Each of you has been blessed with one of God s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.

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1 Each of you has been blessed with one of God s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. 1 Peter 4:10 CEV Here at Faith Community Church we have a few pastors, but we have many ministers and you are one of them! That s right. Each of us ministers when we help meet the needs of others. This packet guides you through the discovery process of where to serve in the church and what to do according to the unique ways God has gifted you. When you believe in Jesus Christ, you not only find a Savior, you become part of a family through Christ, God the Father adopts us into His family, which is expressed in the local church. Actively participating in the body life of the church is an essential part of following Christ. Jesus said, All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 13:35). Christian love is more than a fond feeling, it is an active commitment. Romans 13:14 commands us to serve one another in love. The local church is a mutually interdependent community of believers. It is not simply a location to come to for an hour each weekend. The church is God s family...your family. Finding an area of ministry where you can focus your time and energy and that fits your interests and abilities will not only be personally fulfilling, but will also best serve your fellow believers. Is your view of serving God more like a prison chain gang picking up trash along the road or like an adopt-a-highway group doing the same? Yes, we have a duty to serve God, because He is our Lord, our Master. But our motivation is out of love, not fear. As believers saved by God s amazing grace, we serve one another with passionate devotion to the God who gave His only Son for us. Our purpose behind everything we do is two-fold: to glorify God God is glorified when we, His children, mirror His likeness in what we say and do. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:11). to edify others Others are edified (means to build up or improve) when we serve them for their benefit. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (Romans 14:19). Just as a GPS unit (global positioning satellite) helps people determine their location and destination, so our GPS process and team members are here to help you discover your spiritual gifts and areas of passion/personal interest for a fitting ministry you can serve in. To learn how, read on GPS Step 1 1 Rev. Jun 2004

2 Step 1 DISCOVER Step 2 SHARE Step 3 SERVE On your own Learn about your vital role within the church body in this Discovery Packet (pp. 1-2) Take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory learn what you should do (p. 3) Take the Passion Assessment learn where you should serve (pp. 4-6) With a team member GPS Consultation Discuss your answers from this packet. Discuss potential fitting ministries at Faith and/or consider a new ministry. With your permission, your results will be shared with relevant team leaders. If you re interested in a specific position, you ll be asked to fill out an FCC Ministry Application. Get involved Ministry Consultation Meet with a ministry team leader to discuss your interests and the needs of the ministry. Your GPS consultant and the ministry leader will then prayerfully discuss what is best for you and that ministry and either place you in a position, or refer you to other possibilities. Why do we do all this? Because we care about you! We care about God s plan for your life and we care about the health of this church. Seeing you fulfill the role God has made for you within His family doing what He has gifted you for, serving where He has placed a passion in your heart, and all the while loving your brothers and sisters in Christ is our goal and according to God s Word, that is God s goal for you as well. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified and His people blessed through you!!"# Faith Community Church has some pastors, but many, and you are one of them. Being in God s family means we one another in love. Our life s purpose is to God as we others. We offer workshops, classes and books that teach a whole lot more about God s plan for the church body and every believer s role in it. If you haven t yet taken one, we encourage you to do so. Until then, take a few minutes to read 1 Corinthians chapters and answer the questions below: Spiritual gifts are given by God for whose benefit (12:7)? The church is body made up of parts (12:12). No part can say to another part, (12:21-22). God requires us to use our spiritual gifts with what essential virtue (ch. 13)? GPS Step 1 2 Rev. Jun 2004

3 Name Phone Spiritual gifts are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to every believer according to God s design and grace for the common good of the body of Christ. 1 Using them in a loving way will bring glory to God and will greatly benefit other people and the church as a whole. Knowing what spiritual gifts you have is one of the necessary ingredients for knowing God s will for your life. Paul writes in Romans 12:6-8 that whatever gift we have, we are to use it; we are to do it! Discovering your spiritual gifts helps answer the question what should I do? Teacher and author Christian Schwarz lists these steps for discovering your spiritual gifts: 2 1) Open your heart to God in prayer ask God to show you what gifts He has given you. 2) Be ready to apply your gifts be prepared to use and cultivate the gifts you have. 3) Get informed you re doing that right now, and there s plenty more to learn. 4) Begin with what you enjoy learn more about joy and passion on the next page. 5) Experiment as much as possible you don t know if you re gifted at something if you ve never tried doing it. 6) Verify your effectiveness spiritual gifts are given to produce concrete results. Fruitfulness from a given activity is evidence of divine gifting. 7) Seek the opinion of others there are some questions to ask others on page 6. 8) Take a gifts test although affirmation from church leaders is the best way to identify your spiritual gifts, taking a gifts test is a useful tool to get started. Take out the Spiritual Gifts Inventory questions and green answer sheet. Please be sure to read the instructions on the inside page and on the answer sheet. The sheet is self-scoring. Remember, answer the questions according to who you are, not who you would like to be or think you ought to be. Generally the quicker you answer these questions, the more valid the results. If you re unsure how to answer a question, fill in circle #2. Enjoy! My top three gifts are: 1. score 2. score 3. score The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory that you just went through tests for nine spiritual gifts listed in the Bible that are fairly easy to apply to a specific task or ministry position. There are arguably 30 or more spiritual gifts listed in the Bible and most of these are included in the Passion Assessment on the next three pages. 1 Willow Creek Community Church, Network: Participant s Guide, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), Schwarz, Christian A. The Three Colors of Ministry, (St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 2001), GPS Step 1 3 Rev. Jun 2004

