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Orienting Mission around
the Gifts of All Ages

by DAVID SCHAAL 

Perhaps there’s more to Doctrine and Covenants 119:8b than we often think. This passage of scripture states that “All are called according to the gifts of God unto them.” Community of Christ has celebrated this affirmation for decades—and rightly so! It’s a marvelous affirmation—each person is unique and called to serve Christ’s mission according to their unique gifts and capacities.

But is there more to it than this? Through the years, people have typically interpreted this scripture as pertaining to individual disciples. At the same time however, this affirmation is a vital principle for the congregation as a whole. In other words, just as every person is unique, each congregation’s collective “constellation” of gifts is unique.

Why then, would anyone expect congregations to all look alike, use the same programs, and be mirror images of one another in their style and approach to being the church? No one would ever expect all people to have similar gifts and to express their discipleship in almost-identical ways. So why would anyone ever expect congregations to live their lives out of a cookie-cutter?

You Already Have What You Need

Your congregation already has everything it needs to engage effectively in the mission of Jesus Christ. Seriously. Your congregation already has what it needs to engage in mission if it is willing to do so according to its gifts.

What does this mean? The following three examples tell the story.

Example #1: If a congregation is well-gifted and well-positioned to tutor neighborhood children after school, then maybe (so much depends on their sense of call and overall context) that’s what they should do. On the other hand, if a congregation is not gifted to provide children’s programs effectively, then maybe they should not try to offer a vacation Bible school, even if someone thinks they should.

Example #2: If a congregation is blessed with gifts of hospitality and abilities to create safe space for people to share, then maybe they should host experiences of worship characterized by personal sharing, praying for each other’s concerns, discussing scripture, and supporting each other in serving the community. On the other hand, if that same congregation is not blessed with gifted preachers (at least, not to the degree that people are willing to invite friends), then perhaps that congregation should not include preaching in their worship (or at least not every week).

Example #3: If a congregation has enough people with a sense of call and the gifts of leadership to run multiple programs, then perhaps they should do so. If, however, a congregation only has three or four people who have the gifts, time, and desire to lead, then perhaps they should focus only on one or two things that they are well-positioned to do, based on their gifts and desires.

You get the idea. Minister and plan according to what your congregation is uniquely suited to do. Give yourself permission to stop doing what you cannot do well.

Increase Creativity and Energy

All three of the following are important, but what does your congregation need the most: more vision, more training, or more energy? Time and time again, pastors (especially those who have served more than two years) have answered: “more energy.” This is no surprise, given the multiple demands that compete for people’s time. People have responsibilities with family, work, church, and community. Asking people to do “one more thing” sometimes equates to asking the impossible. They simply don’t have the energy (or the time).

Engaging in mission does not have to be “one more thing.” It is not about doing more! Congregations unleash new energy and creativity when they give themselves permission to stop doing what they cannot do well. Congregations unleash new energy and creativity when they begin to orient congregational life, organization, and programs around their gifts. Of course, the opposite is true as well. Congregations have one sure way to drain energy—assign willing “workers” to roles they are not gifted for nor have a sense of call about.

Think about it for a moment. When do you feel the most alive? Is it when others saddle you with responsibilities that you feel committed to but do not feel gifted for? Probably not. On the other hand, how does it feel when you have stewardship for something that you have a sense of call about, and feel gifted to do?

The same is true for congregations! Congregations will feel most alive when they pursue Christ’s mission according to their gifts. Congregations have an obligation to center themselves in Community of Christ identity, mission, message, and beliefs. Every congregation is to honor the policies and procedures of the church. Every congregation is to engage in mission according to the five mission initiatives (see “What Mission Means” in this field guide). Nevertheless, how a congregation lives out its “way of being” Community of Christ should be shaped by its unique personality and gifts.

This can be quite freeing—knowing that the congregation is fully centered in the church’s identity and mission, yet living out its life according to what it uniquely is! (With no pressure to be like some other congregation.)

Increasing Invitation

One of the potential results of orienting congregational life around the gifts of its members is the increased likelihood of people inviting friends to share in congregational life and mission.

Recently, an informal survey asked why people did not invite friends to church regularly. The most common answer given was, “I’m just not confident about the quality of the experience that I would be inviting them to.” In reality this may be a bigger worry for the “inviter” than it is for the “invitee.” Still, if people are not inviting their friends, it’s a concern.

But what if the congregation oriented its activities, programs, and worship around the gifts of its people? Not only might the quality increase, but so would the authenticity. “Authenticity,” in this case, has nothing to do with “sincerity.” Authenticity simply means the congregation is being true to who it really is and what its gifts are.

How natural it is to invite friends into one’s home for a meal or to meet a friend for coffee. A bit more demanding, yet potentially joyful, is when people introduce different friends to each other. People can’t force others to become friends, but they can introduce them. If, on the other hand, introducing our friends to each other meant that we had to try and be someone that we’re not comfortable being, then no one probably would ever make the effort. The same is true for congregations. The experience that we invite people to does not have to be “flashy” or perfect in any way. The experience should however, have the mark of authenticity—in other words, being true to who we are. When we live according to our gifts, the quality of what we do increases. As quality and authenticity increase in congregational life, so does the likelihood of invitation.

 

Many congregations burden themselves by perpetuating ways of “being the church” that only weighs them down. These congregations could experience great freedom if they would honor the principle of orienting their mission around their gifts.

1. How can the pastor’s leadership team help the congregation explore its gifts and senses of call?

This is a critical question. Congregational leaders dare not decide on their own what the congregation’s gifts are. To do so is to diminish understanding and invite conflict. Wise leaders will lead the congregation (or recruit someone from “outside” to lead) in a process that helps the congregation discover its gifts. The more collaborative the process, the more likely the congregation will support orienting its mission around its gifts.

