,equallyanddemocraticallyinsociety.��

TheLWFhasstronglysupportedtheforma-tionoftheInter-FaithActionforPeaceinAfrica(IFAPA) that has facilitated inter-faith encoun-ters,discussion,andconsultationsinvariousparts

39 P.52.40 LWF Seminar on Dialogue in Life,Reportpublishedbythe

LWFDepartmentofMissionandDevelopment,Geneva.41 LissiRasmussen(Editor):Bridges Instead of Walls. Christian-

Muslim Interaction in Denmark, Indonesia and Nigeria.LWF,

Geneva2007P.208-209.

©LWF/J.Schep

��Diakonia

of Africa, in order to promote respect for eachother’sreligioustraditions,andalsodevelopmentworkinitiativessuchassecuringcleanwater.

Diapraxis gives witness to the Christian un-derstanding thatallhumanbeings share theCre-ator’svocationoflovingone’sneighbor,andofbe-inganeighbor to theone inneed.TheremaybegoodtheologicalreasonstointerpretthestoryabouttheGoodSamaritaninLuke10asaparableabout

“loving your neighbor as yourself,”thusreferringtoanyperson irrespective of faith. The fact that the Sa-maritanwasanoutsiderthatdidnotbelongtothefaithcommunityseemstosupportthisview.ItalsohelpsustoseecareandactionoflovebeyondwhatChristiansorganizeanddothroughdiaconalwork.

Thatsameunderstandingaffirmstheimpor-tanceoffaith,spiritualityandreligionindevelop-mentwork,asitgivesexpressiontothefactthatall religions have an important role in formingpeople’s value systems and horizon of interpret-ingreality.Religioncanthereforenotbeignoredinsocialactionanddevelopmentwork.

Diakonia as diapraxis implies a fundamentalrespect for other denominations, faiths and worldviews.Suchanattitudedoesnotmakeallbeliefsrela-tive,inthesensethattheyall“leadtoGod”aspopu-larreligionofteninsinuates.Nordoesitmeanthatdiaconalworkshouldsearchfor“religiousneutrality,”orthatexpressionsofwhattheChurchconfessesandcelebratesshouldbesilenced.Theimportantpointisdiakonia’sfundamentalrespectfortheother’sdignityandinhisorherwayofbeingdifferent,togetherwithastrongconvictionthatGodhasendowedallhumanbeingswiththecapacityfordoinggoodwork.

Etymologically, respect (Latin: re-spectare)meanstolookagain,topersevereinseeingbeyondone’sownimmediateassumptionsandstereotypes,to look beyond the first impression or one’s ownimmediate reaction when being confronted withanotherperson.Theonewhomayinitiallyappeartobehelpless,will,aftertrulybeingseen,berecog-nizedasapersonwithhistory,capacitiesandfaith.

Thisrespectfortheotherandhisorherin-tegrity, especially in situations of suffering andinjustice, excludes the possibility of makingdiakonia an instrument for evangelization, forrecruiting people as church members. It is im-

The Cry from a Wounded Planet

SonsanddaughtersoftheEarth,youwhoknowgoodandevil:Lifeisindanger!Showthatyoucare!

DISCOVERTHEWHOLENESS

TheEarthisatapestrywovenwithoutseams.No-onehastherighttotearitapart.

SENSETHEHOLINESS

Aholyfragrancehoversoverallthatexists.Lifemustbevalued,protectedandloved.

REJOICEINTHEBEAUTY

Creationhasawealthofitsown.Nothingismerelyrawmaterials.Thegiftstheearthgivesmustbehandledwithdevotionandgratitude.

REMEMBERTHECONTEXT

Yourlifeiswovenintothepatternofalllifeonearth.Allthatyouhaveisgiventoyouasaloan.Youmustpassitallontothosewhocomeafteryou.

STRUGGLEFORJUSTICE

Motherearthhasenoughtomeettheneedsofall,butnotsatisfytheirgreed.Thegapbetweenpoorandrichiscontemptforhumandignity.

LIVEINRECONCILIATION

Sonsanddaughtersoftheearth,youwhohavethepowertotearuphertapestry:Youarecalledtoalifeofreconciliation!

Finn Wagle, Bishop of Trondheim (Norway)

�0 Diakonia

portanttoaffirmthatdiaconalactionhasmean-inginitself,beingsuchafundamentaldimensionoftheChurch’smission.Therespectfortheotherhowever,alsoincludesrespectingtheotherifsheorhefreelydecidestoapproachandparticipateinwhattheChurchconfessesandcelebrates.

