
Crossroads Discernment Process
A discernment process for churches uncertain about their future.
We’re getting close to decision time. Isn’t that a daunting thought?
Of course, you’ve already done some good (and hard!) work. Groundwork has been laid. People have been gathered. History has been celebrated, and you’ve acknowledged the challenges and the blessings of your present circumstances. If you’ve done the work so far, you should be in a much better place to make the important decision before you.
There are likely to be some preliminary thoughts about what direction the church should take—thoughts that may already have been swimming in peoples’ minds for some time. That’s pretty natural. The good work now is to make a decision about the future of your church together. Remember that no matter what you decide, there’ll be risk. Remember too that how you make the decision is as important to God as the decision itself. Keep offering people opportunities to speak into the process. Give people a voice when decision time comes. Follow through on the decision that has been made. Trust that God leads you.
That last part is difficult in times like these—when there are such large questions to be addressed and seemingly so much is at stake. But as you trust God with the unknown, the known, and everything in between, he provides. He leads. He loves. God did so when he called Abram to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown place, and God did so when he called Abraham’s children, Israel, to leave Egypt and enter the wilderness and then, later, the promised land.
Go with God!
This checklist summarizes the suggested steps in this stage of your journey. You’ll find a more complete explanation below.
(for important details, click on the links below)
Here are the activities we strongly recommend every congregation engage in the Discerning the Future stage.
The following may help enrich the options you are considering.
As you think about the future of your congregation, keep in mind that God has been and will continue to build his kingdom in your community. You uncovered that reality as you went through the Naming the Present stage—particularly if you engaged in the Community Demographics and Appreciative Inquiry activities in connection with your local community and your congregation.
The question, then, is not whether God will remain at work, but whether you and your church’s role in that work might change.
While participants engage with the process of discerning the future, the facilitator may wish to use some questions like these:
Once your church has decided which option to pursue, proceed to Next Steps stage.
If you find yourself stuck at any point, reach out to us—Pastor Church Resources. We’re here to help.