October 2006: Your gifts build the body of Christ

Many of my columns for Insights deliberately reflect my strong belief that the Uniting Church in Australia is, and should continue to be, the “share, care and dare” denomination of the Church catholic.

Share reflects our desire to be spread God’s word in action throughout God’s world — as well as to benefit the world with our God given gifts.

Care reflects God’s unconditional, inclusive love for humanity.

Dare is our challenge to the world to be a better world of universal peace, high ethical morality and safety and opportunity for all.

As each Uniting Church congregation and agency focuses on its plans for the 2007 mission year, it is time to do a “gift” survey of your members, staff and committees. This survey will look for God-gifted ministry and mission initiatives which will visibly build up the body of Christ. Throw in prayer, some spirited, Spirit-led, committed leaders and task group members — and the “impossible” can become probable.

Our Synod vision of the Uniting Church as a body of people “moving with God, transforming communities, courageously, inclusively and generously” dares each of us to do many things, including:

• Recognising all who are appropriately gifted, theologically equipped and practically skilled for the variety of leadership roles the church requires.
• Building on our strengths in community service, social justice and reconciliation of all peoples; and
• Being generous in spirit and with God’s gifts to us.

The Uniting Church “acknowledges with thanksgiving that the one Spirit has endowed (her) members … with a diversity of gifts, and there is no gift without its corresponding service: all ministries have a part in the ministry of Christ …The Uniting Church will … provide for the exercise of the gifts God bestows on them [members], and will order her life in response to his call to enter more fully into her mission.” (Paragraph 13, Basis of Union).

What is gift-based ministry?

Gift-based ministry identifies, affirms and builds on God-given individual abilities and competencies from within a congregation. This, in turn, enables mission and spiritual growth for more effective mission and ministry in God’s world. Such mission and ministry is for the whole world — and not just for the benefit of our own present church membership.

How might a gift survey identify, and help people visualise, their gifts?

As with any survey, it is important to ask the right questions.

One congregation did a gift survey based on its rosters. Hospitality, property maintenance, flower arranging, worship organisation, praying and treasurership. Unquestionably, these are all gifts but they are mainly for the church internally, not for the rest of God’s world.

One Synod board sent its staff to the zoo … though not for faith sharing with the inmates! Each staff member was asked to identify an animal which positively reflected the gifts they saw in other staff members. For example, the elephant was equated with corporate memory, the giraffe with greater vision, the crocodile with adaptability to all situations and appetite to get more (knowledge).

Another congregation identified musical instruments: the conductor who keeps the team focused on its mission; the violinist who is a great team player and team builder; the first violinist who leads the orchestra in tune with the conductor’s directions; and the trumpeter who is well recognised in a crowd.

I cannot remember why one member recognised me as a bagpipe!

What gifts enable a congregation to be a movement of God’s people propelled into God’s world?

Gifts for gift-based ministry initiatives in daring congregations include:

the visionaries, the prophets, the risk takers, the team leaders, the team builders, the spiritual powerhouses, the motivated and the motivating, the entrepreneurs, the musicians, the implementers, the theologians, the teachers, the carers, the hospitality providers, the fundraisers, the administrators and so on.

There is a place for all God’s good gifts — and all of us, those gifted as leaders and those who have other gifts, need to take our place on the team.

As a rowing eight has a coxswain and a stroke to provide leadership, you will not achieve your goal without your leaders and the whole team rowing, as one, to the finishing line.

And I stress, gift-based ministry initiatives require a survey of your congregation’s God-given gifts. This will ensure that you “shape” what you are capable of achieving. Just as the rowing eight assesses what time it can competitively achieve using its team members’ collective abilities to win the race.

Let your vision be based on your gift potential.

Jim Mein