Discovering Your Calling: What are Your Talents and Strengths?

Have you ever seriously considered the assumptions that Christians embrace in their church involvement? These are things that we have picked up along the way. It is unlikely that they have been adopted as church policy or even specifically taught, but they have become ingrained in our psyches. Over the years, I have observed a couple of interesting assumptions that Christians seem to have embraced.

First, if I enjoy doing something, then it is not “God’s will for me.” This may come from all the testimonies that we have heard about ministers “struggling” with their calling. Or it may be a result of the idea that God doesn’t really want us to enjoy ourselves and demands self-denial. We might summarize this as “If I feel good about it, obviously it is the wrong thing for me to do.” This says a lot about our concept of God, doesn’t it?

Second, there is the idea that there are some things in the church that anyone can do. For example, “Anyone can be a greeter. How hard is it to say hello to people and give them an order of worship?” Well, for some people, meeting absolute strangers is an agonizing task (and don’t think that the strangers don’t realize it when they encounter such a person). Putting a person in the wrong place of service does not help the person or the position of service! It certainly does not contribute to spiritual growth.

In Growing and Engaged Church, Albert Winseman cites research that “individuals have the most room for growth in their areas of greatest talent.” He argues that when we take an individual’s talents and strengths seriously, we can unleash great human potential.

This should not be so surprising for Christian leaders. Throughout the New Testament, we read of people who were specially gifted for the work they did. They were not called to “positions” but to “ministry” that grew out of their God-given gifts. We also read about people who had developed certain talents over the years—artistic, musical, organizational, etc.—and used them for God’s work. Paul’s training in Greek philosophy and his skills as a tentmaker would be one example.

People in our churches today have such skills or natural inclinations. These are valuable resources for ministry, and individuals are often pleased when asked to share them in Christian work.

This “strengths-based” approach affirms that God has created each of us as unique individuals with great capacity for growth and service. We should recognize that there are areas where we may not be gifted, but why expend time and energy on trying to work on those things and not using what God has already given to us? We should not make excuses about what we are not gifted to do but accept the challenge to use what we have.

Rather than wishing for more, let’s learn to discover and use what we already have.

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant theological differences, often geograp

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.

Barnabas File

Search This Blog