Doing Discipleship Differently
What
is
Discernment?
Engaging. Equipping. Empowering.
Discernment is a process for the purpose of making a careful decision for our life and for the life of our community as we discover and clarify our callings. It is a deeply formative process where we slow down to listen carefully to the call of God in our lives through prayer, seeking the wisdom of trusted friends and family, and exploring our call through the counsel and advice of our community. Discernment, like discipleship, really is a process of slowing down our normally very fast moving brains and thoughtfully considering our options and choices.
Discernment (dia-krisis) also means to separate. It is a “crisis” in the sense that it feels like an urgency to you, and there is a knowing that what came before will be different from what is ahead of you. A judgment must be made. It is a moment of de-cision, or a scissorial cutting.
A choice among options must be selected, but you don’t know which option to choose with any real certainty. There is both excitement for what lies ahead and a sense of loss for what is being left behind.
This means that discernment is very difficult. It is a long process that requires slow and deliberate thoughtfulness, self-reflection, practical wisdom, and communal feedback from those trusted voices in your life. You may feel like giving up along the way, but we hope you will persevere!
Discernment is a process of wonderment where we are invited to be curious about how we might live our lives differently than we are or have been up to this point. So, listen carefully, and be open to the spiritual imagination.
There are many ministries inside and outside of the church, and there are many ways to serve our congregations and our communities. Please continue to listen carefully to the calling of God in your life as you embark on your journey of discernment.
Remember that this process is not a quick one. Formation is consistency over time.
Discernment takes time, and part of what takes time is personal self-reflection combined with communal reflection.
