God created us to serve others and gives us a unique SHAPE to do His work. Even amidst coronavirus stay at home orders, God can use your SHAPE to be a light for Christ to other people. The assessments below will help you discover your SHAPE and consider how you can join us in our mission of Becoming like Christ together for the World.

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 for service in the Body of Christ. In defining your SHAPE for ministry, you’ll reflect on these areas:

Spiritual Gifts
Heart (Passion)
Abilities
Personality
Experiences

Why Should SHAPE Matter to You?

When you enjoy and are energized by what you’re doing, you are usually working within your SHAPE. Can you think of times when you had to drag yourself to get to a volunteer opportunity, were frustrated while serving, or exhausted afterwards? Those are usually times when you were not working within your SHAPE.

Discover ways to use your SHAPE, and you will also discover that God has given you the tools you need to be involved with and energized in ministry!

Steps to Discover Your SHAPE

There are two unique assessments. One is for the “S” in SHAPE, and is a spiritual gifts discovery tool. The other is for the “HAPE” in SHAPE and is a self assessment to help you reflect on your Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experience. Please pay attention to both for the full SHAPE discovery experience.

1.

Take the Spiritual Gifts Assessment by clicking this hyperlink. It’s about 10 minutes long and the questions are multiple choice.

2.

Fill out the additional self assessment that begins in the section below these directions. It takes 5-10 minutes, most questions are multiple choice and COVID-19 related sections are included.

3.

Once complete, your results are automatically emailed to you so that you can further consider ways to use your SHAPE for ministry. Completed forms and any options for follow up you select are confidentially filed with our spiritual formation department.

Exploring Your SHAPE

Step 1 of 7

Name*
First Last
Email*
General Age*

Personality
Here are a few God-given personality traits. Select all that describe you. Keep in mind that some traits seem opposite of each other, but people are complex and can be both.*
- Introverted (energized by time alone)
- Extroverted (energized by people and activities)
- Structured (prefer to choose precisely what you'll do and follow a set plan)
- Flexible (prefer to be open-minded about what you’ll do and how it happens)
- Intuitive (prefer to make decisions based on gut intuition/what you sense is a part of the circumstance)
- Logical (prefer to make decisions based on facts/what you know is true about the circumstance)
- Independent (like to work alone and/or handle things on your own)
- Team player (enjoy working in groups)
Name some personality traits that are important to who you are when you interact with people. In doing so, consider what people regularly say about you. For example, if you think it's important to be warm and approachable, is that character trait proven by people's opinion of how you act around them? If you think it's important to be direct with your thoughts, do others say things like it's easy to "know where you stand"? Naming what you and others value about your personality is a great indicator of how God can use who you are to serve Him.*

Experience
You have been shaped by your experiences in life. Whether chosen or out of your control, your experiences can be used by God. In determining your SHAPE, there are six categories of experience on which you can reflect. There is no pressure to write your reflections, as you may or may not find writing about your experiences helpful in reflecting on your SHAPE.
Family Experience
Whether or not you write your reflections on this is up to you. List the values you have gained from growing up in your family. For example, you may value always telling the truth. This may be because you had a memorable positive or negative experience of truth in your family.
Educational Experience
Whether or not you write your reflections on this is up to you. List your favorite subjects in school, degrees, specific training, or expertise that you have.
Vocational Experience
Whether or not you write your reflections on this is up to you. List jobs and projects (whether paid or volunteer) that you have done well/been most effective in.
Spiritual Experience
Whether or not you write your reflections on this is up to you. What have been your most meaningful times with God? List brief descriptions or phrases about what stands out to you.
Ministry Experience
Whether or not you write your reflections on this is up to you. Have you served God in the past? Think about the ways in which you've intentionally served God in a church, during a service project, on a mission trip, or in your community. List the roles that stand out to you that you most enjoyed and felt successful in. If you don't have ministry experience, be proud that you are reflecting on your SHAPE; this is a great way to consider how God can do His work through you in future.
Painful Experience
Whether or not you write your reflections on this is up to you. Everyone has faced problems, hurts, thorns, and trials. Are there any you have learned from? For confidentiality, consider writing generalities to express how your experience could help you serve others. For example: "I know what it's like to overcome self-doubt", "I've learned how to handle the betrayal of a friend", "I've gained coping strategies for the end of a significant relationship", "I've learned how to reject the temptations of addiction", "I know what it's like to grieve someone you love at a young age", "I can recognize potentially abusive situations", "Let's just say I've gained a lot of courage", etc.

OUR LOCATION

124 Park St, NE
Vienna, VA 22180
703.938.9050

OUR LOCATION

124 Park St, NE
Vienna, VA 22180
703.938.9050

What is SHAPE?

Why Should SHAPE Matter to You?

Steps to Discover Your SHAPE

1.

2.

3.

Exploring Your SHAPE

Step 1 of 7

Spiritual Gifts

Heart (Passion)

Abilities

Personality

Experience

SHAPE Follow Up

OUR LOCATION

FOLLOW US

© Copyright Vienna Presbyterian Church 2019. All Rights Reserved.

OUR LOCATION

FOLLOW US

© Copyright Vienna Presbyterian Church 2020. All Rights Reserved.