Mission Cohort Dashboard

Listening & Discernment

Introduction

Listening & Discernment

Connecting deeply with God, others, and your community for effective ministry

Overview: Listening to God, listening to other people, and listening to our community are essential components of cross-cultural ministry. In these three vital areas, this course seeks to foster foundational skills for mature and fruitful Christian leadership.

The Listening and Discernment course includes the following learning objectives:

  • Examine the process of discerning God’s will as leaders, both as an individual and as a group.

  • Explore what it means to listen from a Biblical perspective. 

  • Develop skills in listening and in leading meaningful conversations. Learn how to bring the best out of team members and colleagues. Discuss how to build and earn trust and foster healthy team environments.

  • Discover and practice community engagement exercises that help you listen to a community, better understand its needs and assets, and determine Biblical responses.

  • Hear from current missionary workers who have practiced vital listening skills for more effective ministry.

Course Structure:

The cohort will meet 6 times over Zoom at dates and times to be determined. These 90-minute, online meetings are anticipated for the following weeks:

Meeting 1: September 8th, 2025

Meeting 2: September 22nd

Meeting 3: October 6th

Meeting 4: October 20th

Meeting 5: November 3rd

Meeting 6: December 1st

In addition, you will be required to have 4 to 6 meetings with a coach from your home church over the course of the cohort. This is intended to be a one-on-one meeting that allows you to more deeply process the material and apply what you are learning. We will provide your coach with a helpful discussion guide to aid your times together.

You will be required to complete approximately 2.5 to 3 hours of course content before each every-other-week cohort meeting (Therefore, you will have 2 weeks to complete the assignments). We have divided this content up into 10 distinct weeks to help you pace yourself. Materials for each week can be found in the “Table of Contents” page below.

If you have any questions about cohort content or logistics, please email missioncohort@onecollective.org.

Module LINKS

Mod 2:

Listening to Others

Week 3 Materials →
Week 4 Materials →

Mod 3:

Listening to Others/Your Community

Week 5 Materials →
Week 6 Materials →

Mod 4:

Listening to Your Community

Week 7 Materials →
Week 8 Materials →