Stage 2 Guides
The paperwork is filed, your Diocesan Director of Ordinands has submitted their report, and your focus now shifts to Stage 2 of the national discernment process. Approaching this milestone usually brings a mixture of excitement and a fair bit of quiet dread. Rather...
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...
If you're preparing for your Stage 2 Discernment Panel, you might be looking at the timetable and feeling a familiar knot in your stomach when you see the words: Group Exercise. For those of us with dyslexia, ADHD, or other neurodivergent traits, group tasks can...
For many of us navigating the Church of England’s discernment process, the Assessment for Pastoral Wellbeing (APW)—often called the psychological assessment—is the part of the journey shrouded in the most mystery. If you have Dyslexia or ADHD, this meeting can feel...
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...
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...
Writing a sermon, crafting an essay, or just sitting down with a dense theological text can feel like climbing Mount Everest when your brain is neurodivergent. The task isn't just "read the book"—it's a massive, amorphous, and overwhelming blob that often leads 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....