4 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11 The most essential way to keep your spiritual fervor is to keep growing in your knowledge of Jesus Christ, because the more you know Jesus, the more you will love him and desire to give him your best. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4) What are some ways you can pursue delighting yourself in the Lord? However, sometimes even believers who clearly love Jesus end up losing their zeal for ministry. Why? For many it may be that they aren t serving in the areas they are most passionate about. God s unique calling on your life matches with the spiritual gifts He decided to give you and the convictions, dreams and interests He has placed in your heart. You may be ready to serve in your passion areas right now, or you may need a period of spiritual and skillful preparation beforehand. Either way, identifying the passions God has placed in your heart provides needed direction and helps answer the question where should I serve? $%! Paul had the spiritual gifts of evangelism and prophecy, to name a few. Throughout his Christian life he used those gifts in many different ways. He started preaching the gospel and leading people to Christ right after he received the Lord! Early on he stayed close to home and proclaimed the gospel, but after a time of preparation, his life s pursuit became missions. He wrote, It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known (Romans 15:16). At his conversion, God called Paul to serve in the apostolic ministry of church planting, pioneer missions, and church leadership, but he didn t start doing these things until 13 years after his conversion! He wasn t running from God, he was faithfully serving, using his spiritual gifts and his learned skills and growing in his relationship with the Lord Jesus. And when God told him it was time to start, he was ready and willing. God s calling on Paul s life matched his gifts and passions. Where do you see yourself on God s timeline for your life? I m not sure if I ve received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I m pretty new at following Jesus, but I m willing to use my gifts to help His church. I think I ve got some ideas of what God wants me to do and I m looking forward to going through the rest of the GPS steps. I think I m still in that preparation stage where I can faithfully serve in a ministry, but I know God s getting me ready for something closer to my heart. I know what God has called, gifted and prepared me to do, so let s get going! GPS Step 1 4 Rev. Jun 2004

5 ! Does God ever call people to do things they don t want to do? All the time! But our resistance is usually due to our own lack of faith or lack of love. In the Old Testament God sometimes called people to a lifetime ministry that they wanted no part of (e.g. Moses, Jeremiah, Amos), but since the Holy Spirit was given after Jesus ascension, God s calling on a believer s life comes from within. Our passions change and mature as we grow in knowing Christ and that is why it is so important that we maintain a growing relationship with our Lord Jesus. Your area of passion is a ministry or cause that interests you and deeply moves you to the extent that you devote your time and energy to it and have a sense of satisfaction that your time is being well spent. When you are serving in the area(s) of your passion you are enthusiastic and motivated to serve. You don t do the bare minimum to get by, you do your very best! Consider and answer each question. Answer them on your own. Assume there are no obstacles keeping you from fulfilling your heart s desire. 1. Some things I ve done that made me feel fulfilled were 2. At the end of my life I d like to know I did something about 3. What conversation would keep you talking late into the night? 4. Is there a verse(s) in the Bible that you find particularly motivating? What is it and why? 5. Man, if I could do and serve God at the same time, that would be like a dream come true. 6. The people I would most like to help are: Infants Children Jr. High Sr. High College students Internationals Singles Teen moms Single parents Divorced Widowed/ers Career women Young marrieds Parents Empty nesters Men Women Elderly Homeless Poor Unemployed Disabled Prisoners Hospitalized Homosexuals Abuse victims Seekers New believers Others: In order, list the top three: GPS Step 1 5 Rev. Jun 2004

6 ! 7. Areas where I have particular interest, skills or experience are: Apologetics Artistic design Audio/Video Production Catering/Cooking Child care Computers Construction/Maintenance Counseling Crafts Curriculum development Decorating Deliverance Desktop Publishing Discipleship Drama/Theater/Dance Event Planning Financial advice Housekeeping Hospitality Landscaping/Gardening Mechanical Missions Multimedia Musical performance Office/Administration Plant care (indoor) Prayer Research/Information Small group leading Snow removal Sports Tape Duplication Teaching Ushering/Greeting Visitor follow-up Other: In order, list the top three: Find a close friend or relative who knows you well to answer questions 8-10 about you: 8. What would you say are the people, issues and/or tasks that I am most passionate about? 9. What kinds of activities do you think I am well suited to do in or through the church? 10. Is there anything else you ve observed about me that might help me decide in which ministries of the church I am best fit to serve? Passion Summary Looking at my answers to questions 1-7 and taking into consideration the answers given to me in questions 8-10, I would say that I am most passionate about (list in order): What s Next? Let us know you ve completed Step One! We can then set up a consultation time to help you make better sense of how your gifts and passions fit together. You may wish to look over the Faith Community Ministry Guide to see what ministry opportunities you may be interested in. In the meantime, pray for the Holy Spirit s guidance. Thanks for taking the time to do some discovery! GPS Step 1 6 Rev. Jun 2004