Deaconess

Definition and Meaning

A deaconess (Korean yeojipsa, 女執事) is a woman church member who holds the office of deacon; the term distinguishes her from a male deacon. The Korean word jipsa means "one who is entrusted with handling affairs" and is used to translate the Greek diakonos (servant, minister) of the New Testament. Within the church, members are usually addressed simply as "Deacon So-and-so," without reference to gender. Yeojipsa is thus more of a descriptive term, used when it is necessary to distinguish between men and women.

Biblical and Historical Background

A widely held view traces the office of deacon to the appointment, in Acts 6, of seven men charged with relief of the needy and the serving of tables. Two passages are frequently cited in connection with women deacons.

• Romans 16:1: Paul commends Phoebe as "a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea." The word translated "servant" here is diakonos. On this basis, some interpret Phoebe as a deaconess holding a formal office, while others understand the term in the broader sense of one who serves.
• 1 Timothy 3:11: The passage setting out the qualifications of deacons includes the phrase "Even so must their wives be grave" (the Greek reads literally "women likewise"). Interpreters are divided over whether these "women" are the wives of deacons or women deacons.

Records indicate that the early church, particularly in the East, had an office of women deacons who assisted female catechumens preparing for baptism and cared for women members. This office is understood to have gradually disappeared in the Western church thereafter.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, most deaconesses are acting deacons (seori jipsa). Seori (署理) means "temporarily performing duties on another's behalf." Acting deacons are not ordained; they are appointed by the senior pastor or the session, usually for a one-year term. Deaconesses take on responsibilities throughout church life, including leading districts and small groups, teaching Sunday school, and serving in the kitchen, facilities upkeep, and newcomer ministry. After reaching a certain age and length of service, many are installed as kwonsa (exhorters).

Whether women may hold the permanent office of ordained deacon, which involves ordination, varies by denomination. This question is connected to the broader debate over the ordination of women.

• Presbyterian: Some denominations, such as the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), permit the ordination of women. Others, such as the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong), restrict ordination as pastors and elders to men. In such denominations, women serve mainly as acting deacons and kwonsa.
• Methodist: The Korean Methodist Church has the lay offices of deacon, kwonsa, and elder, and women may hold these offices.
• Baptist and other congregationally governed denominations: Offices are often determined by the local church, so the manner of appointing women deacons differs from church to church.