The Deanery Pastoral Council serves as one facet of the body of the Church said Bishop Iffert at DPC orientation

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The annual Deanery Pastoral Council orientation took place August 9, in Bishop Howard Memorial Auditorium, Covington, where new members of the Deanery Pastoral Council learned more about their role as members of the council.

Each parish in the Diocese of Covington is organized into one of five deaneries based on their geographical area: The Cambell County Deanery, The Covington Deanery, The Northern Kenton County Deanery, The Southeast Deanery and The Southwest Deanery. Leading each of these deaneries is a dean, a member of the clergy from within that region appointed by Bishop John Iffert.

The Deanery Pastoral Council is a quarterly meeting of two representatives from each parish within a deanery. Members of the council serve three-year, renewable terms. From each Deanery Pastoral Council, two people are selected by their council peers to represent their deanery at the Diocesan Pastoral Council, which meets quarterly with Bishop Iffert.

The goal of the Deanery Pastoral Council is to discuss and advise Bishop Iffert on issues via their representatives to the Diocesan Pastoral Council. Bishop Iffert likened the hierarchical structure of these councils to that of the body. With the head, in this case himself as the head of the church of the Diocese of Covington, needing to listen to the lungs and heart in order to function properly.

“The head has to listen to the body. The head has to be responsive to the needs of the body. That’s what these councils are all about, to make sure that we are listening to one another and, even more importantly that we are discerning the Spirit of God together,” said Bishop Iffert.

Bishop Iffert recalled a story from his time as a parish pastor, when he provided counseling to married couples. It became to clear him, he said, that these couples did not want to be counseled, rather, the men wanted him to take their side.

“It happened over and over again,” said Bishop Iffert, “and usually they would throw out this thing about the man is the head of the household. They would say the man is to be the head of the household.”

To which Bishop Iffert would respond to them saying, “yes, that works to exactly the degree to which you are a saint,” he said.

“If we’re not saints and we insist on that kind of tight control, we have the potential of giving into our manipulative selves,” he said. Which is why the Deanery Pastoral Council and Diocesan Pastoral Council are structured in such a way, so that the head can easily listen to the heart and lungs.

“All authority in the church is to be exercised as servant leadership. All authority in the church is to be exercised as foot washing, with a gentleness to it, with a servant’s heart. That means we have to take the time to listen. We have to take the time to check our motivations. We have to make sure that we’re considering the good of others in as complete and full way we can,” said Bishop Iffert.

The meetings of the Deanery Pastoral Council are open to the public so that parishioners can voice their concerns and opinions, which will then be taken under advisement by the council. This pipeline from those in the pews to Bishop Iffert through the Deanery and Diocesan Pastoral Councils, allows him to listen to the body of the church of Covington.

“That’s my vision,” said Bishop Iffert, “that we are a family of faith together, our pastors are clearly the heads of those parish families, but none of us are saints, and so we need to be listening to one another and being gentle with one another and being about the work, not listening to my opinions about what things are, but for me, listening to the way the Spirit is speaking to me through the people of God.”