Today’s catch phrase is:

Know the spiritual gifts and talents of your flock.

Spiritual Gift{s}- I won’t debate here whether or not a person can have more than one gift, but regardless of what you believe about that, others’ gifts are important to know! Why? Because it can help you immensely when thinking of who would be perfect to fill a task or specific aspect of ministry. And while I’m on this topic, be sure that you know your own spiritual gift{s}!  A church that is functioning well with everyone using their God-given gifts is a beautiful sight to behold!

Talents- Talents are not the same thing as spiritual gifts. Talents are things that people have a natural bent to, or are perhaps born with. For example, I was born with the ability to play the piano by ear. But I’ve worked to develop my talent by learning to read notes, practicing, and now being able to teach piano. Be observant of others’ talents, whether it be in the area of decorating or art or food service or organization, etc. Knowing people’s talents is important for being able to “plug” people into areas of service and knowing that they will thrive there.

I love finding out when people have hidden talents. For instance, I recently discovered that one of our college students is an amazing artist and draws beautifully. I’m certainly keeping it in mind for the future! 🙂

Here is a simplified difference between spiritual gifts and talents: Talents can be improved by human effort. Spiritual gifts are utilized only by the power of the Holy Spirit as the Christian is submitted to God. Sometimes gifts and talents overlap, but there are specific characteristics that can help you determine the difference.

It is exciting to think how God can weave a church family together and enables them to use their gifts to edify and equip each other.  Leaders in ministry should be ‘tuned in’ to how God uses the people in the church so that the ministry is well balanced. It’s even ok to ask people what they think their spiritual gift is! Sometimes Christians are saved for years before they realize how God has gifted them. And sometimes God gifts people for certain ministries exactly when they need it. For example, my husband and I both believe that God gifted him to teach the Bible upon accepting our first ministry.

I had heard my husband preach/speak many times before then, but on his first Sunday at our new church {and for every day after that} he was able to teach the Bible in such a clear, practical way. We were both amazed- he at how God had enabled him, and me at how well he explained even hard passages with such a God-given confidence. Even others recognized and commented on his seemingly sudden gifted ability to teach.

In ministry we never stop learning, and one of the most important things is to:

Know the spiritual gifts and talents of your flock.

And then watch with joy as God uses them in your ministry!

Let’s Chat: Do you know your spiritual gift(s)? How do you determine what others’ gifts might be? Does that knowledge influence how you delegate ministry tasks or opportunities among the people in your ministry?