How Do We Make Space for Spiritual Gifts?
[00:20] Are We Making Space for Spiritual Gifts?
Spiritual gifts are something Mel has been passionate about for a long time, although understanding them has been a journey.
It wasn't until around the age of 30 that she began to recognise her own spiritual gifts. And once she did, a lot of her previous experiences began to make sense.
But that journey also raised an important question about church life.
How intentionally are we creating opportunities for people to discover, develop and use their spiritual gifts?
As churches, we're often very good at creating rosters, building teams and identifying the people we need to run our ministries.
And those structures are important.
But sometimes, in the process of organising church life, we can overlook the deliberate nurturing of spiritual gifts.
The New Testament doesn't talk about welcome teams, creative teams or preaching rosters in the way we do today. Instead, it speaks extensively about gifts and the ways God equips people to contribute to the body of Christ.
Our modern structures help us organise church life, but we need to make sure spiritual gifts don't get lost within them.
[02:00] Making Room for the Holy Spirit
Paul spends considerable time discussing spiritual gifts, including how they should function within the church and how they should be used to encourage and build up others.
That suggests they're something we ought to take seriously.
But creating space for spiritual gifts can feel uncomfortable for leaders.
It requires us to recognise that we can't control everything.
We're exploring how the Holy Spirit is working through people, and that means being willing to relinquish some control.
After all, the Church belongs to the Holy Spirit, not to us.
As leaders, our responsibility isn't to control every expression of ministry but to help create an environment where people can grow and where the Spirit's work is recognised and nurtured.
[03:20] What Makes the Church Different?
People can find meaningful community in all sorts of places.
There are book clubs, sporting groups, walking groups and communities formed around shared interests or causes.
These groups can provide genuine friendship, connection and support.
So what makes the Church distinctive?
Our shared purpose in Christ is certainly distinctive, but there's also something extraordinary about a community where the Holy Spirit works through different people, each contributing their particular gifts.
Spiritual gifts can operate outside gathered church life too.
But within the Church, there's an opportunity for these gifts to function together, with people contributing in different ways to the life and growth of the community.
The Holy Spirit's presence and work are central to what makes the Church distinctive.
And perhaps this is something we haven't always given enough attention.
[05:00] Why Have We Sometimes Neglected Spiritual Gifts?
There's a history of controversy surrounding spiritual gifts.
Different theological traditions have different views about whether particular gifts continue today.
For this conversation, we're approaching the topic from the understanding that spiritual gifts remain relevant to the Church.
But even among churches that share that belief, there can be nervousness about how those gifts are expressed.
And sometimes that nervousness comes from difficult experiences.
People may have been hurt by the way someone exercised a gift, or leaders may have encountered situations where spiritual gifts were used in ways that created confusion or conflict.
Those experiences matter.
But they don't necessarily mean we should avoid spiritual gifts altogether.
For Mel, discovering and developing her gifts has been a joyful experience that has deepened her relationship with God, strengthened her connection to the Church and helped her recognise the particular contribution she can make.
Perhaps making more space for spiritual gifts could help us achieve some of the things we're already working hard to accomplish in our churches.
[06:20] Spiritual Gifts Need to Be Stewarded
One reason spiritual gifts can sometimes be expressed unhelpfully is that we haven't always taught people how to steward them.
We often associate stewardship with money.
But stewardship is really about learning to manage something wisely and responsibly.
And that principle applies to many things, including power and spiritual gifts.
Power, for example, needs to be stewarded well. When people use power for selfish purposes or to elevate themselves rather than serve others, the consequences can be damaging.
Spiritual gifts also require maturity and wisdom.
Having a gift doesn't automatically mean knowing how to use it well.
There's a process of learning, growing and developing good judgement.
[08:00] Having a Gift Doesn't Mean Acting on Everything
Consider someone with a prophetic gift.
They might have a dream or sense something significant about another person's circumstances.
But does that automatically mean they should approach that person and tell them what they've seen?
Not necessarily.
Mel shares that she's had dreams which seemed to reveal something concerning about another person's life.
Through her own journey of learning to steward her gift, she's come to understand that receiving an impression doesn't automatically mean she should act on it.
Sometimes wisdom means waiting, praying and seeking further confirmation.
And sometimes it means not sharing something at all.
Without that maturity, people can cause significant hurt.
Mel has seen situations where prophetic gifts were expressed in ways that left people deeply wounded and reluctant to engage with prophecy again.
[09:00] Are Our Gifts Building People Up?
Another example is intercessory prayer.
You might assume pastors would always welcome people with a strong gift or calling towards intercession.
