Serve
Jesus said, "...I, the Son of Man, came here not to be
served but to serve others..." (Matthew 20:28). He is our
example and has called each one of us as Christians to
serve in ministry. How do we determine what ministry we
have been called to do?
My ministry is determined by my S.H.A.P.E. What
God made me to be determines what He intends for me to do.
I will understand the purpose I was created for when I
understand the kind of person I am. This is the secret of
knowing God's will for my life. God is consistent in His
plan for each of our lives. He would not give us inborn
talents and temperaments, spiritual gifts and all sorts of
life experiences and then not use them. We believe by
reviewing and studying these factors you'll discover the
ministry God has for you, the unique way God intends for
you to serve Him.
The two results for discovering the ministry I've been
shaped for are fruitfulness and fulfillment. When you
discover what God made you to be and then you begin to do
what God made you to do, through what He made you to be,
you're going to be fulfilled. Fulfillment comes from
service, not from status or anything else.
The links on this page are to assist you in discovering
your S.H.A.P.E. and connect you to a ministry. What is
S.H.A.P.E.?
Spiritual Gifts - What Am I Gifted To Do?
Heart - What Do I Love To Do?
Abilities - What Natural Talents and Skills Do I
Have?
Personality - Where Does My Personality Best Suit Me
to Serve?
Experiences
Your ministry will be most effective and fulfilling when
you are using your GIFTS and ABILITIES in the area of
HEART'S DESIRE in a way that best expresses your
PERSONALITY and EXPERIENCE!
Success is Doing What God Made Me to Do!
SPIRITUAL GIFTS INVENTORY
A SPIRITUAL GIFT is a special ability, given by the Holy
Spirit to every believer at their conversion, to be used to
minister to others and therefore build up the Body of
Christ.
How To Discover Your Gift
- Get Started!
- Study
From Scripture (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4)
and related books
- Trial and Error
Experiment with different areas of service
- Analyze
Use Spiritual Gifts Inventory (available through the
Ministry Institute. An online version is under
construction)
- Request Reponses from Others
Ask others what gifts they see in you
- Take Training
Take advantage of training opportunities
HEART (PASSION) INVENTORY
What I have a heart for,
or what motivates me most (from the inventory): I love to I
love to I love to 1. Who I love to work with most, and the
age or type of people: 2. Church issues, ministries, or
possible needs that excite or concern me most: 3. If I knew
I couldn't fail, this is what I would attempt to do for God
with my life: ABILITIES INVENTORY: Of the 26 Abilities
listed below, check those that fit you: Entertaining
ability: to perform, act, speak, magic Recruiting ability:
to enlist and motive people to get involved Interview
ability: to discover what others are really like
Researching ability: to read, gather information, collect
data Artistic ability: to conceptualize, picture, draw,
paint, photograph, or make renderings Graphics ability: to
lay out, design, create visual displays or banners
Evaluating ability: to analyze data and draw conclusions
Planning ability: to strategize, design and organize
programs and events Managing ability: to supervise people
to accomplish a task or event and coordinate the details
involved Counseling ability: to listen, encourage and guide
with sensitivity Teaching ability: to explain, train,
demonstrate, tutor Writing ability: to write articles,
letters, books Editing ability: to proofread or rewrite
Promoting ability: to advertise or promote events and
activities Repairing ability: to fix, restore, maintain
Feeding ability: to create meals for large or small groups
Recall ability: to remember or recall names and faces
Mechanical operating ability: to operate equipment, tools
or machinery Resourceful ability: to search out and find
inexpensive materials or resources needed Counting ability:
to work with numbers, data or money Classifying ability: to
systematize and file books, data, records and materials so
they can be retrieved easily Public Relations ability: to
handle complaints and unhappy customers with care and
courtesy Welcoming ability: to convey warmth, develop
rapport, making others feel comfortable Composing ability:
to write music or lyrics Landscaping ability: to do
gardening and work with plants Decorating ability: to
beautify a setting for a special event 1. My current
vocation is: 2. Other jobs or skills I have experience in:
3. I feel I have these specialized abilities (from the list
above): 4. I have taught a class or a seminar on: 5. I feel
my most valuable personal asset is: PERSONALITY PROFILE
Although there are many fine (and extremely detailed!)
personality assessments available, for the purpose of your
Ministry Profile, we want you to consider just five
aspects: How Do I See Myself? EXPERIENCE PROFILE One of the
most overlooked factors in determining the ministry God has
for me is my past experience, particularly my hurts and
problems I've overcome with God's help. Since our greatest
life messages come out of our weaknesses, not our
strengths, we should pay close attention to what we've
learned in the "school of hard knocks". Write down these
experiences on your personal profile: Your Spiritual
Experiences Meaningful Decisions/Times With God Your
Painful Experiences Problems, Hurts, Trials-That Have
Taught You Your Educational Experiences What Were Your
Favorite Subjects In School Your Ministry Experiences How
Have You Served In The Past
