Many Christians spend a good part of their early years wrestling with the question of their unique gifting. This is especially the case where the church has emphasised the place of gifts over the importance of character and service. I remember back in college sharing with a friend that I was thinking about Christian ministry. The first thing they asked about was my gifting. According to them, gospel ministry was for those who knew their specific ministry gifts. At that time I also had other conversations with people who stayed out of particular ministries, because they felt that wasn’t their area of gifting.
But this issue isn’t only important for those considering full-time Christian ministry. For it explains why so few Christians are willing to serve in their local churches. You see, as people wait to discover their specific gifts before serving, you end up with a long waiting list. Someone will argue: “I cannot teach, so I can’t join children or youth ministry.” Another will say: “I’m not good with people, so I can’t do welcoming or hospitality.” Or: “I’m not as good as the song leader, so the music team isn’t for me.”
As people wait to discover their specific gifts before serving, you end up with a long waiting list.
The longer we take to decide on this, the longer we’ll stay away from serving the body of Christ. In this article I want to suggest a different approach, where you avail yourself first, regardless of your gifting. Discovering your gifts can happen later. But God’s people need each other now.
Jesus Calls Disciples, Not Gifted Professionals
When Jesus called his first disciples they didn’t sit through an interview process. He called anyone who would come to him. His first 12 disciples weren’t necessarily the best candidates. They were those who obeyed his call. Throughout the Gospels we see that they were very much a work in progress. Coming to follow him, being with him, and obeying his call was more important than what they might do for him later (Mark 3:14). The great commission follows years later. Yet they were with him from the beginning, serving alongside him. They did this without titles. You might say they were Christ’s errand boys. But who wouldn’t want to be that?
What I’m saying here is simple. The body of Christ needs people who are willing and ready to roll up their sleeves and do the work. It needs those available to serve in any and every way, not just those with specific gifting or experience. The church needs people to be available for what is called the ministry of presence, filling the gaps as they notice them. We must be available. Ready to serve.
Willingness ought to precede giftedness. In fact, willingness often reveals gifting.
When I did my first apprenticeship I didn’t know what my specific gifting was. But that meant I was up for anything. I did an admin job, which I wouldn’t have availed myself for before. And it was some of the best ministry I’ve ever done. Then I tried youth ministry. It was at first scary and then it became something I cherish to date. In the end, I wasn’t concerned about my specific ministry gifting. I was looking for where there was a need. Willingness ought to precede giftedness. In fact, often it’s this willingness that reveals gifting.
Service is the End of All Gifts
We can all agree that if the most gifted pastor doesn’t use their gift to serve the body of Christ then it’s a useless gift. For the point of gifts is the building up of the body (1 Corinthians 14:12). They may talk about how good they are with the microphone. But this benefits no one. Jesus didn’t call his disciples to display their abilities but to roll up their sleeves and serve others. It’s not our unique abilities that matter. It’s our preparedness to serve, wholeheartedly. It’s actually as we give ourselves fully to whichever area of ministry is available that we discover what we can do best for Jesus and his people.
We must therefore be careful that our particular gifting doesn’t define us. I often find that people who label themselves with a particular gift early on, are closing doors for other areas of service. They are content with being evangelists, even though they haven’t tried hospitality. They pride themselves on their preaching skills, without ever discovering the beauty of children’s ministry. In the end they walk around with empty titles when their local church needs them to do whatever is needed.
We must be careful that our particular gifting doesn’t define us.
I’m not against discovering our unique gifts early on. But service is bigger than us and our specific gifts. Because our gifts belong to the church. Their end is service. Thus their means must be availability. Specific needs in the church should trump any gifts we might have. We should always be ready for whatever the master calls us to do.
The Kingdom is Bigger than Your Gifting
It’s no surprise that there are countless ministries built around individuals and their unique gifting. It’s actually very human to rally behind what we believe and are good at. And this isn’t necessarily wrong. But we need to be careful that our churches and ministries don’t merely draw and produce people just like us. You may be the most charismatic preacher, the most efficient administrator, or the most welcoming guy, but we must be ready to disciple many who are unlike us and yet fit for the kingdom of God. Let them come and discover the endless opportunities for serving our Lord.
We must find all kinds of people with all kinds of abilities to serve in the kingdom of God.
God’s church needs all kinds of servants for all kinds of ministry. It’s a tragedy if everyone in a team thinks and serves like everyone else. Worse if we think there are only five ways that one can serve the church family. In time this would bring both competition and complacency. But the way God has constituted his church is that we find all kinds of people with all kinds of abilities and opportunities to serve in the kingdom of God.
The better way to view the church isn’t checking everyone’s gift in order of priority but seeing everyone as a unique gift to the local church. I think if we all set aside titles and abilities we would realise just how much we are needed in the kingdom. We would see beyond ourselves to the vast harvest all around us. We wouldn’t shy away from service on account of specific gifting. Instead we would discover just how gifted we are as a church.
Rather Try and Fail than Wait to Serve
In the end I would urge you to commit to service. It’s better to fail in serving than waiting indefinitely to discover your gifting. You don’t need gifts to qualify for service, like some kind of spiritual CV.
It’s better to fail in serving than waiting indefinitely to discover your gifting.
Many Christians live and die without knowing their unique gifting, yet they toil for Jesus. When we come to him on that last day, the words “welcome, good and faithful servants” is what will matter (Matthew 25:23). I believe that in heaven we’ll find people who were totally unknown and unappreciated on earth, yet are regarded highly by the God who saw their tireless service and good works.
