I have been asked to share with you another aspect of the on-going process of building accountability, trust, and respect within our diocesan family through better communication. In this case, the communication is between the Standing Committee, the Department of Intercultural Evangelism and Mission (DIEM) and our diocesan body as a whole – as seen through the eyes of the Standing Committee Liaison to DIEM. To begin, I offer a quick overview of the Department.

DIEM has been tasked by our diocesan canons with providing administrative and financial oversight of all diocesan missions. In addition to oversight, DIEM provides planning and goal setting resources to missions, evaluates the results of those efforts, and assists our missions with the development of innovative techniques for alternative funding mechanisms in different cultural settings. DIEM also encourages growth within our many diverse mission churches while striving to promote cross-cultural understanding within our diocesan family. The majority of funds provided by the churches of the diocese for DIEM are used to pay a portion of the mission vicars’ salaries and benefits as they carry out the spread of the Gospel in our communities.

The role of the Standing Committee liaison to DIEM is primarily to be the bridge between the Department and the Standing Committee acting as the Ecclesiastical Authority (EA) during this interim period between bishops. The liaison acts as a conduit for information, advising the EA of challenges and celebrations within the missions while providing the Department with a view of the overall direction of the Diocese and decisions that impact the goals and priorities of the missions. The liaison assists both groups in the development of policies, procedures, and resolutions to convention regarding DIEM and our shared responsibility to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the diverse communities that make up our Diocese of El Camino Real.