Deacon Community Board

(For a complete description see the Deacon Handbook, Section 19.)

Purpose of Deacon Community Board:  The Deacon Community Board has as its primary function assisting the Director in the formulation and recommendation of policies related to the ministry and life of deacons in the diocese.   In addition, the Deacon Community Board is to foster community among the deacons including their wives and families.

Membership:  The Deacon Community Board shall be comprised of the following:

• one member elected from the deacons serving in each of the deaneries;
• two wives of deacons appointed by the Director who may not be the wives of elected or ex-officio members.
• one pastor or priest of the dioceses appointed by the Archbishop;
• ex officio, the Assistant Director(s);
• ex officio, the Director; and
• ex officio, the Director of the Secretariat for Clergy Formation.

Officers:   The Archbishop or a priest designated as the Archbishop’s delegate in his absence serves as the president of the Deacon Community Board.  A chairman shall be elected from among the membership of the Board.  Officers will serve for a term of one year beginning November 1 each year beginning with the first election.  Officers can be elected a total of two terms.

Nominations and elections:  Nominations for the elected members of the board will be gathered from active deacons who serve in each deanery.  The election of Deacon Community Board representatives from the deaneries will take place by mail.

Terms of Office:  Terms of office for Community Board members will be for three years with the possible re-election to a second term.  At the end of two-terms, the member must rotate off of the Community Board for three years.

Meetings:  The Board shall meet at the discretion of the Director or the Director of the Secretariat or the majority of its elected members.  Meetings will be held at least once per quarter.  Quorums will consist of 50% +1 of the members of the Community Board exclusive of ex-officio members.

Voting and Consensus:  The Community Board will operate utilizing the principles of discernment and consensus for all major decisions regarding policy.  As an advisory board, all votes are non-binding, thus, the consensus model provides the Archbishop with a more certain understanding of the mind of the college of deacons.

Initial Elections:  The members of the Diaconate Task Force who are serving at the time of the approval of this document will serve for one year from ratification in order to monitor the implementation of these policies while preparing for the first election of the Deacon Community Board.  The first election for the Board shall be held no later than twelve months from the date of the approval of this document by the Archbishop.  Newly elected members will take office one month after the date of the election.  Terms of service for the elected members and the appointed members will be staggered.  Through a lottery, members will be chosen to serve one, two and three-year terms to assure that only one-third of the board is elected and/or appointed each year.