Re: [CB]NBC, was guilty?, now gifts
Posted by: weeks <weeks@...>
> New England is usually very slow to catch the trends that sweep the
> land. I have no clue what those classes are. Maybe I'm just slow. : )
http://www.pastors.com/pcom/specials/310.asp
The SHAPE class is actually a good idea, but somewhat flawed I think.
Like all stuff churches do, this most likely started as a very good idea
to help people find what their spiritual gifts are and how they can be
used in the church for service.
Essentially, the class takes you through a bunch of lessons on
each "gift" and tells you what it is. Then when that is done, you take a
test listing a ton of questions about what you enjoy doing. The score at
the end of the test, points to your "gifts". For example, this book
teahces that the gift of prophecy isn't necessarily standing up and
screaming some prophetic statement about the future. Instead, it is
actually defined as being able to take the Word of God and speak it in
normal language so that others can understand it. It's closely related
to teaching and evangelism, also gifts. If you enjoy talking theology
with people or helping explain things to people, this is probably a
strong suit in your deck of gifts (bad analogy, I know).
What bothers me is that this book has taken some things that I don't
think are "spiritual gifts" (at least not what the Bible explicitly
defines as spiritual gifts) and teaches them as gifts. Furthermore, they
ignore other gifts (like martyrdom as I said), which bothers me. Of
course, I guess you don't want to ask new christians things like, "Do you
enjoy being burned on a stake?", "Do you enjoy being tortured? Drinking
poison, or being drawn and quartered?" or "What do you think of being
stoned?" Of course with musicians you have to finishe that last
statement with, "Sorry, I need to clarify - I mean with real rocks?"
This would be especially dangerous in Roman Catholic churches - with some
kids taking the class they would probably think that martyrdom had to do
with math because of the guy nailed to "the big plus sign". Kids bad at
math would stop coming.
But I digress...
> There has, it seams to me, just recently been a greater focus on gifts
> based ministry; helping people determine their gifts and enabling them
> to use those gifts. If people are using this to encourage and enable,
> that's cool. If it comes off as manipulation, that's not so cool.
Exactly...and some churches use this stuff in the "correct" manner,
letting people see what they enjoy doing and how they can fit in with the
church and others use it as manipulation. I took one class at one
church (the one we attended for about a year) and was told that I was to
serve on the music team EVEN THOUGH I told them I had no interest
whatsoever in playing there. They told me 4 times in one meeting that
that is where I would serve, never hearing a thing I said. Oddly enough,
I never served there in a music capacity after that.
The church we now attend uses this class in a much "nicer" way. They let
people go through it and learn what they enjoy then they pass out a list
of places that they can serve. Unlike the last church, they don't
collect the tests and have someone contact you, they allow you to make
the contact either by phone, email or card in a box. And of course, you
don't have to serve in that manner if you don't want to, it just helps
you see what you like and where you can serve if you want.
> The difference between leading and guiding and coercion and
> manipulating
> is a very fine line sometimes and well intentioned leaders often lack
> the subtle skills required to do the former. When I had the church kids
> stand at the front of the congregation and sing "Yes, Jesus loves me"
> while I implored the congregation to pray about serving in needed
> teaching positions it seamed cool to me, but it may have come off as
> manipulation to someone else. It's not easy being subtle and suave when
> you feel you need something done and nobody is willing to do the job.
I personally believe that if you make the appeal, God will raise someone
up. I don't believe a church should take part in any form of coercion or
manipulation...annouce the need as much as you have to, but don't force
anyone emotionally, ever. I say that because Wally you are exactly
right - someone will interpret it as manipulation.
> So which is better for you, Mr. Customer? Would you like to buy or
> lease this car today?
FWIW, NEVER lease a car unless it's for business. It's a bad bad deal.
- James
"I will always remember the day Rene Descartes died. We had just
finished a wonderful meal and were sitting around plotting our next move
over coffee. The waitress came up and asked, "More Coffee?" Descartes
replied, "I think not." And just disappeared right before my eyes."