Lutheran Church in America. Deaconess Community of the Lutheran Church in America.

See also LCA 108 Administrative History.

The Deaconess is a continuation of the periodical The Deaconess Tidings and Messenger which was the merged periodical published by the United Lutheran Church in America's two deaconess motherhouses, the Lutheran Deaconess Motherhouse and Training School, Baltimore, Maryland and the Mary J. Drexel Home and Philadelphia Motherhouse of Deaconesses. After these two motherhouses merged in 1963 to become the Lutheran Deaconess House and School, the new publication, The Deaconess published continuing the numbering started by The Deaconess Tidings and Messenger. It ceased publication in 1963. It resumed publication in 1970, but did not continue with the volume numbering of the previous issues. It started with 1970 as volume 1. It continued to publish twice per year. The Lutheran Deaconess Association, an organization founded by Sister Anna Ebert in 1938, sponsored publication of The Deaconess. Later publishing information indicates that the Lutheran Deaconess Association and the Deaconess Community of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) jointly published it. Types of content in The Deaconess issues remained the same throughout various style changes. The publications featured news articles about topics important to the diaconate, personnel news about deaconesses, news of investitures and consecrations, information regarding deaconess conferences and associations of which LCA deaconesses were members, and feature articles about the ministry and work of deaconesses.

The Deaconess underwent various changes to its style and layout beginning with the first issue in 1970 that had different typeface and used color ink. A more extensive update to the layout and typeface occurred with the first issue for 1976. After those changes, the publication's look remained the same until 1988 when it underwent change to its format, layout, and typeface. It went from being a tabloid-format booklet, multi-page type periodical to one more closely resembling a broadsheet-style format.

From the description of The Deaconess 1963-1989. (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Library). WorldCat record id: 70641642