Discernment

Cedric Willow is a middle-aged journalist and senior warden at St. Bartholomew by the Lake, a small Episcopal parish in Minneapolis. St. Bart's church is a widely admired icon of mid-century modern architecture, but its congregation is aging and attendance is on the decline. When the incumbent rector resigns, Cedric forms a search committee—a "discernment" committee, in Episcopal parlance—and embarks on a nine-month search for a new spiritual leader.

Complicating his task: a bitter feud betw...