Another important aspect of diapraxis isthatdiaconalwork shouldnotbedone in isola-tion,butingoodcooperationwith“otherpeopleofgoodwill.”Thechallengesandtasksgofarbe-yondwhattheChurchanditsdiakoniaareabletorespondto.Creatingallianceswithotherpart-ners means building civil society and strength-ening the local community when dealing withissuesofhumanneedandinjustice.

11. Values guiding a diaconal code of conductIndiaconalwork,whatcountsisnotonlywhatyoudo,butalsohowitisdone.Whatattitudesarere-flected?Howisthebehaviorofdiaconalworkersperceived?Thisisaconcernthatpeopleinvolvedindiakoniasharewithhealthandsocialworkers,andaconcernthat internationaldiakoniahas incommon with international emergency and de-velopmentwork.Inencountersbetweenpowerfulandpowerlesspeoplethereisaconstantriskofus-ingpowerininappropriateways,andevenmisuse.

For various professions, codes of conducthave been established. They normally will con-tain principles, values, standards or rules of be-havior that guide professionals belonging to anorganization in their daily work. The code ofconduct should contribute to the welfare of allpeople involved in thework, and especially seethattheirrightsarerespected.

OneprominentexampleistheCodeofCon-duct for The International Red Cross and RedCrescentMovementandNGOsinDisasterRelieffrom1994.Its10PrincipleCommitmentsare:

1. TheHumanitarianimperativecomesfirst.

2. Aidisgivenregardlessoftherace,creedornationalityoftherecipientsandwithoutad-versedistinctionofanykind.Aidprioritiesarecalculatedonthebasisofneedalone.

3. Aidwillnotbeusedtofurtheraparticularpoliticalorreligiousstandpoint.

4. Weshallendeavornottoactasinstrumentsofgovernmentforeignpolicy.

5. Weshallrespectcultureandcustom.

6. Weshallattempttobuilddisasterresponseonlocalcapacities.

7. Waysshallbefoundtoinvolveprogramben-eficiariesinthemanagementofreliefaid.

8. Relief aidmust strive to reduce future vul-nerabilitiestodisasteraswellasmeetingba-sicneeds.

9. Weholdourselvesaccountabletoboththoseweseektoassistandthosefromwhomweacceptresources.

10. In our information, publicity and advertisingactivities,weshallrecognizedisastervictimsasdignifiedhumanbeings,nothopelessobjects.��

Diaconalworkshouldpursuethesamelevelofqual-ityandthereforesubscribetosuchcodesofconduct.Thevaluesexpressedherearesharedbyabroadnet-workofdiaconalworkersallaroundtheworld.

TheAddisAbabaconsultationondiakoniadis-cussedthisissueandalsoaskedforadialogueinordertoestablishcodesofconductfordiakonia.Thiswas

42 www.ifrc.org/publicat/conduct

�1Diakonia

concretelyrelatedtointernationalcooperationindiakoniaandhowthedifferentpartnersshouldworktogether.But it isalsoarelevantmatterinotherformsofdiaconalwork, at the level of a local con-gregation or at the level of insti-tutions.Whatwasmeantwasnottoreplaceothercodesofconduct.Rather, it would be to add per-spectives and guidelines basedonthebasicvaluesthatbelongtodiaconal work. Such guidelineswouldofcoursehavetoadapttolocalcontextsandconditions.

The following is how theAddis Ababa consultation puttogether elements that wereconsidered vital for a commonunderstandingofdiakonia,andthereforeshouldguideourdiaconalcodeofconduct:

Theologically,diakonia:

1. is basedongrace andan expressionofourChristianfaith;

2. ismodeledbyChrist’slifeandservice;

3. isamovefromGodthroughustomeethu-man beings suffering (physically, mental-ly, spiritually and socially) and in need, inwhomChristisvisible;

4. seeks to reflectandwitnessGod’suncondi-tionalloveandcareforcreation;

5. is embedded in the holistic mission of theChurch.

Initsobjectives,diakonia:

1. seekstoupholdhumandignity;

2. seekstorestorebrokenrelationshipsandtopromotehealingandreconciliationtocom-munities;

3. caresfortheintegrityofcreation;

4. denounces injustice and advocates for peaceandjusticeinlinewithitspropheticvocation;

5. providesservicestopeopleinneed;

6. seeks transformation for everybody in-volved.

