Church Leadership, Part 3 – Spiritual Gifts And Abilities

A neglected area of ministry in most churches is encouraging believers to pursue their spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit who indwells each person who has accepted Jesus as his or her savior has endowed them with a supernatural gift – an unlearned ability, the purpose of which is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of  the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:12-13). As can be seen from these verses, knowing and using one’s spiritual gift is of prime importance, and needs to be a focus for church leadership. The gifts are listed in Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.

Spiritual gifts should be taken into consideration when choosing church leaders. Church leaders should in turn make it a priority to help members of their congregations discern their gift and utilize it in and outside of their local church. This can be done through taking spiritual gift inventories like the one here –Spiritual Gifts Test – Discover your spiritual gifts!

However, the most important factor is asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the gift he has given you. I was told by a college pastor long ago, that one can recognize their gift by having a longing for it, being confirmed by others, and God blessing it. I have found that to be true in the case of my writing ministry.

As important as spiritual gifts are, professional and learned abilities can also be utilized. Let’s use a church board or council as an example. Is there a person who is an expert in financial matters in the congregation? Are there those who are good at organizing events? Why not put these types of people, and others who have specialized abilities, on the board or council? What are the professions that exist within the church? This can be found out by taking a survey of the congregation.

If church leaders more actively seek to make use of the spiritual gifts, natural talents, and specialized professional training of members of their congregations, think about how much more could be accomplished, and more people would be a useful part of the spiritual body of believers.

In 1 Corinthians 12:1-26, the Apostle Paul gives an extensive piece of writing on how each part of the physical body plays an important part in keeping the whole body working properly. He likens this to the spiritual body of believers.

Have you discerned the gift the Holy Spirit has bestowed on you? Are you using it! 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 

Church leader, are you helping people in your church identity their gifts and providing opportunities for them to use them? To what point are your church leaders in positions related to their spiritual gifts?

The whole purpose of spiritual gifts is to make the body of believers function the way God intended.