Unit 6.4 — Lay explanation submission
What our deacon can and cannot do — and why it is good news
Write a 500–700-word explanation for a noticeboard or newsletter in a small congregation. Use warm, ordinary language so that a reader with little church experience can understand the deacon’s ministry and feel reassured.
Explain what a deacon does, which ministries a deacon arranges through others, and why this ordering protects the sick, the penitent, the couple, the congregation and the deacon. Ground your explanation in the teaching and required Scripture of Unit 6.4 — Diaconal Limits and Accountability. You may draw on the earlier Module 6 units where they clarify the map. Supplementary resources are not assessed.
Do not use Greek terms or unexplained technical legal vocabulary. When you refer to Scripture, give the passage reference in the sentence or a brief parenthesis. Explain the idea in your own words. Do not rely on unnamed document citations, promise authority you do not hold, or include confidential pastoral details.
Upload your Assignments
Submit one PDF or DOCX file here. This is the only Module 6 file upload. Include your title and word count. The word count includes the explanation but excludes the title, word-count line and a brief reference list. Keep any private case notes separate. Complete the terminology and boundaries quizzes in their own Moodle activities.
How your work will be assessed
| Criterion | Weight | What successful work shows |
|---|---|---|
| Accurate description of ministry | 40% | Distinguishes ministry a deacon may offer, ministry requiring specific authority, and acts outside diaconal order. Explains appropriate arrangements without confusing prayer, reserved Communion or pastoral presence with restricted sacramental acts. |
| Pastoral explanation | 30% | Shows concretely how truthful limits and continuing care protect people. Explains referral as service and offers reassurance without minimising need or promising exceptions. |
| Plain language and audience | 20% | Addresses an ordinary congregation clearly, warmly and coherently. Makes the positive vocation understandable and avoids jargon, status comparisons and unexplained references. |
| Course Scripture and theology | 10% | Uses relevant required Scripture or taught theology accurately to support the explanation, rather than attaching a quotation without explanation. |
Within each criterion, strong work is accurate, developed and well applied; sound work meets the criterion with only minor gaps; developing work needs clearer explanation or application; insufficient work contains substantial omissions or misunderstanding. Any claim that a deacon may consecrate, absolve, anoint sacramentally, confirm or ordain requires correction. Your tutor will explain any required revision in the feedback.
Before you move to the next unit
Check the three-column map, read your explanation aloud, confirm the word count and file type, and make the submission. Keep a copy for your formation record. Submission completes this upload requirement; it does not replace either quiz pass or the cohort participation requirement.