deacons

noun

1. 1.(Church history) A designated minister of charity in the early Church (see Acts 6:1-6).
2. 2.(Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism) A clergyman ranked directly below a priest, with duties of helping the priests and carrying out parish work.
3. 3.Free Churches: A lay leader of a congregation who assists the pastor.
4. 4.Anglicanism: An ordained clergyman usually serving a year prior to being ordained presbyter, though in some cases they remain a permanent deacon.
5. 5.Methodism: A separate office from that of minister, neither leading to the other; instead there is a permanent deaconate.