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It can be challenging to find ministry formation courses that have been designed specifically for deacons and those discerning a possible call to diaconal ministry.  Thankfully these three online courses fit the bill. 

The Venerable Kyn Barker (Deacon), Coordinator of Deacons for the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, is currently teaching a fall 2021 asynchronous online course entitled: "Practice of Diaconal Ministry" through Trinity College and the Toronto School of Theology. This course was offered as online class for the first time in the fall of 2020 and was taught previously as an in-person class. This course is already underway, however, if you would like to find out more about the course for future reference, Kyn would welcome you to e-mail him directly at barkerk@rogers.com Kyn is serving in his second term as Secretary on the board of directors of Anglican Deacons Canada. 

There is still time to sign up for a online course entitled: "Ministering by Word and Example" which the Centre for Christian Studies (CCS) in Winnipeg, MB this fall. This synchronous online course, which is designed for people who are discerning a call to the diaconate and/or preparing for ministry as a deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada, runs from October 30 to December 6, 2021 on Mondays and Saturdays. It was offered for the first time last year in the fall of 2021. 

Founded through the merger of Anglican Church of Canada and United Church training schools in 1969, the Centre for Christian Studies specializes in the formation of diaconal ministers and deacons and is particularly well known and respected in the United Church of Canada. In recent years CCS has been seeking ways to better serve those exploring a calling to the diaconate in the Anglican Church through their course offerings. Maylanne Maybee, one of Canada's longest serving Anglican Deacons, was Principal of CCS from 2011 to 2017.

Finally, it would be worth finding out if  the Vancouver School of Theology will be offering its foundational course in diaconal ministry (DS502) in 2022.  It was previously offered online in January 2021. This is a course that the Diocese of New Westminster developed jointly with VST as part of the Diploma in Anglican Diaconal Ministry (DADS) The course is taught by The Rev. Sharon Salomons, formerly Director of Diaconal Formation for the Diocese of New Westsminister.  It is a 2 credit course. Contact VST registrar, Anita Fast at afast@vst.edu for more information.