The diaconate is generally traced to Acts 6 in the New Testament, when the apostles chose seven men to help care for the church’s needs, so its beginning is usually placed in the early first century, around the Jerusalem church’s earliest years.

What that means

  • Many church histories treat that appointment as the start of the deacon’s office.
  • Some scholars date the event within a few years after Pentecost, roughly around AD 30–33.
  • Later church tradition also describes deacons as a recognized ministry by the early second century.

Short answer

If you mean the church office of deacon, it began in the apostolic era , most commonly linked to Acts 6 and the early 30s AD.