Subject: CLM Homework #3 of 6 – My S.H.A.P.E. for ministry.
The purpose of the “homework” is to give us some advance preparation of what we will discuss when we meet in a week. So, no deadline, but as you have it. Please “reply all” and type your answers right into your email after the questions in bold and share it, as your answers will help others discover theirs. Or you can use the questions at the very bottom. (Or you can attach it as a word processing file, if you wish.) Thanks! Dave
My understanding of the church is what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12. Each of us is a part in the body of Christ. If you want to know your calling – what you are supposed to do – look at the way you are made. We have a God given “shape” and it reveals our purpose, in my opinion.
The problem Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 12, is that each part is envious and wants to be something other than what they are … or wants to look down on those who do not have their shape. Everyone’s shape has a value in the body of Christ.
In the Body of Christ, each part of the body functions according to the way it is designed by God in creation. What we do and how we do it is a part of how we are made; you are shaped for a purpose. Saddleback Church uses the acronym “SHAPE” to help people discern the ministry calling that God has on a person’s life – and I think it is a good model. So let’s talk about your “shape” for ministry – where you fit in. What part do you fulfill in the body of Christ?
- Have you taken a spiritual gift test previously? What did these tests say your gifts were? (Spiritual gift)
- All around us there are suffering people who are harassed and helpless. Which sort of person in need speaks to your heart? Who do you yearn to help? This is your ministry target population – your personal mission field – where your heart lies. This is your emotional neighborhood. (Heart)
- I believe that God prepares us to fulfill the calling God asks of us … we are prepared for the ministry that is asked of us. Our calling is not to fail but to fulfill God’s will. What abilities do you have that make you different from other people? What is difficult for others that you find easy to do? What skills do you have and how can you use them for God? (Ability)
- You also have a God given personality that comes complete with many preferences.
What sort of person are you? What are your preferences? (Personality) - In order to achieve God’s will, you will have many life experiences which will prepare you along the way to do what God wants you to do in the future. While we are frequently called out of our comfort zone, we find that God has prepared us with past experiences for what God calls us to do. What sort of experiences might have prepared you for Ministry? What have you had a lot of experience with in life? (Experience)
UNDERSTANDING OUR PREFERENCES
I’m a fan of the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator … it helps us see what our preferences are in four categories:
Introvert or Extrovert? I or E? (being around people energizes you (E) or tires you after a while – you need alone time to be your best (I))
Sensing or Intuition? S or N? (detail oriented, checkbook balanced to the penny (S) or big picture, creative, poetry writing, day dreamer (N)
Thinking or Feeling? F or T? (analytical (T) or emotional “seat of the pants” (F) decision making)
“Judging” or Perceiving? J or P? (how to do a task: orderly, sequential, one thing at a time (J) or juggling multiple tasks, doing what’s interesting (P).
(I like to say that a “J” is like a surgeon, everything under control and perfection means doing it exactly the same way over and over again; Js are committed, reliable, responsible and excellent at doing things right every time. A “P” is like an emergency room doctor, ready for anything that happens next and finds the chaos a little exciting; they are excellent at solving unexpected problems when “the way we’ve always done it before” no longer works.)
A Myers-Briggs type – a combination of four letters – is neither good nor bad. It’s just a way of naming your preferences – vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream. With or without sprinkles.
When you have identified your four letters, you can Google them to find all sorts of descriptions of that grouping out of the 16 possible combinations. Again, this is just generalizations about preferences … what you find might or might not be specifically true for you.
You can take a free version of this test here: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/OEJTS/
(Many other similar tests are also available online. Please remember – our goal is to understand your preferences. Your four letter results might be different depending on how you feel that day, or on the test you took. They also can change as we age and grow. Mine have.)
And then we can explore your preferences. Simply Google your four letters. Do the descriptions you find fit how you perceive yourself? If the difference between the two choices is small, switch the letter and Google that – is that a better fit with your preferences?
I am convinced that the “body of Christ” described in 1 Corinthians 12 means that people need to be happy with who and how God made them – and this means that, generally speaking, your calling will be a good fit with your personality.
So please take the test and let me know your four letters – E or I, S or N, T or F, J or P.
What are your four letters?
For this homework assignment, please answer the questions below.
Pastor Dave
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:17-18
My S.H.A.P.E. Questions
- What did these tests say your gifts were?
- Which sort of person in need speaks to your heart? Who do you yearn to help?
