deaconess

deacon, except when specific denominations designate "deaconess" as the office for women; in some churches "deaconess" is the functional equal of "deacon." Although most translations of the Bible use "deaconess," the original Greek used the same word—diakonos—for both sexes. And these women had the game as well as the name: in the early church, both men and women functioned as deacons. Whenever possible, use the more authentic "deacon."