But Mel has heard pastors describe feeling nervous about intercessors because of previous experiences.
Sometimes people have approached leaders with what they believe God has revealed and communicated it in a way that feels threatening or coercive.
They might suggest that unless the pastor follows their direction, they're being disobedient to God.
That's not healthy stewardship of a spiritual gift.
And these situations don't necessarily involve people who are new to faith. Even mature Christians can misunderstand how to use their gifts.
One of the important measures Paul gives us is edification.
Is the way we're exercising a spiritual gift building people up?
That doesn't mean we should never say something difficult.
But it does mean learning when to speak, how to communicate and when prayer might be a more appropriate response.
For Mel, part of stewarding her own experiences has involved waiting for repeated confirmation rather than acting immediately on an impression.
The wellbeing of the body of Christ matters more than her need to express what she thinks she has received.
[11:00] Connect People with Others Who Share Their Gifts
So how can churches deliberately create space for spiritual gifts?
One practical approach is to connect people who have similar gifts, particularly across different levels of maturity and experience.
The Old Testament provides an interesting example in the schools of the prophets, where people could learn alongside others.
The same principle could apply to many different gifts.
Why not connect evangelists with other evangelists?
There could be wonderful opportunities for encouragement, shared ministry and learning.
Someone with a strong evangelistic gift might find it difficult to understand why other Christians don't share the same urgency for evangelism.
Spending time with more mature evangelists could help them understand their gift and learn to express it wisely within the wider Church.
And this isn't limited to evangelism or prophecy.
[12:20] Helping People Steward Discernment
The gift of discernment provides another example.
People with this gift may notice things about situations, environments or individuals that others don't recognise.
But one of the challenges can be learning to distinguish discernment from criticism or judgement.
Someone might sense that another person is struggling in a particular area.
Without wise stewardship, that impression could begin to define how they see the entire person.
But discernment should not become an excuse to judge people.
A person may have an area of weakness and still be a wonderful leader, someone worthy of respect and encouragement.
Mel shares that she's recently begun meeting organically with a small group of women who have experiences involving dreams.
They've been able to discuss those experiences, learn from one another and encourage each other in how to interpret and steward what they're sensing.
It's been a valuable environment for growth.
And it demonstrates why connecting people with similar gifts can be so beneficial.
People often need others who understand both the strengths and challenges of their particular gifting.
It's also a reminder of the value of intergenerational relationships within church communities.
When we organise everything exclusively around demographics, we can miss opportunities for more mature people to nurture and guide those who are still developing.
[14:20] Provide Training on Spiritual Gifts
Another practical step is to provide intentional training.
Every spiritual gift has strengths, but there are also things people need to learn.
For someone exploring prophecy, that might involve learning to distinguish their own thoughts from what they believe God is communicating.
For someone with discernment, it might involve learning how to respond wisely to what they sense.
And for someone with an evangelistic gift, it might involve learning how to work constructively alongside Christians who express their faith differently.
There are books, courses, small group studies and people who teach on these topics.
We don't necessarily have to create everything ourselves.
But we do need to recognise that developing spiritual gifts requires more than simply identifying them.
[15:20] Identify and Affirm What God Is Doing
Another important opportunity is helping people recognise their gifts.
Sometimes people don't realise how God is working through them until someone else points it out.
Mel has developed a habit of identifying gifts she notices in others and encouraging them to recognise those strengths.
But we don't always need to attach a particular label.
Sometimes it can be more helpful to describe what we're observing.
For example:
“I can really see God working through you in that area.”
Or:
“You seem to have a real ability to discern what's happening in a situation.”
This kind of encouragement helps people recognise something about themselves that they may not have understood before.
And it can be identity-forming.
[16:20] Spiritual Gifts Help People Understand Their Contribution
When someone begins to recognise their spiritual gifts, they can start to understand their particular contribution to God's Kingdom.
And that can strengthen their sense of belonging.
Spiritual gifts aren't necessarily expressed identically from one person to another.
Two people may share a similar gift but express it in very different ways.
Their gifts may also operate alongside other gifts, creating a unique combination.
That's part of the beauty of how the Holy Spirit works through individuals.
For someone who has always felt compelled to build or pioneer something, discovering an apostolic gifting might help them understand why they approach ministry that way.
Recognising a gift can help someone move from wondering where they fit to understanding that they have a meaningful contribution to make.
[17:20] Do We Value All Spiritual Gifts Equally?
Melinda raises an important example: the gift of administration.
