Regional deans
Q&A about regional deans:
Why do we have regional deans?
The appointments follow more than two years of a careful discernment process led by Bishop Marc and the Diocesan Standing Committee. Click here to read the Standing Committee’s report explaining how and why the regional dean positions were created and outlining the logistics around their role within the broader diocesan governance structure.
When should I contact my regional dean?
Clergy and lay leaders are invited to contact their regional dean whenever they have a question that they do not know the answer to and:
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- Do not know who to contact at the diocesan level to get a response, and/or
- Would prefer a confidential consult prior to bringing it to the diocesan level, and/or
- Would like to initiate a collaborative effort beyond their deanery.
What are the regional dean's responsibilities?
Regional deans have three primary areas of responsibility:
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- Communications: The Deans serve as a liaison between congregational and diocesan leadership
- Regional (deanery) leadership support: The deans will assist in providing consistency in regional (deanery) leadership and enhance deaneries’ ability for collaboration among geographically proximate congregations (as requested).
- Clergy wellness and clergy family support.
Each dean will serve 8-10 hours a month for a term of approximately three years.
Does this change how deaneries function?
Deaneries will continue to function autonomously, electing officers to manage policies and projects. Regional deans will not have ex-officio status in the governance of the deaneries. As members of the deanery, they will have the same rights and privileges as other members but no additional powers.
Find your deaneries regional dean:
Bishop Marc is pleased to announce the appointment of the Diocese of California’s first cohort of regional deans. Their names, along with their contact information, are listed below.
May God bless the deans in their efforts to support and strengthen our Beloved Community mission.
