2026 Archdeacon & Deacon Directors Conference​ | A3D

The Courage to Go First: Leading with Grace and Grit
Archdeacon & Deacon Directors Conference (A3D) 
April 30 - May 3, 2026
Siena Retreat Center, Racine, Wisconsin

At the end of every Eucharist, the deacon proclaims the dismissal — sending the Church into the world to love and serve. That moment of faithful courage inspired the theme for next year’s gathering: The Courage to Go First: Leading with Grace and Grit.

This gathering invites all who guide, form, and support the diaconate to explore what it means to lead courageously and faithfully — often from the middle space between bishops and deacons, between Church and world. Together we’ll ask:

• What does leadership look like when the path isn’t yet clear?
• How do we sustain grace and hope while leading systems through change?
• What practices help us act boldly without losing our center?

The event will combine structured storytelling, guided conversation, and collaborative problem-solving, so that every participant contributes, learns, and takes home something practical. Expect worship, honest dialogue, creativity, and renewal — a space to name what’s real and imagine what’s next for the diaconate and the wider Church.

Come ready to listen, share, and leave with one concrete act of courage for your own ministry context.

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​Cost: $500 for AED members, $650 for non AED members. 

​NOTE: Pricing is discounted for current AED members. To confirm your active membership, please check this log. Sorted by diocese, it contains the first and last initials and membership expiration date for people we have recorded as active, current members. If you find your initials, feel free to register at the member rate.
 
If you don't see your initials on the member list, and believe our records are in error, please check with our membership director, Deacon Rebekah Hays Estera so we can answer questions and correct our records.

REGISTER FOR A3D

The Courage to Go First. Because the Church needs deacons who lead with love, imagination, and faith — more than ever.

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AED hosts the Archdeacon & Deacon Directors Conferences as a way to gather individuals from across the Church for professional development. If you're interested in deacon formation, supervision and pastoral care in your diocese this event is for you.

During the conferences, leaders in diaconal ministry assess new best practices in what amounts to an annual learning lab, designed to address issues they face locally.

​We may also make use of Open Space Technology, an effective method of group facilitation which leads to profoundly productive conversations concerning your own, or your diocese's, immediate challenges in ministry. Read Open Space Notes from prior conferences.