Sponsor's Letter to the Bishop (Deacons)

The Sponsor's Letter to the Bishop

Recommending an Aspirant for Postulancy for Ordination to the Diaconate

The diaconate was a ministry of great importance in the earliest years of the Christian Church. Recently it is being revived in the Episcopal Church and other denominations as an ordained ministry which expresses aspects of service, outreach, concern for human needs and advocacy for social justice within the Christian community.

Ideally, a parish community first discerns the characteristics of a "deacon in our midst? and calls forth that person to be recommended for ordination. Sometimes an aspirant perceives a vocation in himself or herself and asks to be recommended. For a parish to identify and raise up suitable persons for this ministry requires a time of discernment with the aspirant and affirmation by the gathered community. The rector (or immediate pastor) and members of the congregation should be involved in this discernment. A priest should recommend an aspirant to the Bishop only after a focused period of inquiry, service and exploration, which results in the priest's conviction that the aspirant possesses apt gifts and character for ordained ministry. Members of the congregation become involved in the discernment through a parish committee on ministry which meets with the aspirant over a period of time and makes a recommendation to the sponsoring priest.

An aspirant for the diaconate must have been confirmed in (or formally received into) the Episcopal Church and a communicant in good standing in the sponsoring parish for at least one year prior to being recommended to the Bishop as an applicant for Postulancy. He or she must be at least 21 years of age (at the time of ordination).

While the Commission on Ministry recognizes that there are times when, for a variety of reasons, a sponsor may feel obligated to recommend an aspirant about whom s/he feels major doubts, it strongly urges that those doubts be spelled out clearly, either in the letter of recommendation itself, or less formally with the Chair of the Commission on Ministry or with the Canon for Ministry. Even for a "probably qualified" aspirant, any questions, reservations, or doubts should be raised at the beginning so that they may be resolved as early as possible.

When the priest and aspirant agree that it is appropriate to make an application to the Diocese, the priest writes a formal letter of recommendation to the Diocesan Bishop (with a copy to the Canon for Ministry). The letter should address fully each of the categories listed below, giving any additional pertinent information. A generalized letter of support will not serve the aspirant well. If the period of discernment has been less than one year for an aspirant, briefly describe the factors which resulted in a determination that a lesser period of time was appropriate in this instance.

Note: Please include with your letter a description of your parish Committee on Ministry or Discernment Committee. Discuss the membership and the way the work of the committee is organized as it meets with persons seeking the parish?s nomination to the Bishop as applicants for Holy Orders. Include such information as the number and frequency of meetings with an aspirant; a description of the content of the program used over a period of time which allows for reasonable observation, involvement, and discernment

PRIEST'S LETTER RECOMMENDING AN ASPIRANT FOR THE DIACONATE

At the beginning of your letter, please indicate that this is a recommendation for the diaconate, and include the following information. We must have it in order to communicate with the aspirant:

NAME

ADDRESS

PHONE NUMBER(S)

In the letter, please address the following categories:

Background Information
Describe the aspirant's involvement in the life of the parish, community, and Church. How long have you known the aspirant? How long has s/he been a member of the parish? Do you know the aspirant well? In what activities has s/he been involved and for what period of time? How would the parishioners describe this person's ministry in the parish or community? What is your sense of the aspirant's level of commitment and faithfulness in connection with parish or Church work taken on? Please give examples.
Spiritual Life
What are your impressions of the aspirant's spirituality? Discuss her/his prayer life, worship, reception of the sacraments. Does s/he have knowledge of Scripture and the Church? Describe the applicant's articulation of his/her own faith? Is it enthusiastic, coherent and compelling? How does faith ground and center the aspirant's work in and out of the Church? Does it direct the aspirant's sense of social responsibility? Please be as descriptive as possible. Do the aspirant's co-workers know that s/he is Christian? What image, story, or passage of scripture does the aspirant use to describe her or his sense of call to ministry? What is your impression of the aspirant's overall spiritual health?
Spiritual Maturity
Is this aspirant a person of spiritual maturity? Does s/he show the ability to exercise a ministry characterized by a continually enlarging vision?
Prophetic Obedience
Among the particularities of the order of deacons is the call to prophetic obedience. How does this person speak prophetically to the Church about the needs of the world? Is s/he a person of courage and tenacity in raising issues the Church would prefer to ignore? And, at the same time, is s/he capable of being obedient (to parish authorities, to the rector, to the Bishop)? Can s/he be a self-starter in recognizing needs in the community and being creative in seeking out proposals to meet those needs?
Interpersonal Skills
What is your perception of the aspirant's sensitivity to pastoral issues in people's lives, e.g., how does s/he respond to pain in others' lives? What is your sense of the aspirant's ability to recognize his or her own fears and conflicts, and in what ways do those fears and conflicts impede or facilitate her or his sensitivity to others? Is the aspirant a good active listener, i.e., able to hear out the other and be perceptive about what is both spoken and unspoken in the other? Is s/he open to new ideas and approaches arising from others? Is the aspirant good at organizing others to meet needs for mission, and delegating authority to others? Is s/he capable of organizing an institutional response to an issue or need, not only a one-on-one response to an individual need? Please provide examples of this critically important ability to organize and delegate.
Educational Background
While there is no educational prerequisite for ordination to the diaconate, please describe the aspirant's academic background, i. e., high school? some college? More? Is s/he aware of general areas of study which will be necessary in preparation for the ministry of deacon . . . and that the program will offer appropriate flexibility for individual differences? Please give your sense of the aspirant's facility with language, both spoken and written.
Liturgical Function
While the principal focus for the deacon is on servant ministry, the diaconal role as icon of servant ministry is reflected in the liturgy. Is the aspirant aware that there are liturgical responsibilities connected to this ministry? That these responsibilities are important signs for the whole Church of the call of all baptized persons to servant ministry?
Appropriate roles for deacons in the liturgy include:

Reading/singing the Gospel

Directing intercession, ideally based upon regular reflection with members of the congregation on needs to be included in prayer.

Receiving the offering of the people.

Preparing the altar for celebration of the Eucharist and sharing in the distribution of the elements during and/or after the service.

Sending the people forth to ministry at the conclusion of the Eucharist.

Preaching, as directed from time to time, with the focus always on aspects of servant ministry.

N.B. Aspirants who seem to be focused primarily on the liturgy probably are not well suited for this ministry.
Character and Mental Health
What are your impressions of the aspirant's character and mental health generally? What is your sense of the aspirant's level of maturity and judgment? intelligence? warmth and humor? ability to make long-term commitments to people or projects? What is your sense of the balance in this aspirant's life, e.g., how and how well does the aspirant balance her/his work or profession with parish and Church involvement? with family or social life? with vocational interests or hobbies?

We encourage sponsors to supplement the above categories with any additional information about the aspirant which they believe would be helpful.
Future Ministry
Have you discussed with the aspirant and does s/he understand that after ordination a deacon may be assigned to a ministry in another place than the sponsoring congregation? Does s/he understand that at the time a priest leaves a parish and new priest is called, the deacon will be reassigned?

Should you request and the Bishop approve the assignment of this aspirant as a deacon in the sponsoring parish, how do you envision his/her ministry with you and your congregation in the following areas:

Outreach ministries	Pastoral care
Christian Education	Christian Education
Liturgical participation