I’m in Atlanta this weekend for a conference with archdeacons and deacon directors from around the US and Canada. Some great discussion today particularly around models for deacon mentoring relationships. (Click on the conference link above and explore some of the documents and presentations linked from that page)

What have your experiences been – have any of you worked with a mentor before? Would you be interested in trying it?

Since many deacons are the only deacon in their congregation (sometimes the only one for miles around), connections with other deacons are critically important. It can be isolating at times, especially since many of us work full-time in addition to ‘deaconing.’ We need to be intentional about connecting with and supporting each other. Mentoring is one of the areas that seems really promising.

If you’d like to be matched up with a deacon mentor, send me an email (tracie.middleton@edfw.org), and tell me a little bit about what you would like to connect with a mentor about. The system is not fully in place yet, but we can start testing out the models we already have – if you’re willing to be a guinea pig – think of it as helping to create a more sustainable future for deacons in the Episcopal Church 🙂