The Soul of Discernment: A Spiritual Practice for Communities and Institutions

The Soul of Discernment provides concrete steps for groups of people who work together and need to make important decisions: church sessions, nonprofit hiring committees, etc. Liebert calls this process the Social Discernment Cycle, a process for seeking God's call in a particular situation. “It is called ‘social' because it deals primarily with human communities in their social-structural, rather than interpersonal aspects,� Liebert explains. “It is a cycle because one completed round of discernment prepares for the next. The Social Discernment Cycle is particularly apt for any discernment that involves a structure, system, or institution.�

This book helps groups work through this cycle to answer the question, “How is God leading us, individually or together, to act in this particular moment in our organization?�

Elizabeth Liebert is Dean of the Seminary, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor of Spiritual Life at San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California. She is the author of many books on spirituality.