Discerning God’s Call for Your Life
As baptized Christians, we promise to live a life committed in word and action to following the path of Jesus.
To know what this means for our individual and communal lives, we use the ancient practice of discernment, which serves us as a lifelong practice as we seek to walk faithfully with God.
What Is Discernment?
Discernment is the way of listening, considering, and choosing the path that God has for each of us. It is a spiritual practice, rooted in prayer and attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our life. This practice is decidedly individual while at the same time in our Episcopal tradition, profoundly communal.
Embarking on a journey of discernment brings questions for deepening reflection: What is our highest and best calling as we seek to discover how we are called to offer our gifts and serve in ministry? How and whom are we called to serve in ministry?
Seekers
A seeker is a person who expresses a desire to explore deepening stirrings of a call to a lay or ordained ministry. They are starting down the path of discernment, open to wherever it may lead.
Don’t ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs
is people who have come alive.
~ Howard Thurman
If you are seeking to understand God’s call in your life, we recommend exploring the book Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer as well as other resources in Resources for Discernment.
The Path of Discernment
As we begin our discernment, we open ourselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our life. We enter into discernment without judgment or expectation of particular outcomes. When we discern, we seek God’s call for us in community.
Vocation is the place where your deep gladness
and the world’s deep hunger meet.
~ Frederik Buechner
Discernment is about finding this place, your “sweet spot.” It is unique for each and every one of us.
The Book of Common Prayer invites us to consider many possible paths as we discern our vocation in life and ministry. The orders of ministry in The Episcopal Church include: lay, deacon, priest, bishop, and vowed religious life.
Discernment in Community
We can never achieve wholeness simply by ourselves but only together with others.
Consequently as we involve the community in discerning call,
God enlivens and strengthens both us and the community.
~ Susan Farnham
In the Episcopal tradition we discern individually and together in community. Discernment in community recognizes that God is at work in each of us, with each of us called to become living members of the Body of Christ. We respect the dignity of every person; we seek and serve Christ in all people; and together we raise up each person to live into their gifts and become fully alive in Christ.
To learn more about discernment in community, we recommend the book Listening Hearts by Suzanne Farnham. More resources can be found in Additional Resources and in the next section “Congregational Discernment.”
Congregational Discernment
The practice of discernment can become a way of life for congregations, helping individuals discern how they are being called to use their gifts, but also providing a prayerful way to listen for how God may be calling the congregation as a community. This ongoing way of listening can enrich community, increase congregational vitality, help people grow deeper in faith, and ensure that decisions are made that draw on the collective wisdom of the entire congregation.
Learn more about the practice of congregational discernment >
Exploring Paths of Discernment
Discerning Lay Ministries
All baptized people are called to share in the ministry and mission of the Church, and each person discerns and responds to God’s call in various ways. You may feel called to serve on your church vestry, become an altar guild member, or seek to become a licensed lay minister. It is important to spend time discerning if this is God calling in your life.
Discerning Vowed Religious Life
The Church provides rich opportunities for worship, fellowship, and engagement in ministries within and outside the church walls. You may, however, long for a more intentional, deeper commitment to Christian life. This could lead to discerning a call to a life of prayer, living in Christian community, or adhering to a rule of life.
Discerning Ordained Ministries
Discernment for ordination is the work of the church, a communal affair, not a solitary or small group task. Therefore, if you have been thinking and praying about how God is calling you to serve, and you sense you may be feeling a call to ordained ministry as a deacon or priest, spend time learning about the process here.