The Commission on Ministry, in consultation with Bishop LaBelle, has been working to revise the processes of discernment in the Diocese of Olympia to align more fully with the Commission’s canonical responsibilities and the vision of our bishop for those discerning a call to deeper discipleship and to ordained ministry. The new manual will be ready for distribution in January 2026, but we will be implementing one major change this year as we launch our new Diocesan Discernment groups. In what follows, we’ve tried to offer a high-level view of the changes that are coming for the whole process, and some more detailed information about the groups that will be launching in Fall of 2025.
Language of Discernment
We are moving away from the language of “Phase I” and “Phase II.” This has been an unhelpful designation as the Commission on Ministry has evaluated our capacity and ability to abide by our canonical mandate to support congregations in developing ongoing ministries of discernment in their communities that apply to all rather than the select few discerning a call to ordained ministry.
Exploring Vocations
The new manual will begin with a general process intended to assist clergy leaders and discerners within their parishes who are discerning a call to deeper discipleship. The work of this process will be focused on the spiritual practices and disciplines of discernment, ministry exploration, and study guided by the clergy leader. The Commission on Ministry is working to create a regular Discernment Retreat – minimally to happen in the first quarter of each year, with the hope of having an additional opportunity later in the year. This retreat is open to anyone (though required for any who are discerning a call to ordained ministry). The first of these will happen in the first quarter of 2026.
During this period of discernment, discerners will be encouraged to meet regularly with their priest or clergy leader, engage in practices of prayer and study, and gain experience in parish and community ministries. In addition, discerners will be encouraged to select three other parishes (in consultation with their clergy leader) to visit and observe, as well as select ministry leaders in each order of ministry (lay, deacon, priest) to interview. The Commission on Ministry has drafted guidelines for these visits and interviews, and a set of reflection questions for processing. This process is expected to take a minimum of six months, and at the conclusion, the discerner is encouraged to complete a reflection on their experience of discernment, which is then debriefed with the clergy leader to determine pathways of formation.
The Commission on Ministry will provide a suggested list of pathways to formation, which will include a list of all active Education for Ministry groups, education opportunities through some of the Episcopal Seminaries (CALL, Baptism for Life, Pathways to Discipleship, etc.), contacts for recognized Religious Orders, and opportunities for Lay Licensing in the Diocese of Olympia.
For those discerning a call to ordained ministry, the Exploring Vocations report is required rather than encouraged. If, at the conclusion of Exploring Vocations, the clergy leader believes the individual should continue their discernment for ordained ministry, they will notify the Secretary of Vocations and the Chair of the Commission on Ministry by submitting a letter of recommendation for the discerner to begin Diocesan Discernment. The Discerner will complete an application and submit their Exploring Vocations report to the Secretary of Vocations and the Chair of the Commission on Ministry.
Diocesan Discernment
This is the part of our new process that is replacing what has historically been called “Phase II.” There are some significant changes to this part of our process, all of which have been made to assist parishes and clergy leaders better steward the resources of their congregations in our post-pandemic reality. Diocesan Discernment will still be governed and guided by a curriculum produced by the Commission, but committees will be formed differently.
Each Diocesan Discernment group will consist of 2-4 discerners and 1 or 2 representative members of each discerner’s parish. Clergy leaders will be responsible for selecting and recruiting parish representatives. These groups will begin each year in September and end in May, with the parish representatives (who together form the Committee of Discernment) completing their work by mid-June to send recommendations to the Secretary of Vocations and to the clergy leaders of each discerner in their group. The curriculum has been shortened to nine sessions and revised to accommodate multiple discerners in a single group.
During this time, discerners and clergy leaders are expected to maintain regular meeting and pastoral connection. The discerner should also continue their ministry exploration and experience through regular parish and/or community ministry. The Expectations of Ordained Leaders in the Diocese of Olympia should provide a template for assessment of strengths and growing edges and used to assist the clergy leader and discerner to develop learning goals in their ministry exploration and experience as they continue to discern their call to ordained ministry.
The Committee’s recommendation will be one of three possibilities:
- Affirmation of a call to lay ministry (clergy leaders are encouraged to use the Pathways of Formation to assist those affirmed to lay ministry in their call to deeper discipleship)
- Affirmation of a call to ordained ministry
- Recommend further discernment and formation
If the Committee affirms a call to ordained ministry, their letter will recommend nomination to postulancy. If the clergy leader is in agreement with this recommendation, the clergy leader, at the next regularly scheduled vestry or bishop’s committee meeting or at a specially called meeting, will present the committee’s recommendation and their own recommendation to the vestry or bishop’s committee. The vestry or bishop’s committee will vote to nominate, and if so, will complete the nomination letter. The clergy leader will send their own letter of support along with the vestry’s or bishop committee’s nomination form to the Secretary of Vocations, who will then notify the Commission on Ministry of the nomination. These documents should be received no later than July each year.
Application for Postulancy
Once the Secretary of Vocations receives the letters of support and nomination, they will send nominees a link to the Postulancy Application, which will be due on September 14. The bishop and the Commission on Ministry will review applications and make invitations to the Postulancy Retreat by October 1. The Postulancy Retreat will happen in November (dates determined year by year), and nominees will be given these dates to save in their calendar upon completion of their application.