StAndrewsChurch

Get Directions
Custom Search

40 Days of Discernment™

40 Days of Discernment™


Welcome to "Forty Days of Discernment."

For over a generation The Episcopal Church has increasingly chosen to walk apart from both the biblical faith and the Anglican Communion.  After 13+ years of seeking to give faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and working to deepen our global relationships in the face of the continuing destructive actions of The Episcopal Church the question before St. Andrew's at this time is this: can an orthodox biblically committed congregation continue to remain affiliated with The Episcopal Church in the U.S. or has the time come to seek a new affiliation with the Anglican Church in North America?

The content in this section of our website is intended to introduce and guide St. Andrew's through a Spirit-led, prayerful and reasoned process lasting about 40 days to discern where and how the Lord might be leading us at this point in our life.

Much of the content on this page comes from the 96-page book, 40 Days of Discernment™, which was authored by several church leaders and experts from a variety of congregations in the Diocese of Virginia during the summer of 2006. The 40 Days of Discernment™ has been used by a number of congregations throughout the country as they have sought to discern the Lord's leading in this time of conflict and crisis within The Episcopal Church.

Much has happened these last three years since the Guidebook was written and so you will find on this page an updated timeline of events. Additionally, you will find a pdf of the Guidebook itself, definitions of terminology, recommended reading lists and links to various resources that will aid your discernment process.

The Forty Days of Discernment™ is an invitation to you to be part of a process in which St. Andrew's members gather to seek the Lord's will for our place within the Anglican Communion, as well as our expressed relationship with The Episcopal Church in the United States as we seek to remain faithful to our biblical heritage. The process is designed to be one that encourages you to seek Jesus Christ:

  • personally and in community (visit our LifeGroups page to study in community)
  • through the Word and the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit
  • through prayer and fasting
  • in honesty, openness, and sincere faith
  • with compassion for one another

 
RSS

The Vestry writes to the congregation as our discernment process comes to a close.

 Mark these dates in your calendar. A downloadable version is also available.

This letter, drafted and sent by the Vestry, Staff and former Senior Wardens of the parish invites the parish into a participatory discernment process.

This document accompanied the Leadership Letter explaining the rationale, process and timetable for the discernment process at St. Andrew's.

How did we get to this time of crisis in Anglicanism? What have the instruments of communion done to try to unify the Communion and call its member provinces back to faithfulness? This timeline outlines the key events and defining actions over the past 40 years that have brought us to this point.

 This article gives a brief overview of terms associated with the Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church.

 Wanting to know more?  This article provides resources for further study.

Link provided for an online version of the Guidebook.

There is a new Anglican province in formation in North America.

Here you will find answers to the most commonly asked questions about the 40 Day study and discernment process.

These books will cover a variety of topics related to our discernment process.  These topics range from Scripture to the Christian faith to human sexuality.  All are available through St. Andrew's Bookstore: Common Grounds.  To review a book prior to purchase simply cut and paste the title in a site like Amazon, or other book distributor.  

The Rev’d Sue Hardman explains how fasting helps us give up our own desires so that we can seek the will of God. She offers aides for how to fast and examples of biblical fasts.

 This page is a collection of global analysis and commentary on the actions of The Episcopal Church at General Convention this past July.  As you will note from such luminaries as The Archbishop of Canterbury to the brilliant biblical scholar/theologian, N.T. Wright; to moderate organizations such as Fulcrum to the L/G/B/T organization, Integrity; the actions of TEC contravened both the biblical witness and the expressed teaching of the historic faith.

© 2010 Community Outreach through Renewal and Evangelism.