Corporate Discernment and the Youth Ministries Program

By Robin Greenler, Youth Ministries Program

In 2005, FGC established an Ad Hoc Youth Ministries Discernment Committee to help FGC follow a leading to develop a program to serve Quaker youth.The ad hoc committee organized a special consultation with young adult Friends to learn about their needs and their hopes for Quakerism. It then developed a series of recommendations for FGC’s consideration.

Robin Greenler served as the clerk of that initial ad hoc committee and then became clerk of FGC’s newly established Youth Ministries Committee.The following is her reflection on the process of corporate discernment surrounding the decision to create a new FGC Youth Ministries Program.

Ah, there we are, sitting in silence, lifting up a thorny question and suddenly we realize that we all see a common way forward. Corporate discernment? Hardly. Even times when unity in the Spirit may seem so neat, labeling that moment as a result of corporate discernment fails to acknowledge all that is under the tip of that iceberg. In my experience, corporate discernment is an amalgamation of many individual journeys, fusing together into a vision with a common way forward.

In October 2005, the Central Committee of Friends General Conference approved the formation of a new Youth Ministries Committee dedicated to building a truly intergenerational and diverse faith community where the voices of all are heard, where the gifts of each are well used, and where support to really live our faith into action flows freely among Friends of all ages. In the moment FGC approved formation of the youth committee, Central Committee was united in a vision, and clear in the rightness of the path. This was a powerful step in a long process of discernment for the corporate body of FGC. Yet, what happened rested upon many years of individual leadings, witnesses and hard work. So where did this discernment come from? It came from individuals who felt thwarted in living out the holy power in their lives because of their age. It came from people giddy with appreciation of spiritual power of their peers and from the person grieved at seeing their young adult friends leave Quakerism for more youth-welcoming religious traditions. It came from parents watching their children and children watching their parents and from individuals concerned with the future of the Religious Society of Friends. It came from people hungry for deep communion with those different from them and from those hungry for the authentic word of God wherever it is issued. It came from those angry, grieved, hopeful, excited, serious, joyous, faithful and seeking. This discernment was built upon their work—the vocal ministry, the blogs, the committee work, the examples by being, the traveling ministry, the conversations, the persistent voices speaking over and over until they are finally heard, the organizing of conferences, books, lectures, witnesses, vigils, discussions and the immeasurable faithful worship.

In the end, this discernment was given to the corporate body from God. The movement was not birthed by a few leaders but issued from the lives of many. There were no heroes, only servants. There were no visionaries, only faithfuls. That this discernment was corporate even while resting on much individual revelation was challenging for some. Some of us who had been invested in these leadings for years suddenly saw our concerns fledge. The concerns no longer “belonged” to us, but it is the broader ownership of discerning that gave it stronger wings.

I believe that process done carefully is ultimately more efficient than process done quickly. However, even when discernment is done through the best corporate process, it does not ensure a smooth journey. My experience with the Youth Ministry Committee is that the discernment was corporate and the Central Committee body was clear and united in supporting the mission of the committee. Even in unity, the path of change has not been and will not be smooth. We will still disagree on the journey. We will be challenged at the implications of the work. The goal is not smooth passage, it is only that we may faithfully witness to God’s work as it unfolds. Corporate discernment was one step in that unfolding.