Find your SHAPE
Before you were born, God had a plan for you. He created you for a purpose and by his spirit, he has been guiding you all your life. Learning about how he created you really is about God and about learning how he wants to use you to build up the body of Christ, and to further his kingdom here on earth. In simple terms, he wants you to "love the Lord and love the people, serve the Lord and serve the people."
In Ephesians 1:11, Paul says, "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ, ... he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone."
If you have any questions, contact Barb Jones at 703-938-9050 x111 or barb.jones@viennapres.org.
What is SHAPE?
SHAPE is an acronym that originated from Rick Warren's bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life. It can be an excellent guide for examining how God, the ultimate artist and creator, has uniquely gifted and guided you. In defining your SHAPE for ministry, we look at the five areas listed below:
- Spiritual Gifts
- Heart
- Abilities
- Personality
- Experiences
Ministry is using what God has given you to serve Him and the needs of others. The above five factors will help you determine where you can best serve Him with joy, fulfillment, and fruitfulness. Your unique set of spiritual gifts, your heart for connecting with certain tasks or groups of people, your abilities, your personality, and your past experiences make you uniquely you and can suggest your primary way of serving Him. Yet, always keep in mind that God desires our availability and rejoices when we have an attitude of serving Him whenever a need arises. (Titus 3:14)
Remember, God never asks you to do what He has not given you the power to do. As you discover your unique S.H.A.P.E., you will also discover that He has already given you the tools you will need to be involved in ministry.
There is a booklet that is available that can guide you through this process, please contact Barb Jones at barb.jones@viennapres.org to receive a copy.