Tips for Utilizing the Spiritual Listening Plan

A Contemplative Ethnography for Local Churches

The Spiritual Listening Plan (SLP) has been downloaded nearly 500 times since I published it a year ago. I’ve heard from pastors and lay leaders from across the United States and beyond who have utilized the process.

Several leaders discovered that their community members were experiencing loneliness and they have adapted existing ministries and started new ministries to address this need.

Another pastor was inspired to shift their food pantry from “ministry to” to “ministry with.” She said, "We are changing our minds from someone who needs our help to someone we can work with."

One surprising blessing of the listening plan is the impact it’s had on individuals. Several people have talked about how focusing on listening has transformed their interactions with others at work and in their community.

To celebrate a year of the SLP released in the wild, I thought I would offer a few tips for churches interested in giving it a try.

Form a Listening Team

Grab 4-6 people from your church who are good listeners. It’s helpful to have people who are curious, open-minded, and willing to move out of their comfort zone. A great way to start the group is to read the Scripture Guide together. This team will take the lead for the process, but their goal is to gather input from the whole church and as many neighbors as possible.

Be Curious

Curiosity will take your team a long way. Think of your team as archeologists, peeling back layers to discover something important. Chase down interesting leads. One conversation might lead to another one. Try to discover themes and patterns. There’s always more to learn so dig deep!

Take Your Time

Deep listening takes time. Jesus took about 30 years to listen. Hopefully you won’t need that much time, but you should plan for this to take several months. Creating a schedule will help you move forward but give yourself plenty of time.

Write Down Everything

As you gather information throughout the process be sure to write it down. This information will be important in practicing group discernment at the conclusion of the process. It’s helpful to have a person on your listening team who can take the gathered data and make it into charts and other visual representations of the findings.

Share Your Findings

After your group discernment is complete compile your findings and discernments into an easily digestible report. It doesn’t have to be super official, but something that communicates what your team is taking away from the process. Share it with the leaders of the church and the whole congregation. Some community members might even be interested in seeing what you found out.

Conclusion

The Spiritual Listening Plan is helping churches discern God’s call for what’s next. If your church feels stuck or is ready for what’s next give it a try! Let me know how I can be supportive in your journey.