Pursuing God's Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups

Church boards and other Christian leadership teams have long relied on models adapted from the business world to make decisions. Trained spiritual director and not-for-profit leader, Ruth Haley Barton, helps teams transition to a much more fitting model—becoming spiritual communities that practice discernment together.

The book includes:


“Pursuing God’s Will Together is a powerfully convicting and timely book for those of us who are fully aware that we are incapable of effective leadership apart from God’s wisdom and direction. How to discern God’s purposes individually and as a dynamic team is the genius of this compellingly creative call to kingdom movement. Ruth Haley Barton presents us with a proven–if at times painful–practice that can ultimately take our finite efforts to where our infinite God wants them to go.”
-Harold B. Smith, President and CEO, Christianity Today International

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Table of Contents

Introduction: The Heart of Spiritual Leadership

Part One: Becoming a Community for Discernment

1. Learning to See
2. Beginning with Spiritual Transformation
3. Leaders Who Are Discerning
4. Community at the Leadership Level
5. Values that Undergird Community
6. Practices for Opening to God Together
7. Practices for Listening to Each Other
8. A Covenant That Protects Community

Part Two: Practicing Discernment Together

9. Get Ready: Preparing for the Discernment Process
10. Get Set: From Decision Making to Discernment
11. Go! Discerning and Doing God's Will Together
12. But Does It Work?

Gratitudes
Appendix 1: Leader's Guide
Appendix 2: A Biblical Perspective on Spiritual Transformation
Appendix 3: Lectio Divina
Resources