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 a DDO (Diocesan Director of Ordinands) and then, if appropriate, moves to national stages: Stage one involves a carousel of 6 online conversations; Stage 2 involves face to face conversations with a panel of Advisers at a residential panel (which it is also possible to do non-residentially). At both stages, the basis of the conversations are the six Qualities for Discernment. 

Robert then talked in more detail about some aspects of these six Qualities for Discernment, drawing out one or two themes for each Quality: 

1. Love for God [Focuses on our relationship with God and Christ. For DDs one area this Quality explores is the deacon’s liturgical role in worship.] 

2. Call to ministry [Explores with you why you think you might be called to be a DD. The images used in the Ordinal to depict diaconal ministry are one of the things explored in this Quality, for example Proclaimer, Herald and Minister of Word, Sacrament and Pastoral Care]

3. Love for People [Explores how we relate to others, build relationships and show God’s compassion and care in the world. A potentially helpful image for DDs here is that of ‘Intermediary’, of being at the church door, looking in one direction at the altar, and in the other at the world, and helping people cross that threshold in both directions.]

4. Wisdom [Looks at, amongst a range of things, our experience and our ability to learn and keep learning, to be able to change our minds about things when we need to, etc. It also looks at leadership; for a DD, an important theme here is collaborative leadership, and how we enable and encourage others and bring people along with us.]

5. Fruitfulness, [A key theme in this Quality is how we ‘make things happen’ and enable others to be involved in what’s happening, as witnesses and servants of Christ. For a DD this includes how we engage with those beyond the church community; being a servant and a witness on the margins is one theme relevant to this Quality.]

6. Potential. [Areas this Quality explores include how we keep growing in faith and remain open to new understandings about God as our ministries unfold, and seeing where God is at work in the world and enabling ourselves and others to participate in that. This Quality has an evangelistic focus as well. As a DD you might explore opportunities, gifts and resources that you can draw on in your ministry of helping the church engage better missionally with the world around it.]

Robert explained that the people conducting the Panel interviews are called Bishops’ Advisers. Each diocese appoints a certain number but they never see people from their own diocese. Following these conversations, advisers make their report and their recommendations back to the bishops. It is the bishops who actually decide whether to send someone into training, and then to ordain them. The advisors don’t decide, they just give advice. But bishops usually listen to their advice.

Robert then talked about the discernment process and neurodiversity. Their recent research has shown how important the role of the DDO is in helping the advisers understand what works best for and what is difficult for a particular candidate when they go to a Panel. Advisers will then take these things into account when they carry out the interviews.

He said that another thing that’s really emerged is how important and how helpful diagnoses are. A diagnosis that helps someone understand the nature of their neurodiversity, can be really helpful, as they travel through the discernment process and, if recommended, into training for ministry.

Robert had two pieces of advice for someone preparing to go to panel:

• Prior to the panel, “think about and have [examples] of things to talk about in relation to the picture of the deacon in the Ordinal”.
• “Be yourself and trust the process: advisers aren’t trying to put lots of pressure on people and cross-examine them and make them feel uncomfortable, or trip them up. They want to just help the Holy Spirit to bring to the surface where Christ is leading us and where He’s calling us. The more open and trusting one can be, the better, actually, about one’s gifts and perhaps one’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities, too.”

Thank you Robert for such helpful advice.