Practicing Discernment Together: Finding God's Way Forward in Decision Making

To discern is to hear and understand God's voice as articulated by the Holy Spirit, resident within us. Discernment is a necessary precondition for faithfulness to God's leadings. This is as true for groups as it is for individuals, which means it is true for congregations and businesses that want to obey Christ....Group discernment is an essential ingredient of anything that Christ's followers seek to do together. Even the smallest Bible study group or informal gathering makes decisions. That decision making carries with it the potential of strengthening the spiritual depth of each member of the group but it also makes misunderstanding, division, and even the complete destruction of the group possible. We invite you into an exploration of the ways God wants to enrich, instruct, and guide groups of believers called into common endeavors....As those of us who have experienced the wonder and joy of this process can attest, decisions arrived at by discernment truly witness to the fact that God is God and that faithfulness is an amazing journey. -- from Practicing Discernment Together

Lon Fendall: My day job is teaching at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, and directing the university's Center for Peace and Justice and the Center for Global Studies. While this work is rewarding, I also find joy in my work with Good News Associates (GNA), a ministry founded and directed by coauthor Jan Wood. Being a part of GNA gives me a supportive community for my writing and opens doors for teaching and speaking. Jan, Bruce, and I have presented workshops on discernment and decision making a number of times, and we are pleased to see the multiplication of this effort through Practicing Discernment Together. I have also authored or coauthored Unlocking Horns, At Home with the Poor, Citizenship, and To Live Free. Jan Wood: I find that making decisions together through discernment is an effective way to discover God's leadings and a life-giving and practical way to do the business of any organization. I was raised in Friends churches, so I was fortunate to receive the tools for discernment early in my life. As a pastor, college administrator, and in my present position as executive director of Good News Associates, I have had wonderful opportunities to help groups work together. It is my joy to come alongside churches, denominations, businesses, and nonprofit organizations as a consultant to teach and coach group discernment process. I delight in helping organizations live joyfully and effectively into the fullness of their missions. I am also the author of Christians at Work--Not Business as Usual. Bruce Bishop: Currently I am the interim associate superintendent of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (NWYM). Encouraged by the understanding of Friends and my own experience growing up in the Friends community, I've made spiritual discernment a priority. For the last several years I ve been helping Friends relearn the theology and practice of discernment, offering workshops and practicums around personal and corporate spiritual discernment. As clerk