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

The first few chapters started out a bit rough: mostly stuff that was so obvious that it seemed not to warrant attention. The last 2/3, though were well worth the price of the book. I'm a church planter, and we often have small cell groups of new Christians trying to strategize and make decisions together. The case studies are so practical and helpful. I'm glad I added this to my collection.

The mission team of which I'm a part here in rural West Africa has been working it's way through a series of changes over the last two years: personnel, mission focus, team dynamics, etc. We have been trying for some time to practice listening to God -- it's something we all agreed was a nice sounding idea but weren't really sure how to begin doing it. We worked our way through this guide to communal discernment, and found it very helpful. The authors provide excellent case studies and examples, and most everything they recommend has a scriptural backing to it. If you are a part of a community of believers looking for a little help in listening to God together, this is a great resource.

I found this book particulary helpful in the area of "Clerking" or leading any kind of a meeting. There are excellent examples and suggestions for leading a group in the process of discerning God's will. There are also helpful insights into how we individually discern God's will for ourselves. This is an easy read, not too long, and makes a great reference when the job of leading gets tough.

Short and sweet, just the right thickness for a weekend retreat with leadership