Dear Ministry Discernment Participant,

We appreciate you willingness to be involved in a ministry discernment for one of our MFCC students. We are convinced that a vital part of our training is to help students understand themselves and gain insights to guide them in planning for their future.

More specifically, we hope that this will be an opportunity for the discernment and affirmation of gifts and the identification of strength and growth areas in the domains of interpersonal styles and skills, life management and counseling skills. We hope to process the fit between vocational direction and gifts/strengths, offering counsel regarding particular questions, which the student may have and those the group considers important. The discernment session is also the assessment of the student’s readiness for ministry in counseling.

The actual discernment session will involve approximately 1.5 hours and most often on the Seminary campus. It is a fairly informal session led by the student’s faculty advisor. The group consists of 6-7 people: student (and spouse If married), MFCC faculty members, 1-2 students (one student enrolled in the MFCC program), and the student’s supervisor.

The flow of the discernment session is often as follows:

• Introductions of the discernment group;
• Brief “life story” by the person being discerned;
• Dialogue around the self-reflections prepared by the student (and spouse if applicable);
• Focus on counsel for vocational direction and any other areas for which counsel is requested;
• Prayer for the person or couple.

The MFCC student will provide you with a summary of his or her report. Please read it carefully and come prepared to interact with the group.

Thank you for you participation.

Sincerely,

<< Name >>
Dean of Students