We are excited to share that Laura Eberly will join the diocesan staff as our new Canon for Congregations, starting May 1. To assume this new role, Laura will conclude her dedicated service as the Clergy in Charge at Santiago St. James in Oakland on April 19.
Why This Role Matters
This new position will help our local congregations thrive on a practical level. The Canon’s core purpose is to tend the nets of our common congregational life by centering the gifts and needs of our communities. This means working on the ground with our congregations to assess their health and vitality, while supporting clergy and lay leaders through regular visits, listening tours, and responsive support for their expressed needs. By consulting with vestries and bishop’s committees, Laura will provide concrete tools our communities need to be healthy, faithful, and effective.
A Focus on Our Deaneries
An important part of Laura’s work will happen through our existing deanery structure. Partnering with Canon Sierra Reyes and our Regional Deans, she will work directly with deanery officers to strengthen our capacity to govern and connect our diocese. By empowering our deaneries, we will help foster grassroots collaborations and shared ministries between neighboring churches, ensuring that no congregation has to do ministry in isolation.
Why Laura is the Right Fit
Laura brings an incredibly practical and dynamic skillset to this work. Holding a master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, Laura has an extensive background in community organizing, training, and change management. She is the founding co-director of Mountaintop Coaching & Consulting, where she guides organizations seeking to align their practices with anti-racist values of diversity, equity, and inclusion via consultation, training, facilitation, project management, and strategic planning. In addition, because she served on our recent Strategic Vision Committee, Laura already understands the needs and hopes of our diocese
Bringing Laura on board as our Canon for Congregations is how we are putting our vision into practice, by giving our local churches the dedicated, hands-on support they need to do the transformative work of the Gospel. Please join us in welcoming Canon Laura Eberly!
