What Is a Deacon? Forum Recap

This past week, Trinity hosted two community forums exploring an important question shaping our ministry horizon: What is a deacon, and could this rostered role be part of Trinity's future?

The forums — one in-person on Sunday, April 27, and one via Zoom on Tuesday, April 29 — brought together congregation members, council representatives, and guest voices from the Northwest Washington Synod: Pastor Judy Brennan, Director for Evangelical Mission, and Deacon Dustin Hamren of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Lynnwood.

If you weren't able to attend either session, here is a summary of what was discussed:

Forum Summary

Based on transcript from Zoom offering.

How We Got Here

This conversation didn't begin with a job posting. It grew out of a longer process.

Last year, Pastor Hector led a series of congregational focus groups asking a foundational question: How do we reimagine Trinity's ministry for the future? From those conversations, four priorities emerged: pastoral care, ministry with younger generations, relational ministry, and faith formation. At the same time, the departure of our Associate Pastor and David Greenlee left gaps in staffing that needed to be addressed.

To meet those priorities, the Council has been developing four positions. Three are part-time coordinator roles: a Pastoral Care Minister, a Youth & Family Coordinator, and a Relational Ministries Coordinator. The fourth, and the subject of these forums, is a full-time Deacon. Importantly, this isn't new spending. The hours and resources from the two vacated positions are being redistributed across these four new roles.

Converging with all of this: David Horton, our Minister of Music and Worship, recently completed his seminary studies and was approved by the Synod's Candidacy Committee to serve as a rostered minister of Word and Service. The question the congregation is now discerning is whether David's gifts and our congregational needs are being called together by the Spirit into a formal full-time deacon relationship.

So… What Is a Deacon?

That was the most fundamental question of the evening, and our guests helped answer it well.

The ELCA deacon roster, formally titled Minister of Word and Service, is the result of consolidating three older categories of rostered lay ministry: Associates in Ministry, Deaconesses, and Diaconal Ministers. Deacons are seminary-educated, ordained, and formally called rather than hired. They are rostered leaders of the whole church, not just one congregation.

Pastor Judy offered a helpful way to think about the distinction between pastors and deacons: pastors are like the salt and pepper of the church, the standard essential ingredients present in nearly every context. Deacons are the specialized spices, each one unique, each one bringing particular depth and flavor depending on the needs of the congregation and community they serve.

Where a pastor's primary focus is Word and Sacrament, a deacon's is Word and Service, with an outward orientation that draws the church toward the world and brings the world's needs back into the life of the congregation. Deacon Dustin noted that the diagonal stole worn by deacons is intentional: it represents a satchel, a symbol of going beyond the church's walls.

Deacons can preach, lead worship, and administer sacraments when a pastor is unavailable (with bishop's approval). But perhaps most distinctive is what Deacon Dustin described as a core ordination promise: to empower, equip, and encourage the whole people of God in their daily lives and vocations. The deacon's work isn't to do ministry for the congregation, but to help the congregation do ministry in the world.

What Does This Look Like in Practice?

Deacon Dustin shared his own experience at Gloria Dei, where he was hired in 2015 as a lay youth minister and eventually discerned a call to the diaconal role. When he became a deacon, several things shifted: his relationship with his pastor moved from supervisor/supervisee to a collegial partnership; his ministry scope expanded beyond youth work to young adult ministry, community partnerships, and synod involvement; and Gloria Dei's outward reach deepened through interfaith work, participation in Snohomish Pride, collaborative youth ministry across congregations, and more.

He also addressed one of the forum's practical questions directly: does having a deacon make a pastor's life easier? Yes, but not because the deacon takes over pastoral care. Rather, by handling other aspects of ministry, the deacon frees the pastor to focus more fully on things like pastoral care and congregational leadership. "Deacons are not pastor-lite," Dustin said. "It's a different approach."

What Might This Look Like at Trinity?

If Trinity and David Horton discern together that this is the right step, his role would shift rather than expand. The current position description, shaped largely during the pandemic, would be reshaped to reflect both the congregation's current priorities and David's own emerging sense of call.

The possible title under consideration is Deacon of Liturgy and Spiritual Growth. In this role, David would focus on equipping and guiding the congregation in faith formation, helping people develop the spiritual practices, relationships, and disciplines to live as the church not just on Sunday mornings, but throughout the week. Music ministry would continue, adjusted to the congregation's needs. What would change is an intentional focus on teaching, formation, and discipleship — work David has already been moving toward organically through Bible studies, book groups, children's messages, and the Tuesday Sacred Pause.

Pastor Hector was clear about the spirit of this process: "We are not forcing David into this position. We are asking whether the Spirit is calling us together." David is aware of and part of this discernment. The congregation's voice matters, and these forums are one expression of that.

Per the Synod's guidance, the call process for a first-call deacon involves a single candidate. David would be considered first, and if either party discerns it's not the right fit, the search would broaden.

Other Voices from the Forum

Several important threads emerged from the open discussion.

Attendees raised the question of gender balance on staff, a valid and important concern. The current pastoral staff skews male, and the Council has this on its radar as it develops position descriptions for the other three roles.

There was also strong consensus around the need to reach younger adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, who represent both a gap in Trinity's current demographics and a real opportunity for ministry.

Some attendees were initially unclear that four positions are being developed simultaneously. To be direct: the deacon question is one piece of a larger staffing picture. The Pastoral Care Minister search is already underway, and the other two coordinator positions are in formation. None of this represents new spending; it's a reallocation of existing resources to better serve the congregation's priorities.

What Comes Next

The forums are part of an ongoing discernment process, not a vote. If the congregation and David proceed, a formal call committee would form, with a possible conclusion by early fall. The other three positions are moving faster; Pastor Hector's hope is to fill those within the next two months.

In the meantime, watch for updates in the Worship Guide and What's Happening. If you have questions, reach out to any council member or speak directly with Pastor Hector, Bill Rankin, or Mike Schultz.