Discovery

Leadership is all about empowering people.   Effective leaders move people from where they are to where God would have them be, in life and in ministry.   Moving people from "I can't do this" to "I can do this".  You might to check out what I had to say about 'Empower' is my recent article.  One of the best ways to help people become empowered for ministry is to guide them along a journey of discovery.

Here in Australia we hear a lot about discovery.   This land was discovered originally by Aboriginal peoples many thousand years ago.  The first Europeans who discovered this land were the Dutch in the 1600's.   In the following century, in 1770, Captain James Cook explored and mapped the east coast of Australia.  One of Cook's companion ships was named Discovery.  He went on with this ship to discover the Hawaiian Islands, the west coast of Canada, and parts of Alaska.   When the Americans expanded their space exploration program they named one of the space shuttles Discovery - partly named after Cook's vessel.  This drive for discovery continues to push people to new frontiers, from ocean depths, to mountain heights, and the vast outer reaches of space.

For our churches to be healthy our people need to hear a lot about discovery as well.   Not discovery of land, minerals, or spices -- which often spurred on those early explorers.   A discovery of gifts!   Spiritual gifts.   Gift-based ministry is one of the eight quality characteristics, identified by NCD (Natural Church Development), of healthy and growing churches.  In other words, if you want your church to be healthy and growing, then you need to help your church members to discover, develop, and deploy their spiritual gifts.   Yes, to engage in Christian service and ministry based on their God-given gifts.

The Bible has a lot to say about spiritual gifts.   The Greek word for gifts usually translated in our Bibles as "spiritual gifts" is charisma.   That word comes from the Greek word charis  which means "grace."   So literally, spiritual gifts are actually "grace gifts."   By God's grace he provides abilities to individual believers in the church (see Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:4; 1 Peter 4:10).   These gifts are given to every believer in the body of Christ (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 4:10).  These gifts are given to believers to benefit others, to minister effectively in and through the church, so that the body of Christ is built up and the impact of the gospel increased.   When believers use these gifts, they "should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.   To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.  Amen."  (1 Peter 4:11)  Yes, God is glorified when believers engage in gift-based ministry.

But is that what happens in the church, in your church?   Often when things need to get done in or through the church, leaders simply ask for volunteers.  They just hope that some people will put up their hands to help.   Or leaders look for people who are popular or successful in life, and they assume that they will function well in leadership roles in the church.  This makes me think of Harry.   In my first church Harry served as an elder.  He was a very successful farmer, and a loving Christian man.  A good father and a role model in the community.  For these reasons he was appointed an elder.  For many years.  But he found the task of being an elder very frustrating.  And it was not because he wasn't a committed believer.  He just was not gifted in teaching, intercession, administration, and/or pastoral care.  He had many other gifts, but not the gifts necessary to be an effective elder.  He was like a square peg in a round hole.  The church finally encouraged him to not be an elder, but do ministries that God had gifted him for.  He appeared more happy, joyful, and pleased to be engaged in ministry.   And his ministry started to thrive and have greater gospel impact.

This is how effective ministry happens in the church.  As apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome:  "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.   We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." (Romans 12:4-6)   To another church Paul wrote:  "God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." (1 Corinthians 12:18)   Think of your church.   Every person in your church, every part of the body of Christ, has been arranged by God to serve in different ways.   As church leaders, our goal should be to help people discover how God has arranged them in the church based on their particular spiritual gift-mix.  When we do this, "we would unlock tremendous potential for growth that is now dormant and wasting away." (Peter Wagner, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church to Grow) 

Just remember, however, gift-discovery is not enough to unlock your church's potential for growth.   Once people discover their gifts, you need to help them develop their gifts.   Provide resources and training opportunities so that people can equipped and built up to use their gifts effectively (see Ephesians 4:11-13).  And then help people deploy their spiritual gifts.  Yes, putting their spiritual gifts into practise by engaging in ministry.  When believers discover, develop, and deploy their spiritual gifts -- church health will increase.   And healthy churches are growing churches. 

But it all begins with discovery! 

If you want to discover your gifts, check out this online resource.