Do you want people to get involved in your church? Here are the ABC’S of getting people involved.
Assess people
Church members need to know their gifts. Use one of the countless assessment tools built for businesses or churches. Myers-Briggs, APEST, Lifeway’s SPIRITUAL GIFTS SURVEY, Peter Wagner’s Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow, and many others work. Your church can even make up your own inventory. The inventory itself matters little, but people must know how they fit into God’s plan. Offer these tests in a membership/leadership type of class.
Jesus gave all of us gifts. When people know how they are gifted, they use those gifts for His glory. When leaders know how people are gifted, they find effective ways to them to serve. Christ expresses His whole self through the uniqueness of His people.
Believe in people
Help people believe in themselves. Christ made each of us with His mission in mind. God doesn’t give bad gifts. If your church is going to complete its God given mission, each member has to play his or her part. Help people see how their gift fits into the big picture.
Some gifts get all the glory, and others look like consolation prizes. Some people feel the same way about their gifts as the little boy who watches his brother open up a new bike while he unwraps a box of socks from grandma. Socks aren’t flashy and they might be less fun than a bike, but they are certainly important. They think that God gave everyone else the “cool” spiritual gifts, but they see their gifts as less than the others.
Coach people
Coaches help people excel in their gifted-ness. Even the most gifted athletes need coaches to give advice and feedback. Coaches work with players before and after games. They show their players how each one fits into the bigger picture and help them improve their performance. Coach people on the best ways to use their gifts. Give them ideas and opportunities to get in the game and help those playing the game to get better. Let them see what they did right, what they did wrong, and how they can improve.
Great churches have a coaching strategy built on formal and informal coaching structures. You don’t need 500 ministry coaches, but you do need people coaching each other. Teach people to be open to feedback, and show them how to give feedback. The next time you put someone in a Sunday School room, don’t just hand them the curriculum and shut the door. Have someone watch the class and give feedback that can improve their performance.
What other ways have you used to get people involved?
