In the book Discerning God’s Will Together: A Spiritual Practice for the Church1, the authors explain several basic assumptions underlying discernment. One is that although there is structure and a “process” to discernment, simply applying the “method” is ineffective if we are not “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit.
Another assumption is that remaining “under the influence” requires practice…..For example, hearing the Spirit speak through Scripture, listening to the Spirit through prayer, hearing the Spirit speak through others as we pray together.
So how can we support and encourage each other in the ongoing and consistent practices of listening for the Spirit?
In the coming weeks, we will be creating a dedicated “Hope Space” in our church (and outside our church) to encourage these practices as an integral part of our Building 4 Hope endeavor. Stay tuned and in the meantime, keep listening…
- Where is God already at work in our community?
- What is our church uniquely able to offer to make His kingdom visible and viable here?
- Morris & Olson, 1997 ↩︎
