CENDD are presently updating this website – your patience is appreciated – thank you.
Distinctive Deacons are part of the threefold ordained ministry of the Church of England, which is both the ministry of Christ and his gift to the Church. CENDD exists to support prospective and current DDs through discernment, training and ministry and seeks to champion this ancient order in the contemporary Church.
Meet our Patron and Steering Group
Why have a deacon in your church?
About the Discernment Process (Robert Avery, National Discernment Advisor)
These are notes from the CENDD online Vocations Evening in June 2026. Robert Avery, National Discernment Advisor in the Church of England spoke about what to expect and how to prepare. Robert provided an overview of the discernment process for those considering DD ministry, explaining that it starts in the parish with clergy, continues with…
New Qualities and Evidences Grid
This is the new Qualities and Evidences Grid in use from September 2026. These grids are used in the Discernment Process and they seeks to discern the shape of a person’s calling within the Church of England. Inhabiting a quality speaks of a lifelong process that is ever deepening, and it offers resonance with the…
DDs in the Church Times!
If you are a reader of the Church Times you may well have seen a number of articles relating to the diaconate. Here a link to a wonderful interview with CENDD Chair Gill Newman: Petertide Ordinations: not every deacon becomes a priest And here is a link to interviews with DD colleagues: Angelika Bocchetti, Chris…
A day in the life – click below to find out about DDs . . .
