Alban Institute discusses the practice of Ministerial Reflection. While encouraging ordained ministers in training, this practice is helpful for all in ministry – ordained or not:
Reflective practices make you more effective in leading faith communities. Ministers who build patterns of contemplation learn to listen carefully to the words expressed by congregants during significant ministerial moments. Yet you also will find that ministerial observation goes far beyond listening to words. As you build habits of reflection, you will become more attuned to the multiple meanings embedded in situations and to the layers of interpretation you might make about an incident. Field education works to develop more than habits of meditation; its goal is to enable you to integrate multiple types of reflection into a coherent framework. That integrative process enables you to form an interpretation so that you can help congregations act upon their deepest callings from the gospel. Then you will learn, after acting, to reflect again on what you have done, to consider next steps toward faithful ministry….
… ministerial reflection is the crucial key to all of the work of ministry. For only through careful consideration can you put together pieces that otherwise seem disjointed, irrelevant, or confusing. Reflection enables you to weave the integrative thread that you then will offer to the community as its members weave the tapestry of God’s missional purpose in its midst.
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