{"id":1481,"date":"2019-10-24T21:26:19","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T21:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/unfoldingfaithblog\/?p=1481"},"modified":"2020-03-11T13:35:18","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T13:35:18","slug":"where-to-use-your-spiritual-gifts-hands-on-help-for-finding-your-ministry-niche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/unfoldingfaithblog\/2019\/10\/24\/where-to-use-your-spiritual-gifts-hands-on-help-for-finding-your-ministry-niche\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to Use Your Spiritual Gifts: Hands-On Help for Finding Your Ministry Niche"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adapted from an original article by\u00a0Jane A. G. Kise, first published in the Discipleship Journal. Used with permission from The Navigators.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

I took a deep breath and looked out at the room.<\/p>\n

Eighty people were in front of me, including most of the church\u2019s elders, a minister whose preaching silenced the audience so that you could hear a pin drop, and a colleague who taught seminars around the world.<\/p>\n

Who am I to teach this crowd?<\/em>\u00a0I wondered.\u00a0I should have said no!<\/em><\/p>\n

But now I had no choice. Gripping the podium, I tried to remember the basics of public speaking:\u00a0Look up. Speak more slowly than you want to. Smile occasionally<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

After my talk, the audience broke into discussion groups. The minister approached me and observed, \u201cYou struck a chord. Look at how earnestly people are talking. You need to do this more often.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was years ago, and I\u2019ve had many opportunities to develop my spiritual gift of teaching since then. Now, I look forward to chances to teach! Recently, while preparing for a church staff retreat, I thought of a visual way to present a topic. When I finished developing it, I glanced at my watch and found that more than an hour had passed. I had been so engrossed that it had seemed like minutes. During the actual retreat, the staff\u2019s \u201caha\u201d reactions, laughter, and post-message discussion assured me that I\u2019d done what God wanted me to do.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how using your spiritual gifts should feel: When God empowers you to serve others through your spiritual gifts\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0you\u2019ve found the places where God wants you to use them, you\u2019re more alive and fulfilled than during any other pursuit. You might even have fun!<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Looking for resources to help you discover and use your spiritual gifts? See the selection at Tyndale House Publishers<\/a>.<\/h4>\n

—<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Path to Joy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Consider Fred, a retired Fortune 500 executive. Out of a sense of duty, Fred agreed to consult with a university in Africa; he believed he needed to use his spiritual gift of leadership for God\u2019s purposes during retirement. Six years later he\u2019s still at it\u2014but no longer out of duty. He says, \u201cNever in my life have I felt such fulfillment, doing work that I love and knowing that my knowledge is needed. I firmly believe God led me to this work and guides me day by day in doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bear in mind that joy and fulfillment can be very different from ease of service. Challenges and frustrations are normal even when we\u2019re serving where God wants us to be. However, when we\u2019re truly serving as God intends, we somehow have enough energy and stamina to see it through. The Apostle Paul described the joy he gained in serving Jesus even in the most difficult of circumstances; serving through your giftedness is a path to such joy:<\/p>\n

But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.
\n\u2014Philippians 2:17<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Frustrated Instead of Fulfilled?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That sounds great<\/em>, you may be thinking,\u00a0but I\u2019ve never experienced that kind of gladness<\/em>. If service doesn\u2019t bring you deep joy, consider these possibilities.<\/p>\n

You aren\u2019t using your gifts.<\/strong>\u00a0My friend Victoria volunteered to teach Sunday school while her daughters were young. She taught well but her efforts drained her.\u00a0If<\/em>\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not having fun, are the children enjoying it?<\/em>\u00a0she wondered.<\/p>\n

When our prayer group helped each other identify our spiritual gifts, Victoria\u2019s strongest gift was administration. With that in mind, she shifted responsibilities and supported the Sunday school ministry that she loved by finding substitute teachers, keeping supply bins stocked and labeled, and setting out supplementary materials for each week\u2019s topic. Everyone benefited from her gifting\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0she loved the work.<\/p>\n

Aligning our tasks with our gifts is biblical. In the early church, the 12 apostles set aside their role in distributing food. They said,<\/p>\n

And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.\u00a0Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.
\n\u2014Acts 6:3-4<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

We are told that \u201ceveryone liked this idea\u201d (verse\u00a05<\/a> ). In part, that\u2019s because when we practice\u00a0our<\/em>\u00a0gifts, we leave room for other people to use\u00a0their<\/em>\u00a0gifts. When the disciples turned their focus to prayer and teaching, it freed up those with the gifts of serving, helps and administration to really use theirs.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re using the right gifts in the wrong place.<\/strong>\u00a0Terri, who handled finances for a nonprofit firm, had the gift of administration. The job seemed to be a good fit with her gifting, yet she struggled to enjoy it. Then she recognized her passion for children. She took an identical position with a children\u2019s hospital and found the joy she\u2019d been missing. That joy\u2014and her new network of acquaintances\u2014led to a new use for her spiritual gifts: helping to start a children\u2019s hospital mission in Haiti. Besides raising funds and organizing teams and resources, Terri frequently traveled to Haiti to oversee the arrangements. Drudgery turned to fulfillment. She had discovered that determining\u00a0where<\/em>\u00a0to use your spiritual gifts can be just as important as identifying them.<\/p>\n

