To the reader:

The Reformed churches have always held the office of deacon as essential to the life of the church. Following the pattern of Acts 6, our churches have sought to find "men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" to serve the physical needs of the church so our elders can devote themselves "to prayer and to the ministry of the word".

Despite the priority we place on this office, I have found relatively little has been written specifically on the office of deacon. As a deacon, I routinely wish to hear more from the wisdom of the ages on how to serve effectively in my office.

Given this, I started building a library of readings in the Reformed diaconate. In hopes that it will be beneficial to others and in hopes that others will suggest other resources that I should read, I share it with you here.

Tim Hopper October 2015

All 66 Start Here 9 Church Order 36 Deacon Training 28 Diaconal Practice 26 History of the Diaconate 10 Mercy Ministry 35 Scripture & Commentary 9 Theology of the Office 41 Women & the Diaconate 14
Era: All 16th c. 17th c. 18th c. 19th c. 20th c. 21st c.

1 Timothy 3:8-13
Author: Paul the Apostle
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001
A Deacon Catechism
Author: William Shishko
A twelve-question catechism on the deacon's authority, calling, qualifications, and work.
A Diaconal Vision
Author: Central Florida Presbytery Deacons Committee
A Proposal for the Establishment of an Administrative Deacon in the Central Florida Presbytery of the PCA (2023).
A Presbyterian Approach to Mercy Ministry
Author: Nathan Trice
New Horizons (February 2017).
A Proposed Job Description for a Deacon
Author: A. G. Edwards
Ordained Servant 4 no. 1 (1995): 3-5.
A Training Program for Deacons
Author: William Shishko
Ordained Servant 9 no. 3 (2000): 62-70.
A Treatise of Ruling Elders and Deacons
Author: James Guthrie
James Guthrie (Leith, 1652)
Acts 6
Author: Luke the Evangelist
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001
Are Deacons Members of the Session?
Author: R. Dean Anderson Jr.
Ordained Servant 2 no. 4 (1993): 75-78.
ARP Form of Government: Deacons and the Diaconate
Author: Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Form of Government. General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 2014. Chapter 5.
Balancing Sensitivity and Stewardship in Diaconal Assistance
Author: Board of Deacons at the Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Franklin Square
Ordained Servant 7 no. 3 (1998): 67.
Biblical Qualifications for Elders and Deacons
Author: Archibald Alexander Allison
The Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (1999)
Commentary on 1 Timothy 3 and 5
Author: John Calvin
Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, on 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and 5:9-13 (1556).
Commentary on Acts 6
Author: John Calvin
Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles, on Acts 6:1-6 (1552).
Commentary on Romans 12 and 16
Author: John Calvin
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, on Romans 12:8 and 16:1-2 (1540).
Deacons and/or Trustees?
Author: Roger Schmurr
Ordained Servant 4 no. 1 (1995): 20-22.
Deacons Appointed to Care for the Bodies of Men
Author: Jonathan Edwards
An ordination sermon on Romans 12:4-8 (1739), in The Works of Jonathan Edwards Online, vol. 52.
Deacons as Unifiers
Authors: Chris Cashen, Tim Hopper
New Horizons (2026).
Distinction Between the Offices of the Ruling Elder and Deacon
Author: Samuel Miller
Chapter 10 of The Ruling Elder: The Warrant, Nature, and Duties of the Office of the Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church (1831).
God's Gift of Deacons
Author: Ronald Pearce
New Horizons (2010).
Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence: A Practical Guide to Walking with Low-Income People
Authors: Steve Corbett, Brian Fikkert, Katie Casselberry
Moody Publishers (October 6, 2015)
Cover image for Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence: A Practical Guide to Walking with Low-Income People
If You Are a Deacon
Author: Nathan Trice
Ordained Servant (2014).
Institutes of the Christian Religion: On Deacons
Author: John Calvin
Institutes of the Christian Religion 4.3.9 and 4.4.5-9 (1559).
Justification of Ordained Office of Deacon Restricted to Qualified Males
Author: Robert Cara
Reformed Faith & Practice: The Journal of Reformed Theological Seminary (December 2020).
Notes on Ecclesiology: The Deacon's Office
Author: Thomas E. Peck
Presbyterian Committee of Publication (1892).
Office of Diaconate in the Churches
Author: United Reformed Churches in North America
URCNA Study Committee Report (1997).
On Fasting, Death, and Joy: Reflections on My Upcoming Ordination
Author: Hugh Lynn
Ordained Servant, (2014).
On the Work of the Deacon
Author: Presbyterian Church in the United States
Report of the Ad-Interim Committee, Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (1921): 188-191.
OPC Book of Church Order: Deacons
Author: Orthodox Presbyterian Church
The Book of Church Order of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church: Form of Government. The Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox …
Cover image for OPC Book of Church Order: Deacons
