A Guiding Light: The Importance of Congregational Discernment

by

Local Church

Special to United Methodist Insight | Sept. 2, 2025

Perhaps you are getting tired of articles and blogs beginning with graphic descriptions of the shifting landscape of the modern Church, marked by declining attendance, emerging unchurched generations, and a culture that feels increasingly disconnected from organized religion. I don’t like writing those words any more than we all like reading them, but we are not going to be able to ignore our way out of our current collective problems, hoping to maintain the status quo in the hope of weathering the storm. We also won’t be able to move forward through our own anxiety,  throwing ourselves into budgets and attendance figures.

The good news is we can approach this situation trusting that God is working in the world; God never even slowed down. While our churches are slowing, standing still, and often fading, Jesus is moving in every corner of our world, active in the hearts and lives of our communities. The one route I can see that brings our churches from post-Christendom panic into neo-Christian hope and partnership with God is the long-neglected practice of congregational discernment.

Congregational discernment is a deliberate, collective process through which a community of faith seeks to understand God's unique plan for them. While we often think of discernment on an individual level — a personal calling to ministry or a specific life decision — its application to a congregation is equally, if not more, vital. It is the work of a church asking, together, what its particular purpose is in a specific time and place. It’s about recognizing that every Christian community, like every person, possesses a "deep gladness" — a specific set of gifts, skills, and resources — that can be brought to bear on the "deep hunger" of the world around it.

This collective search for purpose moves a church beyond simply implementing new programs or adopting the latest trends. It prevents a ministry from becoming just another strategy session. Instead of asking, "How do we get more people?" or, just as likely, “How can we bring in more money?” a discerning congregation asks, "Where is God already at work in our community, and how can we join in?"

This shift in focus is crucial. It acknowledges that God is not waiting for the church to initiate a plan, but is already present and active in the world, inviting us to be a part of something that has already begun.

At its core, discernment requires a posture of humble listening and trust. Rather than approaching God with a narrow, transactional question — as if God were a research tool to provide a specific, pre-determined answer — a church must open itself to the full spectrum of possibilities.

This "open door" approach means a community is willing to receive unexpected answers and embrace solutions that may lie far outside its comfort zone. As James wrote, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt" (James 1:5-6, NIV). This deep trust allows a church to let go of its own fears and ambitions, confident that God's plan is always better than its own.

The work is not easy to do alone, and that is why I set out to write my resource guide Called Out: Discerning God’s Plan For Your Church for congregations to undergo this process in a structured way. Instead of getting buried under the lament of what has been lost or trying to mimic the successful church down the street’s ministerial or marketing efforts, churches can prayerfully examine their context, their mission, and where God is already doing the work in the community and inviting the church to join in.

The work of congregational discernment is not simply that of the pastor, or the church board; it is the work of every disciple of Jesus Christ. We are all commissioned to go make disciples, to feed the hungry, to reach the lost, and to build the Kingdom of God. We are all part of the effort to do all the good that we can. This is the essence of congregational discernment: recognizing that every member of the body has a role to play in listening to God's call and acting on it, whether that is starting a new outreach, reimagining a worship service, or simply being a faithful presence in the neighborhood.

By embracing structured and faithful congregational discernment, a church can move from a posture of managed decline to one of vibrant engagement. It is a journey of letting go of the past — of "used to" and "we've never" — and embracing the exciting, sometimes uncomfortable, newness God is bringing forth. The work of discernment is not always easy, and it requires patience and courage. But in a world in desperate need of hope and authentic connection, it is the most vital work a community of faith can undertake. It is the path to ensuring that the Church is not merely a memory of what once was, but a living, breathing testament to what God is still doing.

The Rev. Kellen Roggenbuck serves Stoughton UMC in Stoughton, Wis., and teaches Evangelism and Discipleship at the Iowa Conference Licensing School.