Dean (Christianity)
A dean, in an ecclesiastical context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and many Lutheran denominations. A dean's assistant is called a sub-dean.
History[edit]
Latin decanus in the Roman military was the head of a group of ten soldiers within a centuria, and by the 5th century it was the head of a group of ten monks. It came to refer to various civil functionaries in the later Roman Empire.[1]
Based on the monastic use, it came to mean the head of a chapter of canons of a collegiate church or cathedral church.[1]
Based on that use, deans in universities now fill various administrative positions.
Latin decanus should not be confused with Greek diákonos (διάκονος),[2] from which the word deacon derives, which describes a supportive role.
Officials[edit]
In the Catholic Church, the Dean of the College of Cardinals and the Cardinal Vice-Dean are the president and vice-president of the college. Both are elected. Except for presiding and delegating administrative tasks, they have no authority over the cardinals, acting as primus inter pares (first among equals).
In the universities that grew out of the cathedral and monastery schools, a university dean came to be an official with various administrative duties.
The chief priest of a Catholic cathedral is a dean.
Lutheran Church[edit]
Within the Lutheran tradition, particularly in the Nordic and Baltic tradition of evangelical episcopal Lutheranism, senior clergy bear the title 'Dean'. Each diocese usually has a cathedral Dean, in charge of the cathedral church, and a series of area deans to supervise the clergy in a given geographical area. In the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, there are also deans in charge of leading the administrative work and personnel of the Chapters.[5]
United Methodism[edit]
United Methodists often speak of a "dean" in terms of the dean of the cabinet. Every annual conference has a bishop's cabinet made up of the district superintendents under the bishop's appointment, as well as occasionally a few other conference officials. One of these superintendents is chosen by his or her colleagues to serve as the dean, usually for one year. This dean then has certain administrative and leadership responsibilities, and is accountable to the bishop.