- What abilities do you have that make you different from other people? What is difficult for others that you find easy to do? What skills do you have and how can you use them for God? (Ability)
- You also have a God given personality that comes complete with many preferences.
What sort of person are you? What are your preferences? (Personality) - What sort of experiences prepare you for Ministry? What have you had a lot of experience with in life? (Experience)
Dave Kueker`s answers to the S.H.A.P.E. Questions
- What did these tests say your gifts were?
Apostle – organizing cooperation of Christians across local church boundaries. (Eph 4:11) (APEST test)
Researcher, innovator – Architect of Ideas, develop a model, test it, improve it.
Fascinated by new ideas that will help people, new methods to be more effective; especially evangelism and disciplemaking.
Word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discernment. - Which sort of person in need speaks to your heart? Who do you yearn to help?
I am drawn to people who want to solve their problems and live a happier, more effective life (“going on to perfection”).
I am drawn to people who are curious about ideas from the bible, from books, from reflecting on life and how to live a better life.
I particularly love helping people discern how God wants to utilize their gifts in doing God’s will and working together. My vision of the best church possible is “We are a functional family of God, where Jesus is Lord and people grow.”
3.What abilities do you have that make you different from other people? What is difficult for others that you find easy to do? What skills do you have and how can you use them for God? (Ability)
People tell me that I am good at explaining complex ideas from the bible or from books in ways that people can understand them.
I think I am good at discerning and defining the problems and opportunities in a system.
I love being creative and organizing things, people and organizations, including organizing ideas into books, articles or presentations.
I like to think that I am a good guitar & bass player.
- You also have a God given personality that comes complete with many preferences.
What sort of person are you? What are your preferences? (Personality)
My Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator letters are ENFP … with the P just slightly higher than the J. This means I like to walk into chaos and organize it my way so that everything runs smoothly and more effectively and everyone enjoys life.
When you have your four letters, you can google them to find all sorts of descriptions of that grouping out of the 16 possible combinations.
Again, this is just generalizations about preferences … what you find might or might not be specifically true for you.
Here’s a description of ENTP from Wikipedia: ENTPs are frequently described as clever, cerebrally and verbally quick, enthusiastic, outgoing, innovative, flexible, loyal, and resourceful. ENTPs are motivated by a desire to understand and improve the world they live in. They are usually accurate in sizing up a situation. They may have a perverse sense of humor and sometimes play devil’s advocate, which can create misunderstandings with friends, coworkers, and family. ENTPs are ingenious and adept at directing relationships between means and ends. ENTPs devise fresh, unexpected solutions to difficult problems. However, they are less interested in generating and following through with detailed plans than in generating ideas and possibilities. In a team environment, ENTPs are most effective in a role where they can draw on their abilities to offer deep understanding, a high degree of flexibility, and innovative solutions to problems. The ENTP regards a comment like “it can’t be done” as a personal challenge, and, if properly motivated, will spare no effort to discover a solution.
- What sort of experiences prepare you for Ministry? What have you had a lot of experience with in life? (Experience)
- In my life, I’ve had a variety of experiences with adversity, which strengthen my desire to help people to overcome – from my youngest brother born handicapped with cerebral palsy when I was nine years old, when he died very suddenly at age 4 when I was 13, how that loss devastated my family in ways that I couldn’t see until I was in my 40s, through a very difficult divorce in 1998 while a pastor.
- Starting in 3rd grade, I became an avid reader and my curiosity had led to lots of learning experiences and into creative writing and graduate school through a Doctor of Ministry degree awarded in 2008.
- My appointments have largely been to blue collar congregations in working class communities where I work primarily with people who work hard to overcome their difficulties. Many aspects of mental illness have been a part of these communities as well.
MORE INFORMATION
If you are interested in the APEST Test, based on Ephesians 4:11, look here:
https://fivefoldministry.com/
http://www.theforgottenways.org/what-is-apest.aspx
Cost: $10. https://5qcentral.com/product/apest-vocational-assessment/
Another very useful test is the CliftonStrengths Assessment®. This assessment measures your talents — your natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving — and categorizes them into the 34 CliftonStrengths themes. For more information: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253676/how-cliftonstrengths-works.aspx
Note: This post is one in a series of emails to allow discussion as a class via email prior to the first gathering of the class for Module 1 of the Certified Lay Minister program of the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference. David Kueker is the instructor and developed these introductory emails.
CLM 0.3, Reviewed: 2-19-22.