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Deanery FAQS
Q. What the heck is a deanery?
A: According to the Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, a deanery is geographical section or area within a diocese. The Diocese of California is organized into six deaneries covering the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and a small portion of Santa Clara County.
Q: What is the Alameda Deanery?
A: The Alameda consists of 13 churches in northern Alameda County and west Contra Costa County.
All Souls, Berkeley
Christ Church, Alameda
Christ the Lord, Pinole
Good Shepherd, Berkeley
Holy Trinity/La Santisima Trinidad, Richmond
Our Saviour, Oakland
St. Alban's, Albany
St. Augustine's, Oakland
St. Clement's, Berkeley
St. James'/Iglesia de Santiago, Oakland
St. John's, Oakland
St. Mark's, Berkeley
St. Paul's, Oakland
Q. What is a deanery representative?
A. The Deanery consists of all clergy attached to member churches AND lay people elected by their congregations to represent them at both deanery meetings and the annual Diocesan convention. Deanery representatives are also referred to as delegates. The representatives’ responsibility is primarily to be a conduit for information between their home parishes and other parishes and the Diocese. Each church is allowed a specific number of representatives based on the size of the congregation.
Q: I just got elected to Deanery. Now what?
A: Congratulations. Your congregation is now relying on you to provide them with information and to take their concerns and interests to the other deanery churches and the Diocese.
Q: How do I do that?
A: Here are the basics:
· Attend deanery meetings. In the Alameda Deanery, these are held via Zoom at 6 pm on the second Thursday in March, June, September, and November.
· Distribute information from the deanery meetings to your vestry and congregation. In the Alameda Deanery, we usually end meetings by developing a list of about five talking points that will be sent to you a day or two after the meeting. These should help you to talk to other people or to draft a short article for your parish newsletter or website.
· Attend all-deanery meetings held over Zoom in September. These meetings are relatively new additions to the Diocesan calendar. The Diocese holds these Zoom meetings in September to inform deanery representatives about the issues that will be discussed and voted on at the Diocesan convention in October. At one all deanery meeting in 2023, Diocesan CFO the Rev. Canon Michele Racusin presented and answered questions about the proposed 2024 budget, and Chancellor Christopher Hayes discussed a recent examination of the Diocese’s formula for determining congregations’ assessments. At the other meeting, representatives discussed each of the resolutions and proposed changes to the canons that we will vote on at the convention. Video recordings of these meetings will be accessible at https://www.diocal.org/calendars/pre-convention-all-deanery-meeting-1/
· Attend the annual Diocesan convention at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. It usually begins Friday afternoon and continues through late afternoon Saturday on the fourth weekend in October. This is where representatives of the churches throughout the diocese consider issues such as the diocesan budget, changes to church canons (laws) and new proposals, as well as electing members to some Diocesan committees and representatives to the national convention.
Q: Is that all?
A: No. The deanery meetings (also called convocations) are a forum where church representatives can discuss common concerns, learn about how other churches are handling issues like homelessness, aging congregations, maintaining older buildings, and how to keep our focus on doing the work of the church. Topics have included the following:
· A joint program to develop “room in a box” bins for disaster victims moving into new homes
· A new insurance option for churches
· A new nonprofit that helps churches advertise rentable spaces
· Transparency at the Diocesan level
· Deanery grants to member churches (The deanery collects dues from all member churches and receives funding from the Diocese. A small portion of this total is used to pay for expenses and the rest is available to be dispersed as grants to member churches. See the grant protocol for information about deadlines, reports, qualifications, etc.)
Q: What else?
A. In addition to electing its own officers (president, vice-president, appointed treasurer and secretary), the deanery also has the right to elect two members to the Diocesan Executive Council and to the Diocesan Committee on Nominations. To find out more about this, visit Diocal.org.
Q: Where are deanery meetings held?
A: Until Covid, they were held in member churches. We now meet via Zoom.
Q: Are accommodations made for people with special needs?
A: A Spanish translator is available with at least a week’s notice. We also try to provide meeting minutes in Spanish as well as English. We can provide closed captioning over Zoom as well.
Q. Where can I find out more?
A. Minutes, agendas, our by-laws, and the grant protocol are all available at www.alamedaepiscopaldeanery.org. The Diocese also publishes the weekly Diocal News & Events newsletter. To sign up, go to www.diocal.org. This also is where you can find all kinds of information about the Diocese and the Diocesan Convention.