The Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America, Chapter Nine, summarizes the teaching of scripture concerning the functions and authority of the Office of Deacon.  The office of Deacon is an office of “sympathy and service” patterned after the example of Jesus.  Although it deals chiefly with the physical and social needs of the church and the City, it is a spiritual office and exercises only spiritual authority.  It is designed, at least in part, to make visible the communion of the saints.  It does this principally through helping one another in time of need. Among the many privileges of the office, it lists the following:

• Ministering to those in need
• Ministering to the sick
• Ministering to the friendless
• Ministering to any in distress
• Caring for the widows and orphans
• Caring for prisoners
• Developing the gift of liberality (generosity) among the Church
• Devising methods of collecting the gifts of God’s people
• Distributing the people’s gifts among the objects to which they are given
• Caring for the property of the Church, both real and personal
• Keeping the property of the church in proper repair

Many other examples of diaconal functions include helping struggling families with budgeting and bill-paying; organizing prepared meals for individuals and families during times of need; fostering an awareness of mercy-needs among God’s people; ministering corporately to international students, single parents, and other groups; initiating ministries like AIDS outreach, prison outreach, rehabilitation of housing in the City, Adopt-a-block kinds of programs, after-school children’s ministries, racial reconciliation initiatives, prayer and service groups within the church, etc.

In the context of an urban ministry, the proactive, initiative-taking nature of the deaconate is essential for the functionality of the office.  The nature of the City itself, with its countless needs and heart-breaking realities, requires the office of deacon to maintain an active approach to the City’s needs, not a passive one.As part of the vision for the way the offices of the church function at The City’s Gate, the deaconate is vital, and at least in some respects, unique.  Since the vision of the church is that each of the neighborhood prayer groups becomes the primary vehicle through which help from the church is applied to individual needs, it is necessary that the Deacon maintain a close tie to one of the prayer cells.  Through the deacon, the cell will ideally function to meet the individual needs of its neighbors in an efficient, effective, and relationally oriented way (that is, in a way that is far more like a friend or neighbor coming along side of someone, rather than as a ‘stranger’ from outside).It is essential, therefore, that the office of Deacon be filled by those of spiritual character and mature wisdom, who are of honest repute, lead exemplary lives, maintain a brotherly spirit, possess warm sympathies, and are sound in judgment.