The word deacon -- this is fairly well known -- derives from the Greek word "diakonos", meaning servant. Less known is that the word minister derives from the Latin word "minis" -- which is a variant of "minus", meaning less. In Congregational Churches, it is a reminder that we are all less than everyone else. We are all servants of everyone. The underlying principle there is that the Spirit speaks through all, and we are in submission to the Spirit. OBSERVATION: There are many other terms that one uses in the Church at large, such as father for minister, or board for deacons, which have quite different meanings. A kind of exception is the word elder, which derives from the Germanic "älter", presumably meaning more mature.
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