The Book of Common Prayer is so important because it faithfully and eloquently puts the Bible in liturgical form. Every baptized person is a minister in the Episcopal church. At your Baptism, you become a member of the laity, and thus have a ministry of carrying your faith into the world and practicing it in the church. A deacon is a person set aside to do the servant ministry, usually in parishes, on behalf of the bishop. In a word, deacons are the servant hands of the bishop to the local community.
Deacons assist in worship, preach, and minister to people wherever they happen to be.
Deacons usually retain secular employment and work in a church about 10 hours a week. A priest is a person who has been affirmed by the larger community as one designated to convey the means of grace to Christians in the community. Only bishops may ordain priests and deacons. Priests baptize and preside at the Eucharist, preach the Word of God, and hear confessions from those who wish to make them. It is the priest who pronounces forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ if the bishop is not present.