Administration is explicitly identified as a gift in Scripture, yet we don't always treat administrative people as though they're spiritually gifted.
Sometimes we think of administration as simply a practical skill.
But administration can be a significant way the Holy Spirit works through someone.
And just like prophecy or discernment, it requires stewardship.
Someone gifted in administration can become so focused on systems, processes and organisation that they lose sight of the spiritual purpose behind what they're doing.
Administration should help create space for God's work, not become so rigid that it prevents anything unexpected from happening.
An administrator needs to listen to the Holy Spirit just as much as someone exercising a prophetic gift.
[19:00] Have We Created a Hierarchy of Gifts?
This raises a bigger issue.
Sometimes we create an unofficial hierarchy of spiritual gifts.
We might treat prophecy as particularly spiritual while viewing administration as something ordinary.
We can over-spiritualise some gifts and de-spiritualise others.
But both are gifts that require maturity, development and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Hospitality is another gift that can be overlooked because we reduce it to providing food.
And encouragement can be misunderstood as simply saying something nice.
But someone with a genuine gift of encouragement can recognise something significant in another person and speak in a way that builds courage and confidence.
That's more than being pleasant.
It's helping someone see what might be possible.
Every gift has value, and every gift deserves to be recognised and nurtured.
[20:30] Spiritual Gifts Tests Are Only the Beginning
Many churches have programs designed to help people discover their spiritual gifts.
A person might complete a spiritual gifts assessment and then be encouraged to join a volunteer team.
That's a useful starting point.
But what happens next?
Sometimes there is very little follow-up.
Someone discovers that they have a particular gift, but then never hears about it again.
In other situations, the follow-up is primarily focused on getting the person into a volunteer role.
And even when they join a team, the team leader may not be equipped to help them develop or express that gift.
That's a significant missed opportunity.
The purpose of identifying spiritual gifts shouldn't simply be to fill volunteer vacancies.
We should be helping people understand what God has given them and how they can grow in using it.
If someone joins a ministry team, how can that environment become a place where their gift is intentionally nurtured?
And who is helping them learn to steward it well?
[22:20] Small Groups Can Be Places to Practise Spiritual Gifts
Small groups can provide another valuable environment for developing spiritual gifts.
Sometimes churches feel nervous about giving spiritual gifts more room because they're concerned about what might happen during a Sunday service.
But spiritual gifts don't have to be developed exclusively in a large gathering.
A small group can provide a safer environment where people have opportunities to learn, practise and receive guidance.
Someone exploring a prophetic gift might have an opportunity to share something and receive feedback.
Someone with discernment might learn how to communicate what they're sensing.
And gifts such as hospitality, serving and leadership may already be functioning naturally within these communities.
We could even create small groups or courses specifically focused on developing spiritual gifts.
The key is to be intentional about creating environments where people can grow.
[23:20] What If Staffing Reflected Spiritual Gifts?
Mel raises one final idea that she's interested in exploring.
What would it look like if church staffing structures were designed, at least in part, around spiritual gifts?
This isn't something she's personally implemented, and she's interested in hearing from churches that have explored it.
But imagine if a staff member's particular spiritual gifting was recognised as a key part of their contribution, rather than their role being defined entirely by the department or ministry they oversee.
Some churches have explored structures influenced by the fivefold ministry gifts.
But there may be other possibilities too.
Perhaps someone could have responsibility for nurturing a particular gifting across the wider church, in a similar way to how an organisation might appoint someone to coach or develop people in a particular area.
That could allow a gift to influence and strengthen the whole church community, rather than being confined to one ministry team.
It's an idea worth exploring.
And if you've seen a church successfully incorporate spiritual gifts into its staffing or leadership structures, Mel and Melinda would love to hear about it.
[25:00] Making Space for Spiritual Gifts to Flourish
There are many ways we can become more intentional about spiritual gifts in our churches.
We can connect people with others who share their gifts.
We can provide training and mentoring.
We can recognise and affirm what God is doing through individuals.
We can create opportunities to practise and grow within small groups and ministry teams.
And we can consider whether our existing structures genuinely help people develop their gifts.
But perhaps the most important shift is in how we think about spiritual gifts in the first place.
They're not simply another tool for organising volunteers or filling ministry positions.
They're part of how the Holy Spirit equips people to contribute to the life of the Church.
And when we help people discover, develop and steward those gifts well, we're not just strengthening our ministries.
We're helping people recognise their place and contribution in the body of Christ.
So perhaps the question for church leaders is:
Are we simply finding places for people to serve, or are we deliberately making space for the gifts the Holy Spirit has given them to flourish?