God’s Will: The Thrill of Discovering it with Others
You hole up with God. He reveals His vision for your ministry’s future. You share it with others. They embrace it. Does it get any better than that? I’m here to say that it does.
My adventure-seeking husband has been to places near and far—on business trips and snowmobile ventures. When he gets home, he invariably says, “Lisa, I want to take you there!” He wants me, his best friend and bride, to see what he’s seen. He wants us to experience it together.
This is not unlike what our heavenly bridegroom, Jesus, wants to experience with His bride, the body of Christ. He delights to take a group of people on a journey of discovering His will—together.
At our ministry, we’ve learned the value of what we call corporate discernment. Instead of me holing up with God solo, we join together to seek God’s heart and will for the ministry. Watch this visual metaphor of the process:
4 Benefits of Corporate Discernment
- Each has a piece. When you and your board members, or you and a team of staffers, pull together to hear God’s heart, each person has ears to hear. God will often distribute portions of His will to different people, and each one does their part in voicing what they’ve sensed.
- Jesus has the full picture. When two are three are gathered, Jesus is in the midst. He’s in the center. He has the full, complete picture in His mind. His Spirit prompts and encourages as people express various aspects, and then He pieces it all together.
- You discover it together. With each person listening, each person contributing, and each person watching God highlight key elements and placing them into a cohesive picture—you have the joy of shared discovery.
- There’s greater buy-in. When appropriate team members participate in the discernment process, they are energized by God’s Spirit to carry out their part of the new vision.
Wise leaders realize they don’t have a corner on the market of discerning God’s will for their ministry. While they often play a key role, they don’t play a solo. God’s manifold wisdom is best discerned corporately and rolled out in glorious harmony.