Discovering My SHAPE

for Ministry
 “God has given each of us the
ability to do certain things well.”
Romans 12:6a (NLT)
 God created you as a marvelously unique
ensemble of skills, experiences, passions,
talents, and other components. You have
the power to help others, a power that
can be compared to the “sweet spot” on a
baseball bat, a tennis racquet, or a golf
club head. It’s where your gifts, abilities,
personality, and experiences intersect with
your passions.
Foundations for Healthy Ministry
Foundation #1:
Every believer is a minister (1 Peter 2:9)

Foundation #2:
Every ministry is important

Foundation #3:
Every believer and ministry is interdependent
Foundations for Healthy Ministry
Foundation #4:
Every believer has a gift (1 Peter 4:10)

Foundation #5:
Ministry is the expression of how God has
shaped you.
 My S.H.A.P.E.
 Spiritual gift(s)
 Heart
 Abilities
 Personality
 Experience
 Spiritual Gifts:
God-empowered abilities for serving Him
 Every Christian has at least one (1 Peter 4:10)
 No Christian has all the gifts (1 Cor. 12:28-30)
 We cannot choose our gifts; God does that for us (1 Cor.
12:7-11)
 There is no gift that every Christian possesses (1 Cor.
12:29-30)
 Believers will account to the Lord for how they use their
gifts (1 Peter 4:10)
 Gifts used without love do not accomplish God’s intended
purposes (1 Cor. 13:1-3)
 Spiritual Gifts are for the common good to build up the
Body (1 Cor. 12:27)
 Heart:
What I love to do and care about most
My heart’s call:
“I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.”
Psalm 16:7
“Doing the will of God from your heart.”
Ephesians 6:6
“Live a life worthy of the calling you have
received.” Ephesians 4:1
 Heart: The Bottom Line
What is my passion?

What drives me?

What gives me the greatest

satisfaction?
 Abilities:
the natural talents I was born with and skills
I learned in life
 “Whatever you do, whether in word or
deed, do it all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through Him.” Colossians 3:17
 Everything we do is an opportunity for
ministry.
– Education, vocation, hobbies, crafts, special
skills.
Personality: my unique combination
of personality traits
 The special way God wired me to navigate life and fulfill
my unique kingdom purpose
 God has not used a cookie cutter to create people. He
made introverts and extroverts, people who love routine
and those who love variety, people who work better
alone and those who work better with a team.
 Baskin Robbins 31 flavors: the world would be a very
boring place if we were all plain vanilla!
 Two people who have the same gift of evangelism, but –
if one is introverted and the other is extroverted – that
gift will be expressed in different ways.
 Leaders/followers; aggressive/passive; talkers/thinkers
Experience: the experiences in life
that have molded me
 God never wastes an experience. Romans 8:28
“And we know that God causes all things to
work together for good…”
 My story
– Childhood
– Family
– Marriage/divorce
– Educational experiences
– Vocational experiences
– Ministry experiences
– Painful experiences
 Blessings of SHAPE Serving
 My contribution is out of my unique design
 I am guided to the right places to invest my time
and service
 God’s message through me is strong and clear
 I will be more effective and fruitful in ministry as
I use the tools God has given me
 I experience joy and fulfillment as I serve others