Helping Future Leaders Discern God’s Call Through EXPLORATION

By April Casperson

While discerning a call to ordained ministry as an elder in The United Methodist Church, I began serving as an associate pastor during my sophomore year of college. I remained in that position through graduation and throughout seminary at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. In 2006, I was invited to EXPLORATION in Jacksonville, Florida, as a seminary representative and small group leader.

April Casperson

I remembered arriving not fully knowing what the event was about and being astonished at the diversity of those gathered to meet with seminaries, agencies, and denominational leaders in the ballroom. It was one of my glimpses of our connectional system in action, showing me that The United Methodist Church is far bigger and more diverse than the congregations I had known in my city.

Unexpectedly in 2007, I had the opportunity to begin serving at MTSO. Within a couple of months, I realized my role was the right fit and perhaps my call was shifting from pastoral ministry to a role more intertwined with service and justice. Over time, I met deacons in various roles and realized that I was called to become a deacon, becoming ordained in West Ohio in 2011. For 10 years, I served at MTSO, then served in the West Ohio Conference office as the director of diversity and inclusion, before returning to MTSO in 2022.

Throughout my ministry, I have been a part of the planning teams for multiple EXPLORATION events. EXPLORATION is an incredibly hopeful event where people come to for a weekend to be in discernment and conversation about what it is that God may be asking them to do with their lives.

The EXPLORATION discernment event is unlike any other event with its goal of helping people discern and not pushing them into ordained ministry or into a particular form of Christian service. EXPLORATION helps participants discern and be open to what God may be asking of them and how they are called to use their gifts and graces to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Part of EXPLORATION’s immense effectiveness is that it is a short weekend away where attendees are surrounded by the ministry leaders, the organizations, the academic institutions, and the infrastructure of the entire denomination. Plenary sessions and workshops explore different ways of serving and ministering, including showing how to serve as a thoughtfully committed layperson, set apart ordained clergy, a licensed local pastor, or a consecrated deaconess or home missioner focused on justice and the needs of the world. Seminaries and theological schools provide information and resources.

In addition, attendees spend time at a ministry fair, connecting with all of our denominational agencies, our 13 United Methodist schools of theology, and annual conference leaders who help provide clarity, direction, and tangible resources as they discern their call.

Being a part of a denomination that cares for the formation of leaders and that supports people exploring what God may be calling them to is a grace-filled thing. EXPLORATION is one of the best uses of Connectional funding and one of the most hopeful gatherings of The United Methodist Church. If you are considering what is next in your ministry journey, EXPLORATION will help you hear God and discern your path forward.

The Rev. April Casperson serves as the Director of Enrollment Management at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She is an ordained deacon passionate about diversity and inclusion, vocational discernment, and the organizations and systems that recruit, educate and equip leaders for thoughtful, intentional ministry.