The following post comes from Susan Rogers, pastor of The Well at Springfield in Jacksonville, Fla. The Well is one of the churches participating in the Dawnings Pilot Group. You can learn more about Dawnings at the Leadership Institute at General Assembly.

When initially approached about participation in Dawnings, I was not sure if and how our church could benefit from this new resource.  After all, we are a new church already intentional about being open to the work of the Spirit. We are not yet hindered by the “but we’ve always done it this way” approach to planning.   Did we really need a vehicle to help us journey toward a way of strategizing for the future?  In short, I was skeptical.   Yet, the more I learned, the more drawn I was to how Dawnings could help us be more intentional about developing and implementing  a discernment process. 

We are only a few months into the process, but I am already seeing ways that we are benefiting from choosing participation in Dawnings.  One gift we have already received is the richness of the time we spend together.  Our Dawnings Leadership Team is comprised of individuals who are excited about being together and seeing how God will lead us.  We chose to open up involvement to the entire church, and these are the people who felt they had the time, energy and desire to serve in this way.  We open each meeting by reading our group covenant, and are re-oriented to our purpose and our commitment.  We are encouraged to listen, share, pray and prepare for each meeting.

Another gift we have received is the reminder that discernment is rooted in spiritual formation.  The way we listen for God’s guidance is by hearing scripture, praying and sharing stories and ideas.  We are forced to slow down and get out of “planning mode”.   We are given space to reconnect with God’s mission and God’s dream for us, our church and this world.  On a personal note, I am not expected  to lead the conversation, but am also a participant.  I am listening alongside others in our family of faith for how we hear God together.

I can’t tell you yet where the process will take us, but I can tell you that it is already bearing fruit.  We are defining the role of vision, formation and engagement in our context.  We are being informed by the story of scripture, and we are asking powerful questions about how we can continue that Story.  I am thankful for these gifts, and I am anticipating how we will hear and respond to God together as we continue Dawnings.