Our classis has the privilege of having two Diaconal Ministries Canada coaches that are trained and experienced in diaconal work. They are ready and willing to guide you in your role. They’ll work together with you to learn how to engage with your community, promote stewardship in your congregation, to be discerning in your benevolence responses and also mindful of a deacon's role in fostering justice. DMC coaches do this by sharing printed DMC resources, mentoring chairs of deacons and facilitating workshops in your churches. Your coaches would be more than willing to chat on how DMC can support your diaconate. All costs are already covered by your church's annual Diaconal Ministry Canada contributions.
These are our three most popular workshops....
Deacon 101 - This workshop is for new Deacons to learn about their role, but also for experienced Deacons to be refreshed and to share their insights with those who are new. We will take a closer look at the ‘Deacons Mandate’ and look at practical examples of how that is worked out in your church. Feel free to invite anyone who is interested in the work that deacons do (elders, pastors) or any congregational member who is interested in diaconal work even if they don’t have the “title”. This workshop is one hour in length and your coaches can facilitate it online as well as in-person.
Developing Benevolence Guidelines - This workshop will help your diaconate focus its time and resources. Clearly defined guidelines will help you know when to spend a significant amount of time with a need or when to refer an individual/family to other community agencies. Sharing these guidelines with the church pastor, staff and elders will help all know how to respond to needs they encounter and calls they receive. If your diaconate has already developed guidelines, an annual review of those guidelines will help new deacons understand the church’s goals in benevolence. It will also allow the diaconate to make changes and updates as needed. This workshop is one hour in length and your coaches can facilitate it online as well as in-person.
Helping without Hurting in Church Benevolence - Poverty is complex, as is addressing poverty. This workshop will walk the participants through reframing poverty and how to discern the most appropriate approach. This workshop is partially based on the book by the same title authored by Steve Corbett and Brian Finkert from the Chalmers Center. This is an in-person only workshop and can be done with groups from 5 to 30 participants and is two hours in duration.
For more information contact your coaches,
Carol Sybenga, sybenga@rogers.com
Mark Vanderwees, mvanderwees@crcna.org
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