Spiritual gifts, personal style, passion for serving, servant guide . . . What are all these buzzwords floating around the church? Is it just another fad that is here today and gone tomorrow? Why are we changing course? If it isn’t broken, why are we trying to fix it? God has directed our focus to reemphasize our existence as a biblical community, to achieve a better understanding of the purpose of our church, and to more fully understand our unique role within our church. By allowing members to serve based on the spiritual gifts given to them by Holy Spirit, the church can better fulfill its great commission of making disciples for Jesus Christ.
God wants the ministries in the hands of the believers. This means we need to discover and understand the spiritual gifts given to each one of us in order to achieve this goal. To be good stewards of these spiritual gifts, we are expected to use them effectively to further the work of the church. 1 Timothy 4:14 says “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you.”
Once you learn about your spiritual gifts, you will serve more confidently and competently in those ministries where your gifts can be best utilized and the church as a whole will benefit. Listed below are some of the benefits other churches have realized after switching to gift-based ministries.
- More unity and harmony exist in church as gift based ministries are taught.
- Confusion and disharmony are lessened as individuals are appreciated for the gifts they use.
- Members function in ways that complement and meet the various needs within the church.
- Differences are viewed as opportunities and not as obstacles to accomplish goals.
- Less pride and false humility are evident.
- There is more accountability and responsibility for the use of gifts in ministries.
- Members are more active participants rather than observers.
- There is maturity and growth in churches that teach and develop gift-based ministries.
Spiritual gifts are gifts of grace from God that are to be managed wisely by each believer and are meant to be used to further the Kingdom. It is through the proper use of these gifts that the church grows strong and healthy. If our spiritual gifts are not used, the ministries weakened and wither causing the church to be unable to carry out its mission. We all want to do the best job we can. We all want to feel like we belong and are making a worthwhile contribution. That is why a good ministry fit is so important.
- Each member valued
- Each contribution appreciated
- Each ministry enhanced
There are ample opportunities to serve and we want to ensure that each believer is in the right place at the right time using the spiritual gift granted by the Holy Spirit. The Servant's Guide lists many opportunities that are available.
