Co-deciding View
May 22 2025
The Co-deciding View sees the church community as especially important for your calling. The local church has a role in both figuring out what career you should choose as well as generally guiding people in their vocational questions.
Means of discernment
Personal vocation and the needs and mission of the church community should align. Reason is used collectively within community discernment rather than primarily individual rational analysis.
Scripture is important: it guides community discernment, shaping vocational decisions according to biblical wisdom.
In addition to individual prayer, prayer is seen as a collective practice integral to community discernment processes.
Direct supernatural revelation may be less emphasized, and collective discernment valued over individual supernatural revelations.
However, in more charismatic settings, community discernment could be heavily influenced by prophecy and similar practices.
Discernment of God’s calling involves not only individual reflection but seeking input from trusted members in the Church. The Church family plays a vital role in providing spiritual guidance, wisdom, and accountability as individuals navigate vocational paths.
Impact on the local church community is an important consideration, though this doesn't necessarily mean most people would be directly working in church roles. Career discernment involves consideration of the indirect effects of your career on the church community.
Example
In this view, a person might seek the guidance of their church community and engage in group discernment to make career decisions.
They might participate in communal prayer or seek counsel from church leaders to better understand how their career fits within the broader needs of the body of Christ.
They would default to deciding with the primary view of their church community, or, in some cases, be expected to do so.
Comparison with the CFI View
CFI tends to take a global perspective, whereas the Co-Deciding View tends to draw more attention to the local church, even if it does not rule out the global church.
Impact tends not to be considered in a quantified and broadly societal way, as it is in the CFI view. CFI believes in the importance of Scripture and prayer and considers community helpful.
In practice, however, CFI sees the church community having a less direct role in individual career discernment than the Co-Deciding View and highly encourages seeking advice from experts even if they are not part of your local church community.
Example thinkers
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Stanley Hauerwas, Miroslav Volf