Gifts of Ministry
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead to provide for others, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:3-8)
As of today, it has been exactly two months since I relocated from Kansas to North Carolina. When I transferred to the NC Annual Conference, I was given the following questionnaire to create my ministerial profile. The questions were as follows:
“Describe and evaluate your personal gifts for ministry (all believers are called to be “ministers” of the Gospel). Describe where your gifts have resulted in fruitful ministry. What would be areas in which you need to be strengthened in order to be more fruitful?”
We all have strengths and weaknesses in what we can do for others and for the church. Some people love being involved in the service as a liturgist or choir member. Others are terrified of speaking in front of others but really gifted at gardening at church. Some are great with children; others would rather change lightbulbs hanging from the high ceiling of the sanctuary or make sure the pews have cards and pencils. Some love to greet people, while others would prefer to go into the Sanctuary to pray quietly. Some have the gift of serving the community by cooking and providing food. Some can purchase goods for the food pantry or donate school supplies for schools; others might be able to donate some time to work on organizing what we have received.
What else are you gifted at? Just worth pondering this morning.
I always thank God for each and every member of our faith community who is faithfully and firmly building up New Sharon Church.
