Stage 1 Guides
If you’ve ever felt that way, Mark Tanner’s Faithful? Foolish? Called: Recognising God’s call and what to do about it is going to feel like a massive breath of fresh air.
Feeling a call to ministry is a big deal. It can be life-changing, exciting, and, frankly, a little overwhelming at times. The prospect of navigating the Church of England’s discernment process might feel particularly daunting, regardless of your background or life...
For many of us navigating discernment with ADHD or Dyslexia (or any other Neurodiversity), the traditional image of the "Quiet Time"—sitting silently, eyes closed, absorbing Scripture for 30 consecutive minutes—is a source of deep spiritual failure. It’s not that we...
The discernment process requires us to stand before two very different groups: the Diocese (for the formal structure of assessment) and our PCC/Congregation (to enable personal growth throughout discernment). For a neurodivergent candidate, disclosing conditions like...
For many of us with ADHD, intense passion for ministry often begins with a powerful surge of energy that looks exactly like a hyperfixation. The excitement is real, and the desire to study, serve, and write is overwhelming. But discernment is a process designed to...
What we are talking about: The hardest part of my vocational call wasn't the Church, it was the sheer volume of reading. The fear of not being accepted or supported within the CofE due to my neurodiversity was unfounded. You do not need to read every physical word to...
Waiting feels less like a hurdle and more like a built-in feature of the Anglican discernment process. There's the reflective waiting and listening before the formal process, and then there are the structured, anxious periods after each stage. It's crucial to...
The Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO) is an essential, pivotal figure in your discernment journey. It is easy to view them as a gatekeeper—the person standing between you and the panel—but I see the DDO as a conduit and a guide with a wealth of experience to share....
Before the formal application process begins, before the dense paperwork is downloaded, and long before you ever face the Carousel Conversations or diocesan panels, there is a much smaller, quieter threshold to cross: the Vicar’s Office. This initial period of...