More and more elements within the Christian community are beginning to realize how important it is in decision-making to listen to the Spirit. God takes God’s community seriously and provides many ways for people to discern what God is calling them to do and be. Scripture gives us the assurance that when people are gathered in God’s name God’s will can be discerned. Collective discernment processes help ensure that checks and balances represented by different believers’ viewpoints are in place so that collectively a community can know how to develop and evolve. Typically, when a community needs to discern the movement of the Spirit, it needs to fast, pray and worship together until it is clear on its discernment. What distinguishes a Christian community from others is that it prefers discernment over totalitarianism, anarchy and even the democracy of majority rule. We should view business meetings as worship services; we should utilize silence and meditation whenever we want to pay attention to the call of the Spirit; we should listen intently to each other and especially to those voices which dissent; we should approach each issue with the firm belief that the mind of the Spirit can be known. If you are interested in exploring communal discernment further for your community, click here.