Open AccessDiakonia in the New Testament and a vision for a biblically based ministry plan
Author(s) -
Gert Breed
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
in die skriflig/in die skriflig
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2305-0853
pISSN - 1018-6441
DOI - 10.4102/ids.v53i1.2475
Subject(s) - christian ministry , plan (archaeology) , revelation , service (business) , new testament , old testament , biblical theology , political science , sociology , theology , history , philosophy , law , business , archaeology , marketing
When a local congregation holds the Bible as its authoritative source document in a post-Christian milieu and embarks on developing a ministry plan, it should base its plan on the Bible as the revelation of God. One aspect of a ministry plan of a local congregation is the service ministries (διακονία). In this article, I attempt to answer the question what previous exegetical studies by the author and other researchers of the diakon-words in the New Testament could contribute towards the development of a biblically based ministry plan for a local church. The principles for service ministries identified from the results of the previous exegetical work, are presented in an overview and integrated into a plan for service ministries. The conclusion is that the exegetical studies of the διάκον-word group in the New Testament have provided valuable insight into the service ministries and therefore contribute to an overall ministry plan of a congregation.