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diakonia™ is a lay education program which meets once each week for two years during the school year. Individuals are joined by students and pastors from around the synod to talk about the Bible, Christian Doctrine, Christian Ethics, Church and Society, and other topics. Students are also be given the opportunity to discern what spiritual gifts they might have.
What is the emphasis of diakonia™?
Diakonia™ emphasizes the baptismal vocation of all Christians to serve as did our Lord Jesus. Participants are usually already leaders in their parishes, and have a high degree of commitment to the ministry of the Church. They want to deepen their life of faith and ground their baptismal commitment to serve in the scriptural, theological, liturgical, and historical traditions of the Church. They are committed to serve through the Church in a variety of ways: teaching, administration, liturgical leadership, action for social justice, evangelism, visitation of the sick, community organization, youth work, ministry among the elderly, and the like. In every way they seek, and are helped by diakonia™ , to grow closer to the image and example of Christ the servant.
How is diakonia™ structured?
The diakonia curriculum consists of twelve courses, six per academic year. Each course is 5 sessions in length, and meets weekly for 3 hour sessions. Weekly assignments and reading reflect the twin purposes of relating subject matter to the students' context of life and ministry (family, parish, neighborhood area of ministry), and of giving a solid background to the topic. Students work at their own level, and assignments reflect the understanding that students are already busy in their families, jobs, and parish. Typically, students average approximately two to five hours of studies per week in addition to class time.
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