Directing the Leadership Team of the Newmarket Church of the Nazarene into the Christian Discipline of Discernment Employing Selected Spiritual Practices

Abstract

This research project directed the leadership team of the Newmarket Church of the Nazarene into the Christian discipline of discernment by employing selected spiritual practices. The objective was to develop a deeper personal relationship with God and one another by becoming more attentive to God. The team was guided through one action research cycle using the spiritual practices of silence and solitude, reflection and journaling, prayer and Lectio Divina for twenty weeks. Data was gathered through written narratives and group interviews and analyzed by qualitative methods. The research indicated that through intentional fostering of individual intimacy with God, an ardent team emerged to corporately provide more discerning spiritual leadership. The method of employing the discipline of discernment and it accompanying practices are transferable to the congregation, other churches and leaders.