People of Hope:
Every week in Sunday morning worship since the beginning of 2023, we have prayed the prayer of discernment. Discernment is, according to Merriam-Webster, the “quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.”
As Jesus followers who walk by faith and not by sight, discernment is at the heart of our common life. Following Jesus can be clear and simple; Jesus teaches us to love God, to love our neighbor, to love ourselves. Following Jesus can also be incredibly complex; Christians of different stripes are led to opposite conclusions on any number of social and theological issues. Following Jesus at times of decision making can be clear or obscure, depending on the decision and circumstances. But what confounds most of us, I think, is not the actual decisions we make but the process of discernment itself.
Discernment is different from analysis, reasoning, or logic. Discernment does not include charts, spreadsheets, or data. In discernment, we are not selecting the optimal solution. When we practice discernment, instead of focusing on the decision or goal, we attend to the process.
When we discern, we pray. We are grounded in our guiding principles and God’s purpose for us. We explore options. We sit in silence and thereby allow space to listen to the Holy Spirit. We let go of our own agendas and egos. And when we do, when we attend to the process of discernment, we find that God does speak.
As Esperanza’s call committee interviews pastoral candidates and, eventually, the Esperanza council and congregation vote to call a pastor, we are engaged not in decision-making but in discernment. God has already called a pastor to serve Esperanza. We are simply discerning God’s choice.
And of course, God knows who and what we need — far better than we do!
I invite all of us to enter into the process of discernment wholeheartedly. Not with fear or anxiety but with an eager openness to hear God speak. God has already called a pastor to serve Esperanza; now, we simply listen.
With open eyes, ears, and hearts,
Pastor Sarah
P.S. In her great book How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going: Leading in a Liminal Season, Susan Beaumont outlines the differences between a “deciding approach” and a “discernment approach.” Here is a snippet from her larger table:
A Deciding Approach
Assumptions
- Maintaining or restoring order is important.
- Most problems are solvable if approached carefully and logically.
Process
- Defining the problem
- Looking for root causes
- Gathering the data
- Interpreting the data
- Brainstorming alternatives/options
- Establishing decision criteria
- Assessing risk and return
- Selecting and optimal solution
Tools
- Simulations
- Majority rule
- Root cause analysis
- Decision trees
- Decision models
- Probability scenarios
A Discerning Approach
Assumptions
- Openness of spirit and attitude is required.
- God’s will is revealed in community.
Process
- Framing the issue for discernment
- Grounding it in core values/guiding principles
- Shedding ego and biases
- Listening for the promptings of the Spirit
- Exploring our options
- Weighing
- Closing; moving toward selection
- Testing the decision with rest
Tools
- Consensus
- Prayer/silence
- Scripture
- Listening circles
- Appreciative inquiry
- Storytelling