Spiritual Gifts and You

I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.

(Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17)

No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.... To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

(1 Corinthians 12:3, 7)

God has addressed us and continues to do so. To know that God addresses "me" is to know that God has spoken to me or to you, calling you by your unique name. It is to know that our response determines our destiny.

(Gordon Cosby)

Every Follower of Jesus Christ Has a Spiritual Gift

This core truth is a corrective to many of our false assumptions about gifts, about ministry, about life. Some of us might believe that a few persons are truly gifted and that the rest of us are not so endowed. If we believe that we are in that number, among the gifted, we can become elitist; and without knowing it, we convey an arrogance. If we do not believe that we are gifted, we view ourselves as deficient, void of talent or ability.

Some of us believe that only a few persons are ministers and the rest are recipients of services, or spectators. If we count ourselves among the ministers, we overfunction, overextending ourselves; and we even grow resentful or burn out. If we sense that we do not have a ministry, we become passive (waiting to receive the ministry from someone else) or critical (sensing that our role is to evaluate others in ministry).

Some of us live in ways that deny our true gifts, our natural abilities and passions. We reenact the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. We disparage any accomplishments in our past, we lower our expectations in the present, and we question future possibilities. At times, we are also unaware of the gifts of others. We find it difficult to trust persons around us to be competent or compassionate, and we are skeptical about their motivations and intentions.

This core truth—that every follower of Jesus Christ has a spiritual gift—is one that a pastor must reflect on, for it will shape his or her whole life and ministry. Gordon Cosby's discernment, that our destiny is bound to this question, is not an overstatement. Do we believe that every follower of Jesus Christ has a spiritual gift? Do we believe that we as pastors have been given spiritual gifts?

Our answers, of course, are lived out in the everyday practice of ministry. As we struggle with these questions we must acknowledge three important issues, ones that are foundational to this discussion and to day-to-day ministry. First, we may be called to give up control, or at least the illusion of being in control. Second, we progress in the spiritual life as we see people in their uniqueness. And third, we take steps toward the discovery of our own gifts, for we as pastors are also among the followers of Jesus!

Out of Control

If we are honest, as pastors, our hesitancy about the language and practice of spiritual gifts begins with the issue of control. When we begin to call forth gifts in others, we begin to lose control, or the illusion of being in control. Gifts are shaped by God's call, the needs of God's mission, the sufferings of individuals and communities. Gifts do not fit neatly into our plans and schemes for ministry. Gifts flow from individuals who have been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26).

Gifts are freely offered, by definition. They cannot be coerced or controlled, managed or manipulated. While this may seem a negative consequence of spiritual gifts, it actually helps us to lose our illusion of being in control. The loss of this illusion reminds us of a liberating truth: that God is in control. Our functional atheism ("I am at the center of this ministry or mission") is counter to a conviction that God is in control. A belief that God is in control, in turn, shapes our practice of sabbath, grounds our understanding of stewardship, and speaks a word of judgment against our tendency to overfunction. As Edwin Friedman, the family systems theorist often noted, our tendency to overfunction usually leads others to underfunction. Theologically, our trust in the God who is in control leads to the practical reality that others will share their gifts, if given the opportunity. Max DePree suggests that "understanding and accepting diversity enables us to see that each person is needed. It also enables us to begin to think about being abandoned to the strengths of others, of admitting that we cannot know or do everything."

The pastoral ministry has taught me this truth in a couple of ways. For a number of years I have participated in Cursillo and Walk to Emmaus retreats. Aside from being wonderful experiences of grace, the weekends remind me again and again about the gifts of the laity. The retreats also teach me something about control: If a layperson can direct a Walk to Emmaus, he or she can also manage a church. And if the laity will manage or lead the church, pastors can serve as spiritual directors! If I am willing to give up some degree of control, or the illusion of control, I can practice in my own area of giftedness.

I have also developed a practice of sharing leadership in confirmation with lay leaders (in smaller churches) and with other staff (in larger churches) and have been drawn to the use of mentors with young people preparing for profession of faith and membership in the church. I am amazed at the dedication of the laity in teaching, serving, counseling, and guiding processes that lead youth into a closer relationship with God. I find young people are drawn to the individual differences among a variety of leaders, and I often sense that the gifts of different persons complement each other.

Like most pastors, I am sometimes prone to "do it myself." My experiences in these areas are sometimes chaotic and surprising. But life is chaotic and surprising, and so is ministry. My desire to be in control is not helpful to me or to others; it limits the scope of the mission, and there is a personal and professional cost. When pastors overfunction, we are not willing to live "out of control." When we sense that everything does not depend on us, we live into the good news of the hymn, "leaning on the everlasting arms." God is in control.

Seeing People in Their Uniqueness

To see others in their uniqueness is a contemplative act. To see others in their uniqueness is to see their lives as sacred texts, texts as complex as biblical narratives we study and expound. To see others in their uniqueness is to search for another's potential for holiness. When we have lost the illusion of control, and allow God to be God, we begin to work with the...