Prophetic Diakonia: Paradigm for the Future Church

How can we reimagine the identity and mission of the church as it participates in a more just future? A new discourse about the significance of diakonia has emerged across the global church. The retrieval of diakonia by the ecumenical church is one of the most promising developments in contemporary ecclesiology. This emerging ecumenical consensus recognizes diakonia as an expression of the church’s prophetic imagination. Diaconal action by its very nature includes the task of unmasking systemic forms of injustice and promoting justice. Diaconal advocacy weds imagination with action, grounding the prophetic in material projects of mutual concern within community. The church is called not only to serve but to advocate. At the end of Western Christendom, the needs of the world for peace, healing, and repair are acute. This paper describes how prophetic diakonia and a theology of diakonia can contribute to a new paradigm for the future church.