Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality ; he who leads , with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.   –Romans 12:6- 8 (NASB)

In my last post I discussed considering the roles and gifts each shepherd plays in the eldership. In this post I wanted to share with you my thoughts and experiences over the past three years in the eldership regarding the gifts and roles of others in the congregation.

In times past we have struggled to get the right people, with the right gifts, in the right roles. I imagine many of you, like us, have been in a congregation where there was a need, there was someone scripturally qualified to fill that need, and you asked them to serve that need and they accepted. Things go okay for a while as you wait for this person to fill the expectations you, they, and everyone else had for filling that need. Then you notice things are not going well, the ministry is not bearing fruit, and you wonder what is happening and what to do about it. You meet with the member you asked to fill the need, and find out they are not happy and do not feel suited for the role you have asked them to fill. Now what?

We had a similar experience a couple of years ago. We had a need because one of our deacons was not able to continue serving the table he had been serving for years. He no longer had the time to dedicate to the ministry due to work schedules and the need to focus on his family. So we asked someone with experience in that same role to fill the gap and they did. However, he didn’t enjoy the role and though he had done it in the past, he did not feel well suited to continue serving in this capacity. We met, discussed it, and then we asked the new deacon where he felt his gifts lie and what was his passion. Once we had the discussion, we identified a need that he could fill. The need was an new annual initiative, and the deacon fulfilled it beautifully. In fact, beyond what we imagined. We determined it was more important for our congregation and this deacon to serve a ministry based on his gifts instead of what we felt were our needs. The result was more than we hoped for, and God blessed us with others that had a passion for the other ministry the deacon was no longer serving. Now both ministries are bearing fruit, all because we figured out not to fill a need with someone without the gift. It was a long time getting there, but we eventually came to the right conclusion and God blessed us for it.

We often speak of people’s gifts and how they can serve the Kingdom with them. However, how often do we sit back and take a long look at our ministries to make sure the right people, with the right gifts, are serving in them? I hope you come to this conclusion long before we did, and are able to adapt more quickly than we were in this instance. If you do, don’t be surprised if God doesn’t fill your need with someone else that has the gifts needed and your other ministries begin bearing fruit as ours have done.

May your blessings exceed mine today and every day.

-DEM