Many Servants

In this newly updated and revised introduction to the permanent diaconate, Plater includes a history of deacons in the early church, a survey of deacons from the Reformation to the present, stories of modern diaconal ministries, including first-hand accounts, and a discussion of the formation, training, and deployment of deacons. This book is a basic, essential text for discernment committees and commissions on ministry, and a comprehensive look at a vital ministry in the church today.

A basic, essential text for discernment committees and commissions on ministry, and a comprehensive look at the vital ministry of the permanent diaconate in the church today.

ORMONDE PLATER is a deacon in the Episcopal Church who has been active for many years in the renewal of the diaconate. A liturgical scholar and editor of Diakonia, Plater is the Archdeacon for the Diocese of Louisiana. The former president of the North American Association for the Diaconate, he served as deacon at St. Anna’s Parish in New Orleans, Louisiana for over two decades.