I felt a stirring from deep within me as I listened to the report from Church Doctor Ministries. That stirring grew into a strong tug over the next several days. Each time I reread the “Spiritual Health/Connected by Serving” section of the report, I grew more confident God was calling me to create a spiritual gifts ministry at my church.
Eager to know my spiritual gifts, I clicked on the link for the Spiritual Gifts Profile created by Church Doctor Ministries and began answering the questions. I took to heart the instructions to answer honestly for an accurate assessment of my gifts—not what I think I should answer, not how others think I should answer, nor how I would really like to answer to “feel good” about myself! I completed the survey, and within seconds of clicking the “submit” button, I received my results in an email!
I have taken spiritual gifts surveys at least four times in the past 40 years and have received similar results each time, even though I was in different churches. I was curious to see what my current survey would reveal. Would my gifts be the same as in the past? Would the Holy Spirit surprise me with new gifts to explore? This survey spoke of dominant gifts and subordinate gifts—terms I had not heard before. I wanted to know more.
I quickly opened the email with my results. What I found was: My dominant gifts are voluntary poverty, knowledge, and administration, and my subordinate gifts are teaching, faith, and pastoring. I was familiar with my gifts of knowledge, administration, teaching, and faith, as I had explored, developed, and used them in the past, though they were often expressed differently dependent on the specific church community and its needs. However, voluntary poverty and pastoring were new and surprising to me. This highlighted the calling for me to serve in new ways that were yet unknown to me.
Words from the chorus of “Here I Am, Lord” rang loud and clear in my mind: “I have heard You calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if You lead me.” I prayed over those words, and before I knew it, I met with my pastor and said, “I want to create a spiritual gifts ministry for our church.”
There was no curriculum. There was no plan mapped out for me to follow. Was I crazy? Absolutely not! I knew God was calling me, and I remembered that Scripture says that God’s command is God’s enablement (John 12:49, Acts 1:8). I believed God would provide me with the grace and resources to create a spiritual gifts ministry for my church. After all, that was what He was calling me to do! Armed with the knowledge of the spiritual gifts God was calling forth in me, I stood firmly on the Bible verse found in Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”—and the words from another favorite hymn, “Trust and Obey”: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.… What He says, we will do; where He sends, we will go; never fear, only trust and obey.”
So, what to do next? Pray, of course. I prayed for clarity on the next step into following God’s calling to create a spiritual gifts ministry. I listened for God to guide me into exploring how to use my spiritual gifts, both personally and for my church community. I prayed to become aware of the places in my life where my spiritual gifts could contribute to the common good for all involved.
Paul tells us the Spirit manifests gifts in us for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). Individuals are gifted as part of a faith community. Spiritual gifts are discovered, explored, nourished, and expressed through community. I understood that to mean that the gifts God was calling forth in me were the gifts needed for the common good in the life of my faith community.
As I thought about the stirring and tug I felt to create a spiritual gifts ministry at my church, I prayed for God to raise up the names of individuals I could ask to join me in this exciting endeavor. God raised two names to my consciousness, and I spoke with each of them, shared my desire and thoughts on how to create a spiritual gifts ministry at our church, and asked them to pray to for discernment if God was calling them to join with me. One said, “Not now.” The other responded with a joyful, “Yes, yes, yes … I want to go on this journey with you!” About the same time, another individual approached me after worship service and asked me to explain more about “this spiritual gifts ministry” that she had heard about, and so I did. I asked her to pray for God’s guidance about this being a calling for her. She did, and she also said yes! God is good!
As a team of three, we proceeded forward, praying each step of the journey. Each of my team members took the Spiritual Gifts Profile. With this information we could determine how we would each use our gifts to serve together on this journey—who would do what, when, and how we would support one another.
Are you curious how God has gifted you to serve Him and your faith community? If so, take the Church Doctor Ministries Spiritual Gifts Profile. Sit with your results, then pray over the gifts you have been given. Listen for God’s calling to begin your own spiritual gifts journey.
Listen for the stirring that becomes a tug. Then go where God leads you.
Are you ready to discover your spiritual gifts? Complete the survey here!
Susan Hayward has lived a rich and varied life, yet her roots remain firmly planted in her Illinois farm upbringing. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science from the University of California, Davis, and spent nearly 20 years teaching science. Her background includes running an organic vegetable farm in California, earning professional coach training through Falling Awake Life Coaching, and achieving her PCC credential with the International Coach Federation. For two decades, she has provided pro bono coaching for One to One – Women Coaching Women and has served marginalized communities through work in Colombia, New York City, and California. Susan is active at Templeton Presbyterian Church in Templeton, CA, and enjoys gardening, sewing, puzzling, reading, and time with her eight grandchildren.