Initsaction,diakonia:

1. incorporates compassion, inclusiveness, mu-tuality, respect and accountability as basicvalues;

2. expresses solidarity andmutual responsibil-ity across borders and seeks opportunitiesforsharingresources;

©L

WF/

J.Sc

hep

�2 Diakonia

3. seeksalliancesecumenically,withpeopleofotherfaithsandwithotheractorsincivilsociety;

4. has participation, accompaniment and em-powermentasitsprimarymethods;

5. is contextualand therefore itusesdifferentmethods;

6. isawareof its limitations,consciousof theriskofcreatingdependency.

Diakoniaasconcept,shouldbereservedforwhatChristiansdo—spontaneouslyororganized,inthe

formofdiaconalinitiatives—aspartnersinGod’smission“forthehealingoftheworld.”ButGod’sgracious presence in the world for peace, justiceandreconciliationcannotbelimitedtowhatisre-alizedthroughdiaconalaction,towhatChristianssay and do. That is why diakonia cannot be ex-clusiveeitherinitstheologicalself-understanding,orinitspracticalexercise.Diaconalactionneedstobenurturedby the confessionof “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God”from,through,andtowhomallthingsare,andtowhombelongseternalglory.(Romans11:33ff).

Questions for Further Reflection

1. Inyourexperience,howarethedifferentexpressionsofdiakoniaconnected?Whatarethestrengthsandtheweaknessesoftherelationshipsbetweenthem?Howdoyouseetheroleofprofessionaltrainedpersonsindiaconalwork?WouldyouconsideranorderofdiaconalministryintheChurchuseful?

2. What do you see as the role and function of proclamation as part of the mission of theChurch?Whatdo you see as role and functionofdiakonia aspart of themissionot theChurch?Whatdoyouseeastherelationshipbetweenthetwo?

3. Diakoniaiscalledtobepropheticandtoliftupthevoiceofthemarginalized.Howdoyouseethiscallrelatedtoyourcontext,andcanitberespondedtothroughdiaconalaction?

4. Networkingis identifiedasan importantmethodindiaconalwork.Howisyourdiaconalwork linked with others (groups, organizations, other churches, governmental structuresetc)?

5. Howistrainingfordiakoniahandledinyourchurch?Whatimprovementsareneeded,andhowcouldthisberealized?

��Diakonia

GLoSSARy

�� Diakonia

GlossaryKeytermsusedinthisdocument:

Accountability – Thepracticeofbeingmutuallyresponsible;oftenconsideredabasicvalueinin-ternationaldiakonia.

Accompaniment – Walking with others withshared mutuality and respect, especially in de-manding situations; grows out of the relation-shipsthatChristmodeledinhisinteractionwithothers.

Advocacy – Strategic public witness togetherwith, and on behalf of, those who are margin-alized, vulnerableorwhosevoiceshavebeen si-lenced.

Agency – Within international diaconal work,thistermisusedforanorganizationwithaman-datefocusedonemergencyresponse,humanitar-ianaidanddevelopment.

Agenda –Thesetofpurposesandobjectivesthatorient diaconal action within a particular timeperiod.

Back-donor–Theoriginaldonor,whenmoneypasses fromoneorganization toanother, for in-stancefromgovernmentstochurch-baseddevel-opmentagencies.

Capacity – Theinherentpotentialofindividuals,groups and organizations to impact and trans-formtheirenvironment,andthetrainingwhichbringsthatabout.

Charity –FromLatin“caritas”(love).Theprac-ticeofbenevolentgiving,byindividualsororga-nizedascharitywork.

Citizenship –Thepubliccivicroleofallpeoplewhich carries with it rights and duties in local,nationalandglobalcontexts.

Civil Society – The network of voluntary andcivicmovements,organizationsand institutionsfunctioningasathirdsectorinsocietytogetherwithpublicstructuresandthemarket.

Context –Thesurroundingenvironmentinclud-ing its social, political, cultural, religious, eco-nomicandecologicaldimensions.

Deacon – AnorderlyministryoftheChurch.Intheancienttraditionthedeacon,togetherwiththebishopandtheelder(presbyter–priest),formedthe leadership of the church. In the Protestanttradition,thedeaconisoftentrainedtoleaddia-conalworkincongregationsorinstitutions.

Dignity–FromLatin“dignitas.”Basicelementin Christian understanding of human beings:thateverypersoniscreatedinGod’simageandgivenunrestricteddignity thatrequiresrecogni-tion,respectandaffirmation.

Ecclesiology – ThetheologicalunderstandingoftheChurch.

Empowerment–Theprocessbywhichmargin-alizedpeopleassumerolesasagentsoftheirownlivesandinsociety.

