Calling and Purpose 56—Significance
Encourage one another. Build each other up. Strive for complete unity. Oneness. These are key themes in Scripture, especially when the church, the Body of Christ is described.
We, together, make up the church. We each have been given God-selected and Spirit-empowered gifts to glorify God and to serve others. We are called the priesthood of ALL believers. We minister to each other. We need one another—because the Lord designed the church that way—and because none of us has all the gifts. Together, we offer a more complete picture of Jesus to the world.
Your role is significant: In Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation of 1 Corinthians 12, we read: “…all this makes you more significant, not less…it’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together” (verses 12, 15).
And, your significance is in the context of the whole: “…no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of” (verse 19).
We live in the tension of knowing we are deeply loved and valued by the God of the universe and needed by the church—and the need for humility that reminds us that we are no more (and no less) important than our fellow believers.
Reflect:
· Are you part of a faith community that values EVERYONE as essential, important, and equal?
· Is it possible that your faith community has elevated the pastor or pastoral team to a place above everyone else in terms of value? How might this poor theology and practice be corrected?
· Are the behind-the-scenes people considered (and treated) as less important to the health and functioning of the Body/the church?
· Is Jesus Christ truly the Head of your church, or is your Senior/Lead Pastor treated as the Head—or acting like he/she is?
One corrective mechanism for moving away from the CEO model of church leadership is to teach about and call out each person’s spiritual gifts. Another is to make the pastors/staff/ministry leaders’ job descriptions primarily that of “equipping” the congregation for ministry—so that a culture of the Body-of-Christ/priesthood-of-all-believers becomes the primary ethos.
Additional Resources:
• Downloadable Resources--See Sample List of Interest Areas; Your Spiritual Gifts—A Study Guide; Knowing Your Unique Calling and Purpose Study Guide; Whole-Life Ministry: A Form of Worship, Grace-Giving, and Living into Your Calling.
Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been Equipping Ministries Director at her church since 1999.
© 2021
© Photo by Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved.