how do we decide & why do we decide

Our congregation has gone through major change in the last 6 years. A great deal by intention and some by happenstance. In the past few years we have questioned greatly our governing structure and whether the way we discern for making decisions reflects the values that we truly seek to live and communicate as disciples of Jesus Christ. But we are unsure of how to shift out of the Robert's Rules of Order/majority vote process that we are all ingrained with. Not to abandon that fully, but we are not finding in that process a comfort level with what it does to us both as a community of faith and the time and energy it drains from keeping focused on what we consider to be the central vision and mission that God has given us.

My Monday Discipling Group has discussed for a few weeks the discernment process as described by Parker Palmer and shared across the church in the U.S. by Worshipful-Work. We are seeking to help our congregation to become aware of, to understand more fully and to possibly consider a more deliberate, spiritual discerning process in the ways we open ourselves to fulfill God's mission.

Some other onlines resources:
The Alchemy of Corporate Discernment by Rosemary Daugherty of the Shalem Institute
Discernment: Finding God's Will in a Sea of Nonsense by Robert Longman
Blog by Brian Rice of his personal journey as a pastor of a church with coming to use this process