The International Deanery in Diocese of Christ Our Hope
You may be surprised to learn that the Diocese of Christ Our Hope currently has 20 adult cross-cultural workers, with 29 children, doing Kingdom-work overseas or in process of heading overseas in the next year. By the time everyone we know of is on the field, we will have clergy or lay people who have been raised up from within our churches serving in eleven different countries. These are not simply “supported missionaries” from DCOH churches: they are DCOH clergy and church members who have been nurtured, loved, resourced, and launched from among us. They’re “our peeps.”
Seven of these “units” are with Anglican Frontiers Mission, which by definition means they are working in countries where less than 2% of the population has any knowledge of the Christian faith. Most of those AFMers are underground workers serving in places where they cannot be publicly identified by name or specific location. The other four “units” are in Rwanda, Kenya, Guinea, and Papua New Guinea.
Realizing we have such a wealth of radical evangelists, church planters, medical workers, “water project directors,” teachers, and Bible translators, we’ve prayed for years about how to better support our members in these remote places. Each has a home church, but is there something we as a Diocese are called to do?
Two years ago, Bishop Alan and I began talking about an International Deanery, as a way to connect and support far-flung foreign workers. We want them to experience a large extended family who know, love, support, and pray for them. We want to provide them episcopal oversight and care. The idea cooked along until this past November when several international workers converged at our Convocation and Synod in High Point, NC. Rev Chris Royer and other AFM leaders were also there along with bishops from three African nations who lent their heart to this idea. 
The synergy that emerged led to the identification of a potential dean for such a deanery and to my appointment as the bishop specifically tasked with supporting and catalyzing the birth and development of an International Deanery. (As someone who has been blessed to teach and preach in 23 countries outside the US – Sally most often alongside me – and who was a fulltime overseas worker for four years, cross-cultural ministry is in our blood.)
Longings and prayers moved to decision and action. I met with the new dean (whose-name-cannot-be-written) and agreed to move ahead. Several video calls later, we have connected with all eleven “units” and everyone is ready to go. We are now gathering basic information that will enable us to build out a realistic plan for regular video conferencing, ways to assess spiritual and relational needs and assets, developing practical ministry resources, and other ways to come alongside remote workers. We are developing a master calendar that includes dates and locations of travel back to the US (so that I can be sure to show up on-site for direct encouragement and ministry) and dates and locations of overseas gatherings where two or more of these CCW’s might be coming together and prime for an overseas visit.
Other strategies on the drafting table include resources for ministering to “third culture kids,” ways to strengthen homebase “Barnabas Teams” for continual prayer support, and ways to better tell the stories of these frontier Kingdom workers.
This effort will take much prayer and effective administration. Just the fact that gathering these workers on a video call means finding a time that works for people in 10 different time zones that span a 15-hour spread highlights the administrative challenge. Connecting with their home churches and agencies to coordinate support (and avoid confusion or redundancy) will take divine encounters and wisdom.
So far the response from the “units” is enthusiastic. They are thrilled with the hope of relational connections with others who face similar challenges, experience similar joys, and of having regular contact with a bishop and dean dedicated to their support. (Eight of these workers are clergy).
We are thrilled because these friends are already bringing ideas AND spiritual and practical resources to offer. The long-term goal is a deanery characterized by mutual ministry and support – a truly interconnected family household weaving together overseas workers and DCOH churches in a Kingdom-wide invasion of Gospel love and truth.
We are just getting rolling on this International Deanery. We have yet to connect meaningfully with two key people in the DCOH who are experienced and gifted in supporting overseas workers, Rev Matt Foster (our Global Mission Coordinator) and Mrs Jenny Noyes, the International Director of New Wineskins. This newly minted train is just firing up the engines: it’s still in the station. If you want to be part of this from stateside, or want to be a regular prayer warrior for our workers and for this deanery, get in touch.