The Episcopal Church in Connecticut (ECCT)

Letter of Agreement between

_______________________________________________________, DeaconAnd

_______________________________________________________, (Parish/Mission/Organization)

Date Ministry is to begin: _________________________

The expectation is that the Deacon will serve for 3 years in this ministry setting.*

The Deacon will serve an average of _____ hours per (week/month) [suggestion: 7-9 hours]

The Deacon will serve ______Sundays per month (Expectation: Deacon will be at his/her home parish once a month).

The Deacon will participate in the worship services as is fitting the liturgical role of the Deacon (Expectation: Read the Gospel, introduce the Confession, set the table, and do the dismissal).

The Deacon will preach________ times a month/quarter (Suggestion: At least once a quarter).

The Deacon will have ________ vacation weeks (Expectation: 4 weeks).

The Deacon also empowers the following ministries for God’s Mission:Guide and Support the Ministry of the Laity in the local community. The following areas seem promising, and others are possible as the Deacon’s ministry develops:

o Pastoral Ministry: Oversee Eucharistic Visitors, train and coordinate visitors

o Christian Formation: Offerings about Servant Ministryo Diocesan Ministry:

▪ As called upon by the Bishops▪ Involvement in the local region

o Ministry in the World: Continuous Volunteer Ministry

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The (Parish/Worshipping Community/Organization) agrees to:· Reimburse the Deacon for necessary expenses related to his/her ministry (i.e.:

Diocesan convention).· Encourage and financially support the Deacon’s continuing education. It is

expected that parishes will offer the diocesan recommendation for clergy continuing education (i.e.: Deacon’s Retreat, NEDN Conference, AED Conference), and that time away from the ministry for continuing education will be up to 2 weeks.

· Clergy Discretionary Funds: These funds are held in the parish and remain with the parish fund if and when the Deacon is reassigned. Deacons can access these funds with the permission of the clergy person in charge. The clergy team may decide on another system and this arrangement needs to be approved by the vestry.

Additional specifics:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The supervisor of the Deacon is: _____________________________________________________________________________________

The supervisor and Deacon will meet monthly for supervision and conversation about the development of diaconal ministry.

The Deacon and supervisor will submit to the Bishop annually an evaluation of the way(s) in which the Deacon’s ministry has connected church and world.

Agreed: Month_________________________Day______________Year______________

______________________________________________________________ Deacon

______________________________________________________________Supervisor

______________________________________________________________Bishop

*The expectation for a Deacon serving in a “Region Ministry” may extend to 4 years of service.

Rev. 4/12/2019