Faith-based–Socialanddiaconalactionthatismotivatedandorientedbyreligiousfaith.

Gender – Termusedforanalyzingrolesof,anddifferencesbetween,menandwomenextendingfromthebiologicaltothesocial.

holistic – In social and diaconal intervention,a holistic approach seeks to interconnect physi-

��Diakonia

cal,mental,spiritualandsocialaspectsoflifeasequallyimportant.

incarnation – FromLatin“incarnis”meaning“intheflesh.”InChristiantheology,thedoctrinethatJesusChristisGodrevealedastruehumanbeing.Diacon-alworkisoftenmotivatedbytheaimto“incarnate”Christianfaithandserviceinpeople’sreallife.

inclusiveness – Theattitude andpracticeof in-cludingall,especiallypersonsorgroupsthattendtobeexcluded.

koinonia –Greekwordforcommunion,usedintheNewTestamentfortheChurch(Acts2:42;1Corin-thians1:9).Intheecumenicalmovement,akeycon-ceptforexpressingthedivinenatureoftheChurch,itscommunionwiththeTriuneGodandofallbaptized.

Mission – From Latin ”missio” which means”sending.”InChristiantheology,thetermfortheChurch’ssendingtotheworld.Today,missionisunderstoodasparticipationinGod’smission.Itisalsoconceivedasholisticmissionencompassingproclamation,service(diakonia),andadvocacy

Millennium Development Goals (MDG)– eight goals set by the United Nations to beachieved by 2015 that respond to the world’smain development challenges. They are drawnfrom the actions and targets contained in theMillennium Declaration that was adopted by189nationsandsignedby147headsofstateandgovernments during the UN Millennium Sum-mitinSeptember,2000.

Mutuality – Relationships that are reciprocal;thoserelatedhavethesamerelationtoeachoth-ersbothasgiversandreceivers.

neo-liberalism – An ideological and politicalmovement emerging in the 1980’s which was

markedbythefundamentalconfidencethatthemechanisms of a free market economy with aminimumofpolitical regulationswould leadtopoliticalandeconomicliberty.

Participation –Thepracticeofworkingtogether,of sharing rights, responsibilities and decisionstowardscommongoals.

Partnership – The relationship of mutual co-operation andaccountabilitybetweenpeopleorgroupsworkingtogether intheeffortofachiev-ingcommongoals.

Paternalistic–FromLatin“pater”whichmeans“father”.Treatmentofpeople thatreflectsanau-thoritarianattitude,undertheguiseofcaringforothers, using power in denying them access torights,responsibilitiesanddecisions.

Political diakonia – Diaconal action that con-sciouslyreflectspoliticalissuesandseeksexpres-sioninthepublicsphere.

Praxis –Insocialanddiaconalworkthetermforplanned,responsibleandaccountableintervention.

Professional –Describesapersonwhohascompletedtraining,andreceivessalaryfortheworkdone.Pro-fessional diakonianormallyreferstowaysinwhichdiaconalworkisorganizedandimplementedaccord-ingtorecognizedstandardsandqualitywork—forinstance in the implementationof planning, moni-toringandevaluation(PME)systems.

Prophetic –Inthebiblicaltradition,tobeproph-etmeansthevocationinGod’snameto liftupone’svoiceagainstinjusticeandindefenseofthepoorandoppressed.

Rights-based –Termusedfordesignatingsocialand diaconal action that is motivated and ori-

�� Diakonia

entedbypeople’scivil,political,economic,socialandculturalrights.

Secular – From Latin “saeculum” (the presentworld). Used to describe what does not belongto thedomainof religion.Ashistoricalprocesssecularization refers to the reduced power ofreligion in society through theemancipationofpolitics,scienceandculture.

Solidarity – From Latin “solidum” (the wholesum).Originallythepracticeofmutualsupportamongmembersofagroup.Todaygivenawiderscopeandinterpretedassupportforthecauseof

others,especiallythepoorandmarginalized,asanexpressionofbelongingtooneglobalfamily.

Transparency–Thepracticeofopenness, com-munication, and accountability especially inde-cision-makingandfinancialmanagement.

Welfare state – Political model that was devel-oped mainly in Western countries in the after-math of World War II. It aims at combiningdemocracy,regulatedcapitalismandwelfareleg-islationthatpubliclyorganizesandfinanceswel-fareservicesprovidinghealthcare,socialsecurityandeducationtoallcitizens.

The LuTheran WorLd FederaTion

– a Communion oF ChurChes