Deacons

Biblically, this designates a servant in the church but not someone who is a slave since the latter refers to a slave/master relationship. It has become an office of the church where individuals are designated to help in the ministry, sometimes serving communion, sometimes by taking care of such needs as church welfare, feeding the homeless, taking care of the sick in the church, etc. It comes from the Greek word diakonos and is translated as "servant" in John 6:25; 12:26, "minister" in Rom. 13:4.