About the School for Deacons

Artboard 6.png
 

A Brief History of The School for Deacons

In the years following World War II, during which portions of The Episcopal Church called and set apart men designated as “perpetual deacons,” the Diocese of California (which at that time also included what is now the Diocese of El Camino Real) established a School for Ministry.   The School prepared those men for service as deacons, as well as providing formation for others called to serve as presbyters under what was known as “the old man’s canon.” (We have come a long way since then!)

The liturgical renewal in the Book of Common Prayer of 1979 changed the understanding of the diaconate and paved the way for a new diaconal formation process.  The Bishop of California, William Swing, dissolved the School for Ministry and created in its stead The School for Deacons.

The School began meeting in retreat centers and church basements until 1998 when it was housed on the campus of The Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) in Berkeley, CA. From its foundation the School evolved, reflecting the various “waves” of understanding of the diaconate so thoroughly explored by Susanne Watson-Epting in her book Unexpected Consequences: The Renewal of the Diaconate in The Episcopal Church, Church Publishing, 2015.

A revision of the curriculum and formation process which began in the summer of 2017 has created a program designed to meet the changing needs of today’s students.  The result of this process has been a renewed School for Deacons which provides formation for the servant leaders needed by both a changing Church and a world in crisis, conflict, and evolution locally and globally.

Now, the School for Deacons has evolved further. As a member of the School for Deacons community, deacons in formation have access to opportunities for mentored experiential learning (ministry in context), financial and practical support during the time of formation, and opportunities to know and learn from the community of deacons in the Diocese of California. Meanwhile, the school’s deacon-focused education and experienced faculty became the cornerstone of the Deacons Formation Collaborative (CFC) of Bexley Seabury. As part of the formation process, students will participate in this theological training program for deacons. It is:

  • Competency based

  • Mentor assessed

  • Flexible and personalized