Discerning Leadership Program in Asia Pacific

From 5 to 11 January, 41 church leaders from Asia and the Pacific were blessed to encounter “a way” of leading through the Discerning Leadership Program (DLP) held at the Ateneo de Manila University. It was a response to Pope Francis’ call to become a synodal Church by building communities, walking together, and participating fully in the mission of God in the world.

DLP is designed to capacitate church leaders to creatively and courageously respond to the signs of the times. It aims to form leaders who can manage teams and encourage greater communion and participation, who can create space even for shadows and vulnerabilities, and who can guide the community to see the movement of the Spirit in their life.

Through the sessions, they gained a deeper understanding and a new way of framing their present day context–that they are living in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world–by learning to see it in a more integral manner: one that would allow them to discern how it impacts them individually as leaders as well as the communities they serve.

They spent many sessions delving into the person of the leader, starting with their experience of being called by God in the service of leadership.  They appreciated the many new tools that allowed them to better recognise their leadership styles, polarities, and tendencies in managing conflicts in their teams. As much as courage is important for leaders, they learnt that vulnerability can also be a strength that could allow greater “walking together” in a difficult situation.

In words of Irsan Rimawal:

I was thankful to each member of my small group, whose sharing touched and inspired me. I was able to experience how it is to give space for deep listening (factual, empathic, and generative), starting with an open mind, to an open heart, and to an open will. As I listened attentively to them, I felt God’s compassion leading me to a journey of conversion.

DLP helped me to I develop an attitude of embracing the squilibrio in our VUCA time and to have the courage to be vulnerable. I have become more willing to give more space for deep listening in developing effective communication and transformation. An attentiveness in navigating the wind and sensing energy for synergy is important in fostering life in an institution. I was touched by how synodality means walking humbly with God and others through the life of communion, participation, and mission. Learning leadership through suffering as a leader was also quite touching for me during the programme.

DLP expanded their understanding of what is meant by a synodal Church. Even before the call of Pope Francis, synodality was already the way of the early Christians. The call for a synodal Church is really a call to go back to the life that Jesus inspired among his disciples: united in God and united among each other.

Sources: JCAP I and JCAP II