Christian Discernment Practices for Young Adults – 6-week Course
What’s Next? Christian Discernment Practices for Young Adults is a six-week, fully digital, cohort-based program where you gain a spiritually grounded reflection toolkit from Princeton Theological Seminary leaders.
This experience includes videos, recommended readings, discussions, and live group reflection to facilitate communal, story-based vocational discernment. Join other like-minded spiritually curious young adults to explore your questions about God’s call while practicing gratitude, curiosity, listening, story-sharing, and prayer. Your estimated time investment is between 1.5 and 4 hours each week, varying based on the time you allocate for personal journaling and prayer.
Grounded in Kathleen Cahalan’s framework for Christian vocation outlined in The Stories We Live: Finding God’s Calling All Around Us, this experience explores your personal call story. You’ll receive a copy of this book upon registration as recommended but not required reading. Discover God’s call and clarify next steps in this pivotal season of your life.
Enroll IN one of our upcoming cohorts:
- October 20 – November 28, 2025
- January 12 – February 20, 2026
Program Outline:
Week 1: Get to know participants and instructors
Week 2: Dwell in God’s steadfast love
Week 3: Discover your holy longings
Week 4: Navigate grief and letting go
Week 5: Give thanks for your cloud of witnesses
Week 6: Explore your trajectory, next steps
PROGRAM FEATURES:
- Educational videos on Christian calling and discernment
- Personal reflection through journal prompts
- Daily embodied prayer practices
- Group reflection through online discussion
- Live facilitated small groups on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm Eastern Time
Instructors & Facilitators
Shari Oosting, Instructor
Brooke Foster, Facilitator
Cynthia Lindsay, Facilitator
When: Tuesdays, October 21 – November 28, 2025
Tuesdays, January 13 – February 20, 2026
Duration: 6 weeks | 4 hours/week
Format: Virtual: self-guided content + weekly synchronous virtual meetings
Cost: $249
Partial scholarships are available through this application (completion of this form does not guarantee a scholarship will be awarded, though we hope to make this affordable and accessible).
Sabbath Practices for Leadership – 4-week Course
In a culture of overwork, this course offers a sacred pause. Practicing Sabbath invites young adults into four weeks of rest, reflection, and reconnection with God and self. Through Sabbath-based practices, group liturgies, journaling, and curated readings, participants learn to cultivate habits of wholeness that support lifelong leadership and prevent burnout. Ideal for those craving spiritual renewal amid the daily demands of leadership, this course fosters communal rhythms of rest that are theologically grounded and practically lived.
Program Features
Participants of this course will:
- Explore diverse Sabbath practices rooted in theology and daily life
- Reflect on the role of rest in emotional, spiritual, and leadership well-being
- Engage communal liturgies and journaling as anchors for sustained reflection
- Begin integrating Sabbath into routine rhythms as a long-term spiritual practice
Instructors & Facilitators
Brooke Foster, Instructor
Enroll IN our upcoming cohort:
When: Dec. 1, 2025 – Jan 2, 2026 (Christmas week off)
Duration: 4 weeks | 4–6 hours/week
Format: Virtual: self-guided content + weekly synchronous virtual meeting
Cost: $199
Partial scholarships are available through this application (completion of this form does not guarantee a scholarship will be awarded, though we hope to make this affordable and accessible).
For Course Resources, Click Here.
Content features an audio interview and readings from Norman Wirzba, along with readings from Chanequa Walker-Barnes
Who Should Enroll
- Professional young adult leaders – professionals in any industry who feel overworked or burnt out, or want to prevent burnout
- Pastors, ministry staff, and nonprofit leaders – Leaders who are seeking more sustainable patterns
- Community Organizers or Educators – Organizers, Educators and Changemakers who desire spiritual renewal
Shari
Oosting
Brooke Foster
Shari leads the Polaris team and develops the network’s research and program offerings. A lifelong Christian, her call was clarified in her early 20s after she was invited to lead in campus ministry. She is insatiably curious about God’s unfolding story and loves hearing how people join the Holy Spirit’s work in diverse and imaginative ways. She has experience discerning vocational next steps with seminary students and ministry professionals, leading teams, preaching, teaching, and designing educational programs and resources. She holds a BA from Grand Valley State University and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary. She enjoys bringing people together so they can learn, form friendships, generate new ideas, and collaborate. She resides in Holland, Michigan, with her spouse Jason and their four children Asher, Ezra, Elia, and Ada. They worship together at Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan.
Brooke
Foster
Brooke Foster
A young adult herself, Brooke supports catalytic leaders by creating and kindling opportunities for connection and learning. She is enthusiastic about cultivating welcoming, safe, and encouraging spaces of community for folks of all ages and is eager to begin serving alongside and connecting with the many young adults already at work in their own neighborhoods. Brooke holds a BA from Lipscomb University and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary with certificates in Theology, Ecology, and Faith Formation, and Women, Theology, and Gender. In her free time, you can find her curled up on her porch with a good book, a hot cup of coffee, and her corgi, Friday.