“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” Rick Warren posts the question in, “The Purpose Driven Life.” It’s a big, audacious inquiry implying there is something you can do for God with a guarantee of success. Who wouldn’t want to know?
Warren’s church created a resource titled, S.H.A.P.E., an acrostic for Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experience. The tool explores your entire make-up of both God-give and also human acquired, aspects of your true self. The course involves a commitment on your part (and worth researching, the class that utilizes the SHAPE tool is “301”), but today I’m starting from a different perspective. What if, to find your fit in God’s faith family, you started with the finish in mind?
“There is no magic formula to discover your God-given purpose. You are on a journey, with forks in the road, U-turns, and new directional signs along the way. The important stuff comes by you taking the first step, and then the next step, and then the step after that.”
Pastor Bryan
Consider Your Spiritual Gifts
Some folks are passionate about spiritual gifts (the “S” in SHAPE). But if you’re like me, at some point you assessed your spiritual gifts and then kind of drifted for a while. Consider relaunching the journey of discernment/discovery of calling around your role in relationships within the family of faith. For your reflection, peruse the following broad categories and examples of roles found within generic titles. Be open and be willing to create another category as needed – this is merely a starting point with three examples of each (which I created based on how I would help a person find her/his fit today, so even this you read is also a work in process).
EDUCATOR
- teacher
- writer
- trainer
SALES PERSON
- host
- party planner
- recruiter
ARTISAN
- artist
- engineer
- gardener
NURTURER
- caregiver
- visitor to the sick
- facilitator
ENTREPRENEUR
- starter
- team player
- dreamer
ORGANIZER
- liaison/communicator
- record keeper
- administrative helper
MUSICIAN
- instrumentalist
- vocalist
- sound technician
ADVOCATE
- peacemaker
- social worker
- helper
Consider Other Roles
There are countless ways to consider “roles” in broad categories. “12 Archetypes” in psychology, “The 5 Fold Ministries” from scripture (Ephesians 4), “S.H.A.P.E.” from Saddleback Church, and various creative groupings seek the same end – helping people discover their identity as “purpose” and “mission” in life. Most recently I’ve embraced Lead Like Jesus as a two day seminar to clarify mission, vision and leadership values.
Over twenty five years I’ve reworked the list you read here in different ways (sometimes with a huge list, other times short as shown), but always landing on “identity” as the easiest starting point. Each of the broad categories capture interest and/or ability within various roles that also exist within the church.
My practical, never changing, set in stone truth about discovering your fit (calling) remains. Keep learning, don’t give up, and always follow Jesus first.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
1 Peter 2:9
Got questions? Me too. Drop me a line anytime with your thoughts (especially if you have ideas of “identity” and “categories” of roles within the church).