dea·con 
(dēkən)
(dēkən)n.
1. A cleric ranking just below a priest in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches.
2. A lay assistant to a Protestant minister.
3. Used as a title prefixed to the surname of such a person: Deacon Brown.
[Middle English deken, from Old English dīacon, from Late Latin diāconus, perhaps from Greek diākonos, attendant, minister.]