Robert's Rules Vs. Discernment

The British Parliament employs Robert's Rules of Order for official business.

Robert's Rules of Order have defined parliamentary procedure in both the United Kingdom and the United States for over two centuries. Adopted as standard operating procedure by myriad groups and organizations, they've served as blueprints for effectively managing debate and attaining resolutions. Although many churches have long affiliations with the rules, a movement within the Christian community would prefer to adopt the spiritual principles of discernment in the strictures of parliamentary procedure.

History of Robert's Rules

In the late 19th century, British Army engineer Henry Martyn Robert was called on to preside over a community meeting held in a local church. At a complete loss as to how to maintain order, the meeting quickly dissolved into an "embarrassing" chaos. Robert determined to study what he could of parliamentary order so as to never repeat the embarrassment. As his Army duties included visits to the United States, he witnessed firsthand the "virtual parliamentary anarchy" of the U.S. Congress. Robert read what few books were available on the subject and authored a synthesis, "Robert's Rules of Order." First published in 1876, the book has undergone multiple revisions and is currently in its 10th edition.

Function of Robert's Rules

Parliamentary procedure is defined as "a set of rules for conduct at meetings, that allows everyone to be heard and to make decisions without confusion." Meetings proceed according to 10 standard, sequential steps, from the call to order to roll call, from the reading of previous minutes to committee reports and from unfinished (or "old") business to new.

Members express themselves through motions. When the meeting has moved on to "new business," for instance, a member may stand and address the chairman: "Mr./Madam Chairman, I move that we adopt the American flag into our official logo." If the motion is seconded by another member, it can be moved to either debate or summary vote.

In this way it is hoped that Robert's Rules lead to fair and considerate reasoning of every issue put to the committee, and that every member is permitted to speak and have his vote counted in a reasonable, orderly environment.

History of Discernment

Christians draw on numerous Bible verses as the basis for discernment. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, was the principle architect of the process whereby today many Christians seek to discern the will of God in their lives.

Born in 15th century Spain, Ignatius came to assemble what he called the "Spiritual Exercises," a template for the holy life. Drawing on scriptural references, he asserted that evil always acts alongside good in the human soul and formulated a set of steps necessary to discern which was which.

Function of Discernment

Ignatius stated that evil seeks to flatter the human soul (or torment it, depending on the soul's attitude toward evil), and that it can appeal only to a person's senses and imagination. Conversely, good speaks to a person's reason and conscience. Evil incites concupiscence (sexual desire and lust), while good urges the soul to a heightened love of God. Secondly, only God can flood the soul with uncaused peace and joy--if an action or event triggers such a feeling, its likely author is either the good or bad spirit. A person should thus be conscious of the consequences of the action. The objective of good is the soul's welfare, whereas evil's object is its infection.

Patient, humble reflection on these ideas is essential to discovering God's designs for an individual. These are the methods Ignatius taught to discern between the temptations of evil and good.

Considerations

In practice, discernment is used in many Christian communities as an alternative to Robert's Rules of Order. The Rev. Victoria Grace Curtiss states that "parliamentary procedure has drawbacks, especially when used with an issue over which there is considerable, conscientious disagreement. It tends to shape a body's deliberations in such a way that members must take sides before considering carefully a full range of possibilities. Debate in support of or opposition to a motion requires persons to take positions and tends to pit them against one another as opponents. The temptation rises to dominate one's opponent, and the unity of the body can be strained." She goes on to suggest that "structured communal discernment," involving group Bible study, collaborative soul-searching and an open dialogue can lead to a consensus that doesn't disregard any minority viewpoints.

References

• Short History of Robert's Rules
• Introduction to Robert's Rules of Order
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Discernment of Spirits
• Discernment and Decision Making