We, as a society, are good at recognizing giftedness. We wildly applaud sports heroes and popstars. We give out medals, awards and scholarships for gifted athletes and gifted minds, but how often do we recognize those gifted in the Spirit? It takes me back to marching band in high school. We practiced hard, sweating in the heat of summer and then freezing during early morning fall rehearsals on the football field. We worked for months memorizing the music and formations, developing the strength to hold the correct posture and an instrument while simultaneously marching in step to the exact spot at the precise time in the music while playing an instrument!
All of those hours, really years, of practice to develop our musical gifts for a 7-minute half-time show at the home football games, where most of the people were at the concession stand, restroom or having lively conversations instead of listening to the band. The football team got all the accolades: the articles in the newspaper, clips on TV, pep rallies (which the band played for), posters in the hallways, and cheerleaders! Rarely was the band recognized for our contribution to the Friday Night Lights, even though we were a very good marching band and often won regional competitions. I’m not against football, but the gifts (athletic vs. musical) were not recognized equally.
So, How Does This Apply To Church?
Let’s apply this to church. Who is in the margins at church? Who is on the sidelines shining brightly? I bet they aren’t doing it for the recognition, but giving equal time to the spiritual gifts may encourage people to develop them, including the people watching from the stands wondering what their gift is. Let’s look at all the areas of giftedness (physical, mental, and spiritual) and recognize and encourage those gifts in others.
God has gifted us as He sees fit. Some of us are gifted physically or mentally, but church is the perfect place to recognize and train the spiritual gifts in people. Every time the Bible brings up the spiritual gifts, they are bookended by passages on unity and love. The Bible emphasizes equality in the gifts, “In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary and the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care.”
I Corinthians 12:22-23
Who has the gift of exhortation in your congregation? It’s probably time to flip the script and encourage, even recognize them for their great contribution to the church! The Bible follows up the passage above on Spiritual Gifts with the Love Chapter, reminding us “Three things will last forever—faith, hope and love—and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 Those with the gift of exhortation are leaders in faith, hope and love!
The world desperately needs their gift. I’m picturing a young man in our church who has the gift of exhortation and he’s the best greeter and mood lifter. He sets the spiritual tone for the entire congregation as we enter the doors of the church. He has Down Syndrome, so he is not gifted physically or mentally, but he is gifted spiritually. His smile is genuine, he’s actually really glad to see us, his hugs are the best and he lifts our spirits. His giftedness prepares us for worship and service in ministry. He is using his spiritual giftedness, and he is making a difference. He is literally ushering in the Holy Spirit that lives in each of us as believers and he’s the embodiment of “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” Psalm 122:1
Practical Ways To Recognize Spiritual Giftedness:
- Thank people for using their giftedness. People gifted in Service are often overlooked because they are busy serving behind the scenes and don’t usually want to be publicly noticed. Write a thank you note, recognize a team of people in the service, give them something meaningful to recognize their contribution.
- Celebrate the various gifts. For example, treat those gifted in Hospitality to a nice meal. Give the people doing the set up each week a helping hand and a round of applause.
- Help people discover their spiritual gifts. Every believer has at least one area of spiritual giftedness, don’t overlook anyone because of their age or perceived abilities.
- Train people in their spiritual gifts
- Intentionally look for a person’s spiritual gift and ask them to use it in ministry. For example, “I notice you are so kind, patient and loving. It seems like you are gifted in Mercy. You would be such a good fit in our Disability Ministry.”
- Spotlight different people in the church newsletter or bulletin and recognize their giftedness. This also helps people get to know one another and the various ministries of the church.
- Organize a Mentoring Program and match people with the same gifts. In our church we have asked the adults to share their gifts and talents with the children on Wednesday nights before the meal. What used to be a difficult, rowdy time for the children has become a time of connection and ministry as multiple generations get to know each other while drawing, sculpting clay, or tying knots. It is really lovely and has had a calming effect that has helped with sensory regulation even during the teaching time that follows.
- Teach about Spiritual Gifts from the pulpit or small group Bible study with practical application in ministry and ways to fill specific needs in the church. Follow the teaching with a Ministry Fair to give people easy access to get involved.
- Start young. Training in athletics and other talents start at an early age, why not train our children intentionally in the spiritual gifts? If a teenager shows giftedness in teaching, encourage them to be a teacher’s helper or lead a children’s lesson. Encourage children to pray out loud in the church or share what God is doing in their life. I will never forget my sister’s childhood friend, standing up on the front pew and encouraging us to have faith and to love God even during hard times. She shared that she was excited to see Jesus’ face if she died soon from her leukemia. Her name was Faith and she was definitely gifted in Faith. She did leave this world a few months later, but that powerful little sermon still encourages me in so many ways!
- Intentionally incorporate giftedness into the church. Do you have an artist in your church? Use their giftedness to inspire others by illustrating lessons, creating murals or sculptures. Throughout the Bible we see God using people’s gifts of music, dance, sculpture, weaving, metal work, pottery, sewing, painting, architecture, cooking, and carpentry to name a few.
- Do an activity to encourage people in their spiritual gifts. For example, give each person in a small group a paper with a list of the spiritual gifts found in the Bible. Have each person write their name on the top of the paper and then pass the paper to the person on their right. Each person puts a check next to the spiritual gifts they see in the person named at the top of the paper. Continue to pass the papers all the way around the group until each person has their own paper. Sometimes a peer can see our gifts better than we can and it’s very encouraging when a person gets their paper back to see 7 checks next to a particular gift and maybe a few others they never saw in themselves. It confirms their gifts and helps them explore other possible areas of giftedness.
- Commission a person’s giftedness to prayerfully send them into the work of ministry. Timothy was commissioned as a young man to use his giftedness. “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.” I Timothy 4:14
In Conclusion
As the church, let’s intentionally recognize all giftedness and give equal weight to each. “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 Who do you know that has a gift that has not been recognized? Could you give the encouragement someone needs to keep going or to get started in ministry? Pray and ask God to show you who needs to be recognized for their giftedness today.
