The Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project

Liturgy for Discernment

The "liturgy for discernment" is a process for group meetings. The word "liturgy" comes from the Greek word leitourgia, which means "the work of the people." In the Christian tradition this word has usually referred to worship but can also be understood more broadly as the way in which we gather in the presence of God. Discernment is the process of listening for the voice of God. The "liturgy for discernment" is a communal practice that invites us to deeper cooperation with the Spirit in the midst of the work of ministry.

This liturgy was originally designed for people engaged in youth ministry but it can also be used whenever Christians gather to do the work of God. The liturgy changes the tone and spirit in which the "business" of ministry is done. The liturgy invites an atmosphere of prayer and listening rather than efficiency and productivity. In typical church board or committee meetings emphasis is often placed on accomplishing tasks. In this process emphasis is placed on deepening relationships—with oneself, others and the Spirit of God.

The liturgy for discernment has two basic movements. In the first half of the meeting, the process moves "inward," centering the group in relationships. Through ritual, conversation, listening and prayer the group is reconnected with their own heart, each other and the Spirit of God among them. These relationships are then focused around the call, or central identity of the group. This is the pivot point of the meeting, when the group's attention moves outward, reflecting on its collective sense of identity and God's call ("Who are we and how is God calling us?") Business items are then responded to within this deeper awareness of self, other, God and communal call (or group purpose). As a group practices this way of doing ministry, the group begins to operate less and less as a business committee and more and more as a spiritual community—lives are shared, relationships are built, spirits are formed and gifts are exercised.

Below is a step-by-step description of the movements within this process.

Ritual. As people gather to meet there is an opening ritual. This should be a simple activity that draws the attention of the group to the Spirit's presence. This could be a song, a moment of silence, or the lighting of a candle. The ritual consecrates the meeting, changing the context from ordinary time and space to sacred time and space. The ritual announces to the group, "We are coming into an awareness of the Presence of God." We avoid pastoral prayers or other rituals that rely on the gifts of only one person. The ritual should be repeatable no matter who is in attendance. This ritual should last no longer than a couple of minutes.
Relating. This is a time for building relationships among the community. Each member of the group is asked, "How are you?" Each person than has two to three minutes to check-in. This is a time of deep listening, of attending to one another. Jesus says there are only two things required of Christians, to love God and to love one another as we love ourselves (Mark 12:28-34). In this time we love others through our eyes and ears. We listen without interrupting or commenting. We leave silence in-between each speaker to honor what has been said. The hope is that in the midst of silence and careful listening the speaker is able to hear herself, and thus is able to speak from a deeper place. At times you may want to change the check-in question, such as "How is your life with your family?" or "What is your hope as you come here tonight?"

This time is valuable because it allows people to "drop" whatever baggage or turbulence they may be carrying within themselves (joys or anxieties). In this way the sharing helps create more space within them to pray and focus on the work of the group. Youth ministry teams who hold this meeting right before they work with young people have found that this sharing allows them to clear out (or touch into) anger, frustration or other distractions that might otherwise unconsciously come out among the young people.
Receiving. After listening to one another we turn our attention more fully to God. This is a time of prayerful listening—full attentiveness to the Spirit of God within and among us. The prayer makes room for these three movements: 1) Centering—our attention shifts from the particularities of the agenda to the One who calls us to this work. We remember who we are and Whose we are; 2) Transformation—in the silence we become available to God. A new word is given, wounds are tended, and/or renewal takes place; 3) Call—we get in touch with the Spirit's longing within us, our calling, the unique way in which God has invited us to live and serve.

There are two different forms of prayer that are used in this movement. The first is Lectio Divina [See previous YMSP handouts for a description of this prayer or Thelma Hall Too Deep for Words, Paulist Press, 1988]. The prayer is done as follows:
1. A short passage of scripture is selected to be prayed with. The passage can either be chosen from the lectionary, the curriculum that is being used with the youth group, or selected specifically for the meeting.
2. One person explains the process of lectio divina to the group (if there are new members or the group is unfamiliar with the prayer). Make sure you tell the group how long the silence will last.
3. The group is then invited into prayer. There is a time of silence to help people enter into prayer.
4. The leader slowly reads the passage aloud two times.
5. There are five to ten minutes of silence.
6. The leader then invites the group to draw their attention back to the group.
On alternate meetings the group replaces the lectio prayer with the Awareness Examen [See previous YMSP handouts or Sleeping with Bread, Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn and Matthew Linn, Paulist Press]. This prayer is done as follows:
1. The leader explains the prayer to the group and how long the silences will last.
2. The group is then invited into prayer. Allow some silence.
3. The leader then says, "Ask God to go with you over our last gathering with young people [or whatever other activity is the primary focus of the group]...ask God the following question...'For what moment am I most grateful?'"
4. Allow a few minutes of silence.
5. Still in silent prayer the leader then says, "As you're ready, ask God to go back with you over our last gathering with young people.....ask God, 'For what moment am I least grateful?'"
6. Allow a few minutes of silence.
7. The leader then invites the group to draw their attention back to the group.
Ruminating. In this movement the group takes time to listen to what each person noticed during the prayer time. If the group has prayed lectio divina the leader might say something like, "I'd like to invite you to share the word that came to you in the prayer and any other noticings or insights that came to you." If the group does the Awareness Examen the leader might say something like, "I'd like to invite each of us to share what came to us in the prayer, one moment where we were grateful and one moment where we were least grateful." Allow each person to speak without interruptions or commenting. This should be a time of deep listening to how God is speaking to the group.
Reflecting. We then take time to reflect on our call. In this movement we are moving out from our individual sharing to focus on our group identity and group purpose. Someone asks the following question to the group: "Given all that we've heard and shared what is God's call to us?" (Some groups replace "call" with "invitation.")

The group then has an open conversation, allowing silence between each speaker. This is a moment for the group to remember its call and reflect on new words or insights that have come out of the prayer. This should take anywhere from five to ten minutes.
Responding. The group then begins to address the business items on the agenda. It is important that as the group moves into the business that the leader reminds the group to continue to be aware of the prayer and sharing that has occurred.
Returning. Closing prayer. At the end of the meeting the group returns their attention to the Spirit of God. Prayers of gratitude, intercession and blessing may be offered.

Other Comments
Fruits vs. Productivity. This meeting format may not be as productive as other models for doing business. The success of this approach is better measured by "fruits" of the Holy Spirit—kindness, generosity, joy, patience, etc. (Gal. 5:22-26) rather than results.

Shared Leadership. The meeting takes on more of a communal atmosphere when different people are assigned the different parts of the liturgy. Some groups create a roster so people know weeks ahead of time when they will be responsible for the "Relating" question or the "Receiving" prayer.

Time. Be prepared for people formed in fast, multi-tasking, efficiency-focused environments to be frustrated with all the "wasted" time in sharing and praying. Explain to them that as Christians "how" we do our work matters as much or more then "what" is accomplished in our work.

Meeting time. Many youth ministry groups have found that this meeting is most effective right before or right after a youth meeting/event. It helps the group prepare themselves to minister with the young people and stay close to how the Spirit is asking the leaders to serve.

Consultation. Please call the staff at YMSP if you have questions or insights as you use these meeting in your group (415-451-2879). You might also call other pastors or youth ministers in the project to see how they are integrating this process.