Discerning the Future - Activity (PDF)

In Gathering and Clarifying, you should have generated a list of options and begun to discern which options are most aligned with what God has done and is doing in and around you. 

In this activity, you’ll narrow your options and prepare to present them to your council or congregation. Ideally, the group will finish this activity united behind one option.

Time needed for activity

One hour 

Group size

your Crossroads team

Steps for Activity

1. Review the options generated and clarified during your last meeting.

2. If there were any assignments, information or clarification requested after the last meeting, present that information to the group.

3. Separately and together, take time to pray. Invite the Lord to lead your discernment.

4. Ask: What options for the future are easy to eliminate? What options are worth considering further?

a. If there are many options, and the group does not quickly coalesce around one or two, consider putting all the options on a large paper, give each person two stickers and invite them to place the stickers next to the options God seems to be prompting them to consider most highly.

5. Once one or two options have emerged, pause again to pray separately and together. Invite the Lord to lead your discernment.

6. Invite each person to share whether or not they sense God is confirming these option(s) as the ones to recommend to the council or congregation.

7. Assign a person to write up your group’s recommendation to the council and  congregation.

8. Schedule a time to share your recommendation with the council or congregation.

9. Once a decision has been made about the future in accordance with your congregation’s bylaw, articles of incorporation and state or provincial laws, proceed to Next Steps.