Deacons and archdeacons gathered for the A3D 2024 Conference | Photo: Courtesy Archdeacon Altenbach

The Vens. Julie Altenbach and John Motis, archdeacons for the Diocese of Central Florida, attended A3D 2024, the Archdeacons and Deacon Directors’ Conference, held at Kanuga Conference Center, Hendersonville, North Carolina, on March 7-10.

The A3D conferences, sponsored by the Association for Episcopal Deacons, gather individuals from across the church for professional development related to deacon formation, supervision and pastoral care. During the conferences, diaconal ministry leaders assess new best practices in an annual learning lab designed to address issues they face locally.

Over 125 people attended A3D 2024, the association’s first in-person gathering since the pandemic. Neither Altenbach nor Motis had the opportunity to attend the conference in years past.

“On the way to the conference, we discussed our expectations and were excited about meeting other archdeacons from around the country,” Motis said. “We didn’t know what to expect. We hoped that we would form relationships with other archdeacons.” That hope was fulfilled, and the connections Altenbach and Motis made were significant.

“Presentations were well done, but John and I really benefited from the time spent at tables over meals,” Altenbach said. “Talking to other people and sharing experiences, successes, frustrations and problem-solving was a wonderful way for us to get to know everyone. We felt that we were encouraged and that we were encouragers. It was definitely reciprocal.”

Both archdeacons saw God at work throughout their time at the conference, and they came away knowing their encounters were not just random events. “Our whole time was loaded with ‘God thing’ moments with the people placed in our paths,” Motis said.

Archdeacons John Motis and Julie Altenbach at the A3D 2024 Conference | Photo: Courtesy Archdeacon Altenbach

Two such moments stand out.

“Deacons have one foot in the world, and we are bringing the world’s concerns back to the church,” Altenbach explained. “John and I were having dinner with a director from Arizona, and we casually said, ‘Tell us what your process is.’ Candidates do an externship in part of the discernment process in her diocese. We looked at each other, our eyes got big and we said, ‘Tell us about that!’ In their formation process, the diaconate student finds an organization outside the church and interns there.”

As part of Central Florida’s deacon formation process, a required internship at a parish teaches candidates how to serve at the table and minister to the congregation. Both archdeacons thought the externship idea was a brilliant way to engage in gospel ministry beyond the church, and they are now evaluating ways to incorporate the practice in Central Florida.

Another encounter followed Altenbach and Motis telling each other they sensed the Holy Spirit nudging them to speak with the Rev. Carter Hawley, director of the Association of Episcopal Deacons. On the final morning of A3D 2024, as the archdeacons sat in the lodge area waiting for breakfast to begin, Hawley came and sat down with them.

“I was going to meditative prayer, but I think God wants me to stay here and talk to you two,” she said.

Since attending the conference, Altenbach has stayed in touch with both Hawley and the director from Arizona. “I’m fostering a relationship with them that will be mutually beneficial,” she said.

The conference also gave the archdeacons room to evaluate the diocese’s formation process in the context of what they were learning. “One of our takeaways is that we probably have more deacons than any other diocese in the country,” said Motis. “And Julie has put together some excellent formation materials. We know for sure that live classes are a critical piece.”

“The conference was designed for those charged with forming deacons,” Altenbach said. “What Bishop Holcomb has asked John and me to do as archdeacons is not necessarily what other archdeacons are doing.” In some dioceses, archdeacons aren’t responsible for deacon formation but carry out more administrative-type functions, Motis explained.

Altenbach and Motis consider A3D 2024 their introduction to a whole community they are excited to integrate with, and the possibilities that are now opening up go beyond just attending conferences in the future. “There’s a new understanding of the resources the Association for Episcopal Deacons offers,” Altenbach said. “John and I look forward to using what we’ve learned to enhance not only deacon formation, but also the way we support the deacons already serving in the diocese.”