The Diaconate and the Anglican Church Today

For the Anglican Church of Australia the broader concept for the diaconate was set in place by the General Convention of 1985. However, there is clearly a tension within the Anglican Church between the various diocesan models of the diaconate. Each diocese is autonomous and as such determines the extent and expression of authorised Anglican models of ministry albeit within the larger context of National Church polity. This article addresses an number of different approaches to the diaconate, e.g. functional rather than onlological, and seeks to suggest a way forward for the diaconate in the Anglican Church in the Australia.