The Ministry
Q. Who are the ministers of the Church?
A. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 855)
Discernment is following the promptings of the Holy Spirit to pursue whether God is calling you to something more, a new or different ministry, or to a vocation. Vocation is derived from the Latin vocare, to call, summon, or name. As Parker Palmer writes in Let Your Life Speak, “Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.”
Discernment requires much prayer, scripture reading, and the practice of serving others. God may be calling you to something you are good at, care about, and enjoy doing.
The Road to Ministry Event is for all who are seeking and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Join others discerning a call to ministry. The Rt. Rev. Kym Lucas, Bishop of Colorado; the Canon for Missional Advancement & Congregational Development; laity; clergy; and members of the Commission on Ministry will share a vision for Leadership in the 21st Century in the Episcopal Church in Colorado. This vision will help shape our discussion during this time as you begin or continue to explore the nature of individual and communal discernment.
Please take time before the February 16, 2022 virtual event to view the videos and note the questions related to each one. Ponder, wonder, pray, and journal your reflections of the videos and questions for yourself. Also, please read the Called to Lead manual in its entirety.
If you have questions or need assistance in accessing the resources on this webpage, please contact Dianne Draper, 720.677.9004.
Getting Ready
Here are some tips to help you get ready for the June 24 Road to Ministry gathering:
- Pace yourself in working through the videos and reflections found on this page. We recommend taking breaks between each section and, if you are able, doing them over several days. Videos are approximately 20 minutes each and you may need 90 minutes or more to prayerfully respond to the corresponding questions for each video.
- Find a comfortable location, free from distractions, to watch videos and reflect on the questions. Consider adding a candle and a sacred object.
- Also please read the Called to Lead manual and note any questions you might have.
Required Preparation for Road to Ministry Gathering
Grant me, O Lord, to see everything now with new eyes,
to discern and test the spirits that help me read the signs of the times,
to relish the things that are yours,
and to communicate them to others.
~ Pedro Arrupe, SJ
Watch the video and reflect on the question below.
Reflect
When was the first time you felt “called” to ministry in the church? How did you respond then?
Watch the video and reflect on the questions below.
Questions for Reflection
- What is the difference between decision-making and discernment?
- Do you have examples from your own life of experiencing the difference between the two?
- How can you prepare yourself to ask hard questions as a Spiritual (Congregational) Discernment Committee member and/or how can you prepare yourself to be asked as a Seeker?
Watch the video and reflect on the questions below.
Questions for Reflection
- How do ordained clergy support and develop the ministry of the laity?
- What do you believe you can do as an ordained person that you cannot do as a layperson? Conversely, what can you do as a layperson that you cannot do as an ordained person?
Watch the video and reflect on the questions below.
Questions for Reflection
- Quinn Wilhelm talks about how he was encouraged to get more experience in the world before pursuing ordained ministry. What experience in the world, from your own lives, would help you know the needs of the world and to then be able to interpret the world back to the church?
- How do you feel about the descriptor: the deacon is the “thorn in the side” of the church?
Watch the video and reflect on the questions below.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you resonate – or not – with the descriptions of the priesthood given by Reagan and Emily: a “gatherer” around the gospel, a companion through the highs and lows, a preacher, party planner, anticipator of needs, jack of all trades, worker among workers, empower-er of people?
- Reagan said that “priest-only tasks are the least of all the tasks I do.” Does this surprise you? Alarm or intrigue you?
Be sure to set aside time to read the Called to Lead Manual, and note any questions you might have.