Your season of life has changed.<\/strong>\u00a0When a mother of four preschoolers said she felt guilty that she wasn\u2019t volunteering more, we discussed \u201cseasons of waiting.\u201d Sometimes your plate\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0too full to use your spiritual gifts in new ways\u2014perhaps because of illness, new responsibilities, or other circumstances.<\/p>\n

\"Parents<\/p>\n

During these seasons, identify how you are serving God right where you are (such as meeting the needs of four preschoolers!). Then reflect on and seek wisdom about what might come next. Could you use this season to obtain training, study the Bible, or investigate a ministry that intrigues you and may fit into God\u2019s next season for you?<\/p>\n

The Bible gives many examples of people in seasons of waiting. David waited 10 years to become king after his anointing. Paul spent several years back in his hometown of Tarsus before beginning his missionary travels. In God\u2019s economy, waiting does not go to waste.<\/p>\n

Who are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve identified some of the obstacles to employing your gifts with joy. Now let\u2019s walk through a practical workshop that will help you bring together your gifting, passions, personality, roles, and skills in a way that brings you fulfillment and maximizes your ministry influence.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

As we look at each area, jot your thoughts down. When you\u2019re done, you\u2019ll have a personalized plan. We\u2019ll start by looking at your spiritual gifts.<\/p>\n

What are your gifts?<\/strong>\u00a0Paul tells us<\/p>\n

A spiritual gift is given to each of us<\/em> so we can help each other.
\n\u20141 Corinthians 12:7<\/a> (emphasis added)<\/p>\n

That means you!<\/p>\n

My Spiritual Gifts:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you think your spiritual gifts are? Write down a list of your gifts. Don\u2019t worry about not getting the list right or complete; just take a stab at it based on your experiences and what you know about yourself. You may have one, two, or more gifts.<\/p>\n

If you need some help, see\u00a0Your Spiritual Gifts \u2013 How to Identify and Effectively Use Them<\/a> and How Can I Recognize My Spiritual Gifts?<\/a><\/p>\n

While identifying your gifts is an important step, it\u2019s easy to get stuck here. Don\u2019t spend so much time wondering which gifts you have that you never get around to trying out the possibilities.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

So, set aside the \u201cwhich gifts\u201d search for a moment, and consider the bigger questions of\u00a0where<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0God wants you to serve. (The answers to these questions might even help you identify your gifts if you\u2019re not sure what they are.)<\/p>\n

What are your roles?<\/strong>\u00a0God may be asking you to use your spiritual gifts right where you are, in your current roles. Young parents are called to lead, teach, encourage, help, and use wisdom in raising their children. Those of us with aging parents use gifts of mercy, encouragement, and often administration and helps. Similarly, don\u2019t we need business people with gifts of wisdom and leadership to influence corporate ethics? Aren\u2019t leaders of community youth activities using gifts of shepherding or administration? Think of the roles you already play and how you might use\u2014or already are using\u2014spiritual gifts in those roles.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll note that I\u2019ve been talking in this section about using spiritual gifts outside the church. While Paul refers to using gifts to build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12<\/a>), he also says the gifts are to be used to equip us to do God\u2019s work. Not all of God\u2019s work takes place within the walls of a church. Throughout the New Testament we see the disciples healing, teaching, showing mercy, encouraging, prophesying, and more\u2014everywhere they go, not just to those within the body of Christ. Doing God\u2019s work has no boundaries, and thus practicing our gifting has no boundaries.<\/p>\n

My Roles: <\/strong>Write down the roles you currently fulfill: parent, coworker, neighbor, etc. You probably have a few!<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

What is your personality?<\/strong>\u00a0David the psalmist wrote these words about God:<\/p>\n

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother\u2019s womb.<\/p>\n

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous\u2014how well I know it.
\n\u2014Psalms 139:13-14<\/a><\/p>\n

Our inmost beings\u2014our personalities\u2014come from God and influence how we use our spiritual gifts. Yes, we can learn to serve in ways that force us to be more outgoing or more organized or more adaptable than our natural bent, but I\u2019ve observed in Scripture that God tends to use people as they are. Consider Paul, that decisive, outspoken organizer of the persecution of the early church. After his conversion to Christianity, his personality remained the same\u2014decisive, outspoken, organized\u2014but God put Paul\u2019s personality to work as a leader\u00a0for<\/em>\u00a0the church rather than against it.<\/p>\n

Your personality might help you discern whether you\u2019re more suited to teaching a Bible study for 6 people or a seminar for 600. Or whether you\u2019d rather use your gift of mercy answering suicide hotline calls or counseling individuals in a long-term process. While we need to be careful not to use our personalities as an excuse to ignore or abuse our spiritual gifts, God seems to be rather efficient in creating us in ways that indicate our best paths to service.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Look at the women of Acts: Lydia urged Paul\u2019s whole team to stay at her house; her gift of hospitality and her outgoing personality gave them a needed ministry base in Philippi, a city without a synagogue (Acts 16:11-15<\/a>). Tabitha is remembered for \u201calways doing good and helping the poor\u201d (9:36<\/a>), revealing a gift of mercy paired with a behind-the-scenes personality. Different spiritual gifts, different personalities, different paths to service.<\/p>\n

Your personality might make you more comfortable with<\/p>\n