Following on from my initial Delving into Discernment posts I thought I'd analyse everything in a little more depth so people can see the steps I have been through as well as some critiques of any books I have read on the topic. So here goes!
Do you feel you're being called by God to His/Her ministry? Where do you go to explore this? What are the first steps? What if you don't currently attend church?
All these questions and more assailed me when I first started taking my calling seriously. I had no idea what to do or even how to check and see if my feelings were genuine.
Luckily for me, my father had been looking into vocation for himself a short while ago and was an active member of his church and an avid reader of the church times. He'd come across the website call waiting. This website has been designed specifically for 'young' people who are interested in exploring their vocations. I say 'young' as to the church of England that is anyone below the age of 32, which to most people is not necessarily young!
The materials on the website were incredibly helpful, especially the reading list. The first book from it I read was Called or Collared by Francis Dewar. This is an excellent book as it quickly and succinctly explains to you what a calling is and isn't and helps you to identify whether you are being called to ministry or to something else. I will do a review of it another time but it helped me along the first steps of my journey.
Also on the website is a list of the 9 criteria required for becoming a member of the ordained ministry. It seems like a lot to start with but once you've broken it down into more manageable chunks you can easily see where you already have evidence and where are areas for improvement. You don't need to be perfect at them all, many state that you need the potential for it which is not the same as perfection.
There is also a contact us section. I waited until I had been attending church for a short while and I had had some meetings with my parish priest before I did so. They put me in contact with my local 'youth champion' for advice on pursuing my vocation as well as pointing me to the events section of the website.
You may have read my previous blog post on the SCP vocations weekend. It is fr9m this events page I found it and I strongly recommend attending any vocations courses you can to help solidify your ideas!
The youth champion for my diocese also happens to be one of my diocese's ordination team so we set up a meeting and it ended up being the first major step towards properly exploring my vocation.
The key thing about feeling a calling is not to bottle it in. You need others to confirm it for you. Talk with your friends and family. In my case some did laugh initially, not because they felt it was stupid but because they didn't know how else to respond. Everyone I have told have agreed that it is a role I would be perfectly suited for and you may find it is the same for you.
Definitely ensure you start attending church if you are not already and talk with your parish priest. They will help you to critically analyse your thoughts and feelings. If you aren't confident in sharing your deepest thoughts with someone you know then you will be assisted in finding a spiritual director by your diocese who will help guide you.
You are not alone in how you are feeling, there are plenty of others out there. You just need to reach out to find them!
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