Vocation and Discernment for Everyone
A Reflection Group Process for Discernment
Discerning vocation is for everyone, not only for people considering ordained ministry! At its core, discernment is a practice for living faithfully – that is, living a life that is patterned on Jesus’ life and teaching. Every decision we make is an opportunity to reflect on the Jesus pattern and ask what that might look like in our unique context.
Discernment is best done in Christian community. Only when we share our lives with others and hear their reflections back to us can we come to more fully discover what faithfulness might look like for us in the choices that come our way.
Clergy and Lay Leaders: The following videos and handouts will introduce a small group process for discernment. These videos prepare you to try the reflection group process with a small group in your church. You might find it useful to show these videos to the whole group for discussion before starting the reflection group, but this is not necessary for a successful group.
How To Use This Material
- Read the Start A Group in Your Church handout for an overview of the reflection group process.
- Watch the video Vocation of All God’s People using the handout as a guide.
- Watch the Experiential Christian Formation video using the handout as a guide.
- After watching the videos, decide if you will simply introduce your group to the reflection group process or if you and your group will go through this material together for several sessions.
If you have questions about starting a group, please email Rebecca Hall, Programs Director