"In this newly updated and revised introduction to the permanent diaconate, Ormonde 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 firsthand accounts, and a discussion of the formation, training, and deployment of deacons. A basic, essential text for discernment committees and commissions on ministry, and a comprehensive look at a vital ministry in the church today."--BOOK JACKET.