Discernment Process
Our Special Congregation Meeting in July will include elections for some of our leadership positions. This is an important moment in the life of YUC: we are to elect those we believe will help us best move into the future, those who will bring wisdom and discernment; energy and courage; spiritual and practical insight; grace, hope and love and within everything, an ability to lead us as we seek to fulfil the vision: the whole of creation reconciled and renewed.
This year, you are being asked to carefully discern who you think might fulfil the leadership roles in our church. While discernment might seem an elusive thing (how does one really know the will of God?) there is good biblical precedent for it.
Paul in the letter to the Romans asserts:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom 12:2)
and to the Corinthians, he affirms:
Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:14-16).
So Paul affirms that discernment is, indeed, something that people of faith are able to undertake, and, in fact, are called to be involved in. With prayerful attention to the stirrings of the Spirit, it is possible, according to scripture, to know what God wills for us.
In this congregation, we will all be asked to participate in some discernment in the coming weeks. We need to renew our leadership team. We will be electing new members of church council and Elders.
To do this well, we will need to undertake a process of discernment.
Discernment:
seeking to understand the will of God
What is involved in discernment?
Discernment means figuring out the best course of action and identifying the wisest way ahead; it means clarifying the best thing to do.
Discernment means working out the clearest way of responding to an opportunity that arises or an invitation that someone else offers or a sense of “I’ve got to ...” that burbles up from the inside.
Discernment takes place through talking sensitively and debating vigorously, as well as through listening carefully and praying intentionally. It means stepping up to meet a challenge, as well as sitting back to listen carefully to the possibilities. It means asking the right questions as well as considering carefully the answers that are provided.
Discernment takes place by collecting data from a wide range of sources and exploring strategies with a number of variables factored in. It means being prepared to test options, to review and redevelop scenarios, to identify the key markers and sketch out the best and most suited plans. It entails a willingness to be stretched as well as a desire to consolidate.
Discernment requires that we connect honestly with our emotions and know “how we are feeling” about the possibilities; it means engaging seriously with our minds, so that we carefully think through the pathway ahead; and when it is done well and robustly, it means making commitments which, although informed by data and planning, are commitments which are undertaken in faith and with hope.
Discernment. It’s a strange word and can be an unsettling process. It’s a necessity of life, however—especially in the church, where we say we want to be open to the leading of God’s spirit and sensitive to the call of God on our lives. It can be scary, but also invigorating. It can feel exhausting, but can also be energising.
Let us enter into the process within the life of our congregation, in a prayerful, hopeful spirit.
Nominations due: 8 june 2025
Email nominations to: yucdiscernment@outlook.com
The Nomination form is available to download here or complete the below form: