A Pan-African Perspective of the Missional Witness of Deaconesses and Deacons at Nicaea and Now

Abstract

The Council of Nicaea was convened in 325 CE and brought with it the winds of growth of the church, the woundedness and suffering of Christian leadership of bishops and deacons, and the importance of diaconal mission and ministry at that time. Although references to women deacons or deaconesses are found in early church documents, especially in the Eastern Orthodox churches, they were not necessarily present at the Council of Nicaea in any significant capacity to serve these diaconal roles, despite some suggestions of women being present at the council. In this article, sacred imagination allows us to consider diaconal voices from two other periods whereby Pan-African women deacons in Zimbabwe and the United States are providing diaconal leadership in seasons of ecclesial trends similar to those that affected the Council of Nicaea. The article considers their leadership and context in their times and how these insights could have contributed to the possible involvement of women deacons at Nicaea and the shaping of the ecumenical movement.