Are you being called to serve in the church in ways that are somehow different from the calling of a pastor? The Florida-Bahamas Synod has a Diaconal Ministry in which deacons are consecrated for a ministry of Word and Service that flows from the pastoral office of Word and Sacrament and is accountable to it.

According to the constituting documents for the program (1998): "A Synodical Deacon is one who is inwardly compelled and outwardly affirmed for service in both the congregation and the world.... We understand a deacon as a particular minister with gifts and a calling for providing vision and practical leadership for the congregation's ministries. Through their common calling and theological training, deacons, exercising their teaching responsibility, would assist the pastoral ministry in underpinning the particular ministries of their calling to the ministry of Word and Sacrament."

Deacons in the Florida-Bahamas Synod serve only within the geographic confines of this synod and are not rostered as lay ministers in ELCA.

• The Synodical Diaconate - The program basics
• Deacon Training Record
• Some Common Questions
• Functions of Deacons
• Are Your Ready to Be a Synod Deacon?
• Pastor's Guide to the Synodical Diaconate
• Application to become a Synod Deacon
• Deacon Candidacy Process Checklist
• Order for the Consecration of a Synod Deacon or MSword