Rector’s Reflections
Tuesday 1st April 2025
On Making Good Decisions
From time to time, all of us are faced with the need to make a decision on some important matter. But how do we make a good decision? It can often be really difficult to know what to do. There can be so many options, so many possibilities.
Down the centuries, Christians have developed various techniques and practices which are designed to help us to make good decisions. In the days ahead, I’m going to write about some of these practices. I do so in the hope that they may prove helpful.
I should add that this is not about trying to find the perfect answer to any particular dilemma we may face. Are there perfect answers to the problems we face? I’m not sure. But some answers are undoubtedly better than others, and the aim of the following practices is to help us to make decisions which are better than they might otherwise be.
I should also add that many, if not all, of the practices which I shall write about will probably be already familiar to you. But it is helpful to remind ourselves of them in any event. It can be so easy to forget about the obvious, especially when we’re stressed or have a lot on our plate.
To start with, many Christians have found it helpful to make decisions collectively. From the days of the Early Church, Christians have gathered together, to discuss matters of concern, to pray together and to seek God’s will. When such gatherings happen formally, they are sometimes called Councils or Synods. In our Diocese of Oxford, there are regular meetings of lay and ordained Christians at local level (Deanery Synod) and at Diocesan level (Diocesan Synod). There is another Diocesan body which meets regularly, which is called the Bishop’s Council. And at parish level, there are Parochial Church Councils.
I am aware that such gatherings of Christians can easily get caught up in bureaucracy, Standing Orders, and the like. They can also be dominated by powerful individuals, who are interested in ensuring that their own views and agenda prevail. Agendas can be constructed and debates managed so as to ensure that the Council or Synod arrives at the “correct” decision. I should also add that there can be a tendency to avoid undue conflict, and to seek consensus. This can be good in terms of peace-making between Christians who happen to differ on a particular issue. But it can sometimes mean that we blunt the edge of a difficult truth, and end up proclaiming worthy platitudes as if they were synonymous with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A further difficulty is that due to the pressure of time and resources, meetings are often poorly managed. Insufficient time can be given to discuss the issues in question, and the meeting can be rushed to a premature decision. We live in a culture which often assumes that a rapid decision is better than a considered decision. Sometimes this is indeed true, but most of the time we don’t give ourselves the time and space we need to come to a really sensible decision. And a further consideration is that we can be required to make a decision when we are simply too tired to think clearly.
The result of all this is that the Councils and Synods of the Church will not always get things right. They will make mistakes and will stifle some voices which need to be heard, especially the voices of the least powerful.
But it has been the experience of the Church down the centuries that important decisions are best made when Christians gather together, to listen to each other and to share insights and experiences from a variety of perspectives.
So when we are faced with an important decision, it is often helpful to seek the views and advice of others. This doesn’t meant that we have to agree with their thoughts on a particular topic. But they will often raise questions and issues which might not have occurred to us. And if they happen to agree with our own particular line of thought, their agreement can be helpfully re-assuring.
But this is only one way to help us to make better decisions. There are many other ways as well, and we will look at these in the days ahead.