Discernment is about being open, curious and attuned to what God has chosen for you. With your unique gifts and abilities, you are free to match them with the needs around you, confident that you have a part to play in God’s story of love for the world.

​

The first step in the discernment journey is to schedule an appointment with the bishop and the staff person connected to candidacy. This conversation will explain the pathway of candidacy in the ELCA.

​

In the ELCA, “candidacy” is a churchwide, relational process in which a person and the wider church together discern and prepare for a possible call to rostered ministry in Word and Sacrament or Word and Service, always grounded in baptismal vocation and God’s mission of reconciliation in the world. This journey moves from pre-entrance discernment through Entrance, Endorsement, and Approval, with congregations, synods, seminaries, and the Christian Community and Leadership home area sharing responsibility for formation, support, and evaluation in a spirit of mutual trust and openness to the Holy Spirit.

 

For more information on candidacy in the ELCA, click HERE