Spiritual gifts are special divine empowerments for doing ministry God’s way (1 Cor. 12:4-6; 1 Pet. 4:11). All aspects of ministry, no matter what it is, could greatly benefit from strategically placing appropriately gifted people into it. That even includes pulling on spiritual gifting in the assessment process.
Why Pulling on Spiritual Gifting in the Assessment Process is Important
One of the objectives of churches or ministries doing assessments is to make sure we are on page with God in what we do and where we’re going. To do ministry God’s way, we must focus on what’s important to Him and align with Him in all we do. It affects our methodology as well as the way we work with one another. We define effectiveness the way God views it. And we do it all through the power He provides. A key source of ministry empowerment lies in the spiritual gifts God bestows on us.
We can undo the eternal impact God wants to make through us when we strive to accomplish ministry in our own strength and wisdom. By pulling the help of people with spiritual gifts that best fit the various parts of the assessment process, it will be more likely to lead to God-honoring processes and eternal results.
How Giftedness Affects the Purpose for Doing Ministry Assessments
Someone with the gift of administration or leadership will probably be the one to see the need for doing assessments but undoubtedly for different reasons.
- Those with the gift of administration will want to do an assessment in order to see where the Church needs improvement and will want to develop strategies to best accomplish it. — They will tend to focus on what is.
- Those with the gift of leadership will want to do an assessment in order to see where the Church can go next and will want to establish a vision and goals for taking the Church to the next level. — They will tend to focus on what will be.
(Side Note: Either of these purposes can be good reasons for doing an assessment as we do need to give the Lord our best in what we currently do and we do need to keep growing and advancing in the work of God.)
Since these leaders have a clear purpose for doing an assessment, they will obviously be the key persons constructing the assessment questions and guiding the entire process. They would do well, however, even in this initial stage to get others involved. After communicating the purpose of the assessment, they could involve others in brainstorming just what needs to be included in the assessment to accomplish that purpose. This could be a small cross-section of the Body or perhaps leaders of various ministries to provide input.
What Spiritual Gifts to Look for When Doing Assessments
Unless accompanied by other gifts, leaders with either of the above mentioned spiritual gifts would do well involving others who are appropriately gifted for the various tasks involved throughout the assessment process.
- How People with the Spiritual Gifts of Service or Helps Might Get Involved:
- clerical formatting of any surveys or forms to be used in the assessment
- gathering of surveys or other forms
- tallying of results
… These are people who will tend to be attentive to details and eager to participate in even routine activities.
- How People with the Spiritual Gifts of Wisdom or Discernment Might Get Involved:
- discussion about the results of the assessments
… These are people who tend to be insightful and can provide input others might not think of on their own.
- How People with the Spiritual Gifts of Exhortation or Pastor Might Get Involved:
- communicating results of assessment
… These are people who tend to be good with people and their needs and want to make sure everyone is built up and encouraged no matter what the outcome.
All Posts about Assessments
- Do Assessments Really Fit into God’s Character and Ways?
- The Right Standard for Assessments
- Using Assessment Results in Ways that Line Up
- Guard Body Life When Doing Assessments
- Great Commission: Encompassing or Complicated?
- Assessment Questions from the Great Commission
- Christ-like Standard in Assessments
- Assessing Christ-like Character
- Assessing Christ-like Conduct & Conversation
- Assessments Leading to Eternal Results?
- Alignment with the Gospel in the Assessment Process
- Involvement of the Holy Spirit in the Assessment Process
- Prayer in the Assessment Process
- Pulling on Spiritual Gifting in the Assessment Process