2. How can congregational leaders model the principle of exploring their gifts and serving accordingly?

It’s often best to start small. Rather than attempting congregation-wide transformation, begin with one part of congregation life, or with one group. One possibility is for the pastor’s leadership team to explore together their personal gifts and sense of call. They can then adjust their roles and responsibilities accordingly.

3. How can looking at our gifts give us clues regarding what our mission might be?

Remember Doctrine and Covenants 119:8b? Understanding our gifts can provide wonderful insight into the congregation’s mission, since people and congregations “are called according to the gifts of God unto them.” Several years ago, a congregation decided that their mission was to reach out to neighborhood children because they had heard about other congregations doing so. Reaching out to children is clearly in harmony with gospel principles and the mission of the church. However, they wore themselves out and were ineffective. Why? In
part because they did not have the gifts for the type of work they were attempting. They were doing it because they thought they “should.” No one really had a spiritual sense of call to do this kind of ministry. Their outreach efforts blossomed several months later though, when they discovered that their unique capacity for hospitality was coupled with their love of hosting and their genuine concern for young families. Our gifts give us clues to how we live out mission.

The above questions are important. The practices following this article can help.

		Exploring Congregational Gifts
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Objective: To help congregations explore their gifts for mission.

Process:

1. Call the congregation together in an informal setting. Serve refreshments. Begin with prayer.
2. Have people name memories of experiences/activities/ongoing ministries in the congregation’s life over the past five years that stand out as especially meaningful or effective (or fun). What things have really energized them? (10–20 minutes)
1. List them on a flip chart or board so that all can see.
3. Ask everyone put a mark or “sticky dot” next to the top five items on the list that have been most important to them (five minutes). Underline five items with the most marks.
4. Divide into small groups of six to eight. Appoint group recorders and leaders ahead of time.
5. In the groups, spend time “remembering” each of the top five underlined items. What made these things so good? What is your fondest memory associated with each one (one hour +).
1. Ask the recorders to capture the major points made in the group.
6. Ask groups to review the five things again. For each one, discuss what gifts were necessary to make this particular thing happen so effectively?
1. State that gifts might be resident within individuals. Other gifts might be made possible through the collective efforts of people. Name both kinds of gifts.
2. Ask recorders to record the gifts named (allow up to one hour).
7. Come back into one group.
1. Ask recorders to report the gifts that their group identified—name both the gifts seen in individual lives (do NOT name the individuals) as well as gifts that were seen as “collective gifts” of the congregation.
2. Record the gifts that the recorders name on a flip chart or board that all can see.
3. Instruct recorders to name all gifts their group identified, even (especially) if it has already been mentioned.
8. In the general group, discuss what congregational life might look like if we oriented congregational life around these gifts? (Focus on the “gifts,” not the activities identified.) What would our activities, community service, worship, etc. be like?
1. Note: This is not a planning session or a time to make decisions. It is simply a time to think out loud together about what congregational life might be like if we really tried to live according to what we’re well-suited to be.
9. Share that following this meeting, the pastor’s leadership team will be discussing the insights produced during the discussion.
1. The pastor’s leadership team should prayerfully discuss how congregational gifts might shape congregational life, and what ministries you might engage in.
10. NOTE: Depending on time available, and the depth and breadth of the discussion, you may want to break the foregoing outline into two meetings.

For a more detailed approach and additional resources, see The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on its Gifts, by Luther Snow, (Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2004).

		Exploring Call and Giftedness
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Objective: To help congregational leaders explore and discuss their personal sense of calling and giftedness.

Process: In a pastor’s leadership team meeting, give everyone the following instructions:

1. On a blank piece of paper, draw a triangle in the middle of the page (about 2 in/5 cm diameter).
2. In and around this triangle, write down everything that you do in the life of the church—such as attending worship, serving on committees, visiting, planning, and cleaning. (State that it’s okay if individuals have a little or a lot to write.) Allow three minutes.
3. Put your pens down and pause for a moment.
4. Next, hold in your imagination the image of a circle. Do not draw it, only imagine it. Imagine that the circle represents your personal gifts and deepest sense of call. (This is the stuff that’s at the heart of who you are as a person.)
1. Just sit quietly for about a minute and think about this.
5. Now, take the circle out of your minds and draw it on the paper in proper relationship with the triangle. (Facilitators: demonstrate the following as you explain)
1. If what you are doing currently in the life of the church is in almost perfect alignment with your gifts and sense of calling, then your circle will be drawn directly on top of your triangle.
2. If, on the other hand, what you are currently doing in the life of the church is only partially aligned with your gifts and calling, then your circle will just partially overlap your triangle.
3. If your sense of giftedness and calling are generally not aligned at all with what you are currently doing, then there will be various degrees of space between your circle and triangle.
4. Now…take the circle out of your minds, and draw it on the paper in relationship to the triangle (allow one minute).
6. Now, turn the page over and draw a large circle. In this circle, write a brief description of your sense of calling, and giftedness as you understand it.
7. As a leadership team, share your circles and triangles with each other. Talk about what they represent.
1. Please note that this exercise should not even be attempted unless there is an attitude of trust and mutual respect on the team as a whole.
2. Don’t be rushed or pressured by the fruits of this exercise. It is meant to help the leadership team talk about their gifts and sense of call. Changes, if any, should arise naturally and not as the result of forcing conclusions.
3. Over time, talk about how you can work together to support each other according to your senses of call. Are there activities or programs that need to be given up if no one has a sense of call about leading them? Are there ways of leaders doing what they’re already doing differently in order to align with the leadership team’s gifts and sense of calling? Are there new things to be experimented with in light of this exercise?