PCA Book of Church Order: The Deacon
Author: Presbyterian Church in America
PCA Book of Church Order. Committee on Discipleship Ministries, 2015. Part 1, Chapter 9.
Cover image for PCA Book of Church Order: The Deacon
PCUS Assembly Actions on the Deacon
Author: Presbyterian Church in the United States
Excerpted from E. C. Scott, A Digest of the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, …
Pointers for Elders and Deacons
Author: Central Diaconal Conference of Reformed Churches
Ordained Servant, in three parts (1993–1994).
Principles for the Ministry of Mercy
Author: Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Orthodox Presbyterian Church Uganda Mission Report.
Principles of Diaconal Ministry
Author: Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Orthodox Presbyterian Church Committee on Diaconal Ministries Operating Manual (2016).
Promoting Happy Pastors
Author: Tim Hopper
Ordained Servant (2022).
Reforming the Diaconate
Author: William Shishko
Ordained Servant, in three parts (1992–1993).
Report of the Committee on Women in Church Office
Authors: Ivan Davis, Richard B. Gaffin Jr., Robert D. Knudsen, Gregory E. Reynolds
OPC Study Committee Report (1988).
Report of the Committee to Study the Principles of Diaconal Ministry
Author: Orthodox Presbyterian Church
OPC Study Committee Report (1984).
Report of the Subcommittee Diaconal Ministries
Author: Presbyterian Church in America
PCA Study Committee Report (1978).
Report on the Diaconate
Authors: John L. Girardeau, Robert L. Dabney, Thomas E. Peck
Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (1884): 283-290.
Resources for Deacons: Love Expressed through Mercy Ministries
Author: Timothy Keller
Christian Education and Publications of the Presbyterian Church in America (1985)
Cover image for Resources for Deacons: Love Expressed through Mercy Ministries
Some Old Testament Roots and Their Continuing Significance
Author: Cornelis Van Dam
Ordained Servant 1 no. 1 (1992): 14-21.
The Biblical Foundation of the Diaconate
Author: George W. Knight III
Ordained Servant 5 no. 3 (1996): 66-68.
The Deacon
Author: James M. Willson
An Inquiry into the Nature, Duties, and Exercise of the Office of the Deacon in the Christian Church (1841).
The Deacon
Author: R.C. Reed
The Union Seminary Magazine 15.2 (1903): 215-224.
The Deacon: A Divine Right Office with Divine Uses
Author: C. Nick Willborn
Confessional Presbyterian Journal 5 (2009): 185-199.
Cover image for The Deacon: A Divine Right Office with Divine Uses
The Deacon: The Biblical Roots and the Ministry of Mercy Today
Author: Cornelis Van Dam
Reformation Heritage Books (2016)
Cover image for The Deacon: The Biblical Roots and the Ministry of Mercy Today
The Deacons
Author: John Calvin
Ordained Servant 1 no. 1 (1992): 21.
The Deacons Handbook - A Manual of Stewardship
Authors: Gerard Berghoef, Lester DeKoster
Christian's Library Press, Incorporated (2012).
Cover image for The Deacons Handbook - A Manual of Stewardship
The Deaconship
Author: James B. Ramsay
Southern Presbyterian Review, 12.1 (April 1859): 1-24.
The deaconship: a treatise, with suggestions for its revival in the Church of Scotland
Author: John G. Lorimer
John Johnstone (1842)
Cover image for The deaconship: a treatise, with suggestions for its revival in the Church of Scotland
The Diaconate
Author: John L. Girardeau
The Southern Presbyterian Review, in three parts: 30 (1879): 1-32; 31 (1880): 117-160; 32 (1881): 191-210.
The Diaconate: God's Office of Temporal Affairs
Author: C. Nick Willborn
Confessing our Hope: Essays in Honor of Morton Howison Smith on His Eightieth Birthday. Southern Presbyterian Press (1995).
The First Book of Discipline
Author: John Knox
Church of Scotland, 1560
The Form of Presbyterial Church Government
Author: Westminster Assembly
Westminster Assembly, 1645
The Gospel and the Deacon
Author: Christopher Hutchinson
Grace Covenant PCA Pastor's Papers
The Gospel Work of the Diaconate: A Ministry Proportioned in Number
Author: C. Nick Willborn
Confessional Presbyterian Journal 10 (2014).
Cover image for The Gospel Work of the Diaconate: A Ministry Proportioned in Number
The Importance of the Office of Deacon
Author: John L. Girardeau
The Southern Presbyterian Review 32 no. 1 (1881): 1-29.
The Ministry of Mercy for Today, Part 1
Author: Peter Y. de Jong
Ordained Servant 3 no. 3 (1994): 53-58.
The New Testament Deacon
Author: Alexander Strauch
Lewis & Roth Publishers (October 1, 1992).
Cover image for The New Testament Deacon
The Office of Deacon
Author: Stuart Robinson
The Presbyterial Critic 1.6 (June 1855): 271-277.
The Pastoral Wisdom of John Calvin
Author: John Calvin
Ordained Servant 3 no. 3 (1994): 64-70.
The Reformed Deacon
Author: Orthodox Presbyterian Church
A podcast from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church's Committee on Diaconal Ministries, encouraging Reformed deacons in the work of serving the …
The Second Book of Discipline
Author: Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland, 1578
The Spiritual Nature of the Office of Deacon
Author: Carl Carlson
Ordained Servant (2017)
Women in Office, Especially About "Deaconesses"
Author: Soon-Gil Hur
Ordained Servant 7 no. 4 (1998): 75-77.
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