The Personal is Political is Pastoral is Prophetic: The Coupling and Uncoupling of Gender and Diakonia, Historical Wisdom for the Future

Is diakonia a “women’s ministry”? And if so, how and when is that helpful, limiting, or problematic? This paper examines the historical and present relationships between gender and diakonia within Christian history and practice. As gender is constructed and shifting, so is Diakonia [diaconal ministry, deacons, deaconesses, and the diaconate]. It matters how and when we tell stories of women in ministry and in diakonia; the words we choose to justify, rationalize, describe, relate, and humanize such ministries. Practices of diakonia have been shaped by gender and likewise have shaped concepts of gender itself within Christian communities. Framed as gender-defined, gender-restrictive, gender-“blind”/-less, and gender-conscious, this paper identifies the historical gifts and limitations of coupling diakonia and gender. Understanding these can offer wisdom as we discern how to conceptualize and articulate the relationship between modern expressions of diakonia and gender in the 21st century, in North America and globally.