Category: Serving

Application Over recent months we have seen how valuable it can be to identify the elements of someone's personality, gifting and availability in determining how they may best serve in the church. But how do we apply this practically? Holy Spirit leading First, and most important, what is the Holy Spirit saying to an individual? It would be easy to become somewhat administrative in trying to identify someone's ‘best fit' for serving but that should not be the first route of discovery. Administration can be vulnerable to focusing on the task before the individual. The danger of this is that one can just be looking for volunteers to get a job done. I hate this! Hearing leaders ask for volunteers to get a job done tells me that they are…

The final element in our Serving Profile is Spiritual Maturity. As people wish to serve in the church it is important that the opportunities match their level of spiritual maturity. For instance, you don't want a newly converted person on the welcome team if they still have a free use of ‘fruity' language from their former life! Nor do you want someone leading a ministry who does not yet have a secure and deep walk with God. Grow up! When a person is first saved he or she is like a baby. The writer to the Hebrews upbraids those who have been walking with God for sometime for still being like babes (Heb 5:12-14). Here it is written with correction but nevertheless it gives us an insight into the contrast…

I have just returned from Guinea and will report on that more fully in due course. While there I was able to teach from this Discover and Serve material which I have now published as a book. I was very encouraged by the response. The book includes all the teaching I have been giving in recent months as well as several appendices to help you implement the course in your church. The cost is £5.99 + postage. 10% discount on 10 or more copies. Please order through feeding5000isnopicnic@gmail.com in the side panel with Book Order in the subject line. Now to continue the series with a consideration of Time. The concept of time We live in a frenetic world, particularly in the ‘west'/northern hemisphere. Every day is often filled to…

Many team building exercises involve some form of personality assessment. The premise is that a balanced team may be built if the various members represent a spread across the different options available. Probably the best known test is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator based on work by Carl Jung. Here there are four pairings or dichotomies that are attributed to an individual through psychometric testing, namely: Extraversion (E)/ Introversion (I) Sensing (S)/Intuition (N) Thinking (T)/ Feeling (F) Judgment (J)/Perception (P) This results in 16 possibilities e.g. ESTJ, INFP. I do not consider that such thorough assessments are needed when helping someone to serve in the church although there may well be benefits if they are inclined to respond well to such an approach. This sort of testing is not everyone's…

Heart's desire in practice As I look at our church I am aware that there are many ministries that have arisen over the years that have started with individual members of the church who have had a ‘heart's desire' to see something happen. These are most conspicuous in ministry with people who are poor or in some way in social need or disadvantage. Unplanned pregnancy One evening more than twenty years ago Sue was sitting at home when she felt God tell her to go to Brighton station. She was someone who had a heart for those who were experiencing unplanned pregnancies. In reluctant obedience she drove to the station. After a short whole she saw a woman carrying a small suitcase leave the station and begin to walk in…

Why do people serve? When people serve they can do so for a variety of reasons. Let's name some: They feel they ought to out of a sense of duty. Nb ‘Ought' is a dangerous word. Analyse why when you are tempted to do something out of ‘ought-ness'. God loves willingness. They want to please the leader or may even feel sorry for him as he has a problem to solve with inadequate resources They want to be recognised in the church There could be many other reasons and the above are all negative. I believe the most authentic one is out of a ‘heart's desire'. Heart's Desire What do I mean by having a heart's desire to serve? As we have already seen God has given each of us…