Discovering Your Call from God

Every baptised person carries a call from God, sometimes clear, sometimes tentative, sometimes still forming in the quiet places of the heart. Discovering that call is rarely linear. It is a journey of prayer, conversation, and openness to the Spirit’s leading.

If you are beginning to wonder where God might be guiding you, whether into deeper lay ministry or towards ordained ministry, you are not alone. The Church offers a pathway of companionship and reflection to help you explore that possibility.

Seekers

Many people begin simply with a conversation with their Parish Priest:
“Something feels like it’s stirring… I wonder what it might mean?”

From there, you may be invited into the Seekers stage, a space where you can safely and honestly explore your sense of call with others who are also listening for God. Seekers gatherings happen throughout the year, both online and in person, offering reflection, teaching, and the gift of shared stories.

There is no pressure and no expectation. At any time, you are free to pause, step back, or simply sit with what you are sensing.

If you would like to begin this journey, you are welcome to contact the Vocations Team: cdtw@anglicanchurchsq.org.au

Exploration

If the sense of call continues, you may be invited into an Enquiry Group. This is a more intentional time of reflecting on how God might be drawing you into ministry, whether lay or ordained.

This stage includes:

• An interview process

• Active participation in group sessions

• Guided reflection on ministry pathways

You will also meet with the Director of Clergy Development, who may invite you to continue in the Exploration phase.

During Exploration, you will consider whether your calling is towards:

• Lay ministry, in which case you will be referred back to your parish for ongoing development

• Ordained ministry, which leads to the next stage, Discernment

The person who first referred you remains involved throughout this phase, supporting and accompanying you.

Discernment

If a call to ordained ministry begins to take shape, you may be welcomed into a period of Discernment. This stage helps clarify readiness, suitability, and capacity for public ministry as a Deacon or Priest.

At the conclusion of Discernment:

• If affirmed, the Archbishop may invite you into the training phase for ordained ministry.

• If the call is to lay ministry, guidance is offered for continued service in your parish.

Training for Ordained Ministry

Those affirmed for training towards ordained ministry enter a three‑year programme delivered through St Francis College and Clergy Development, Training and Wellbeing. This is an intentional process of spiritual, pastoral, academic, and personal formation and includes:

• Daily prayer and corporate worship

• A supervised field placement, usually in a parish

• An annual three-day silent retreat

• Clinical Pastoral Education

• Six intensive weekends each year

This training runs alongside formal academic study, typically the Bachelor of Theology, and aims to form students for ministry as Deacons and Priests.

The Process of Formation

Formation unfolds through a set of practices that nurture spiritual depth, develop ministerial skill, and support students as they grow into their calling.

Daily Prayer and Spiritual Development

Students participate in the regular pattern of morning and evening prayer and the Eucharist that lies at the heart of Anglican practice. Frequently this is done through attendance at the College chapel, where students also learn to lead worship. The daily office is said each weekday morning at 8.30 am and evening at 5.15 pm during term time, and the Eucharist is celebrated on Wednesdays at 12.30 pm.

Students at a distance from Brisbane may participate in the daily offices in their home and placement parishes. The aim is to help students deepen their responsiveness to God through establishing a rule of life. They are supported in this by a spiritual director who offers insight into their walk with God.

The Deputy Director of Clergy Development Training and Wellbeing is always available for consultation and to provide advice and resources.

Field Placement

Placements run throughout the whole period of training, not only during term time. The details depend on a student’s previous experience, employment situation, and the nature of the ministry for which they have been discerned. Placements are made by Clergy Development Training and Wellbeing in consultation with the Archbishop and Bishops.

The programme, expectations, goals, and processes of the Field Placement are explained at the beginning of training and set out in the Field Education Handbook.

Retreat

Each year, students participate in a three day silent retreat. This offers significant time apart with God and helps set the rest of the study programme within a context of prayer and deepening relationship with God.

Training Intensives

Intensives follow a three year cycle designed to develop a student’s spirituality, self‑awareness, and styles of leadership and care. The programme also attends to the development of the skills required on ordination to the diaconate, including professional conduct, liturgical skills, and preaching.

Some areas are addressed at every intensive, such as theological reflection, speech development, pastoral care, and preaching. Others receive more focused attention at particular points and fall under the headings of spirituality, pastoral care, personal awareness, ecclesial understanding, and entrepreneurial leadership.

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)

All students complete a 400 hour unit of Clinical Pastoral Education during their training. This is often undertaken during the long summer break at the end of the second year, although alternative timing can be arranged if appropriate.