Deaconesses in Europe and their Lessons for America

"Deaconesses in Europe and their Lessons for America" by Jane M. Bancroft is a late 1800s historical report about the work of deaconesses in European churches. It looks at their importance from the early Church days through the Middle Ages, up to their comeback in the 1800s. The book tries to use the things that worked in Europe to give ideas and inspiration for similar actions in America, especially as women started to have bigger jobs in the Church. It kicks off with the author laying out her plan to give a true picture of the deaconess movement in Europe at the time, as well as thanking the people who helped her research, because she felt there was a need for women in the Church to have organized roles. The text then moves into important topics like the meaning of diaconate service and its history, spotlighting how women have helped in different ways over time. The author explains what deaconesses need to be and do, thinking about how their jobs have changed, which leads to a deeper peek into their influence and how they're set up in both European and American settings as the story moves forward.