[Seekers] [Write us] [Up] [Contents] [Next Page] [Previous Page]
In 1975, Gordon Cosby, founder of the Church of the Saviour, described evoking gifts in a way that still rings true for us:
When all is said and done, the discovering and nurturing of the gifts of its members remains the primary work of the mission group. The teaching of St. Paul is clear (1 Corinthians 12:1-31). Each person confessing Christ as Lord, living within the Body of Christ, is given a gift by the Holy Spirit for the upbuilding of the Body. We can even say that the person himself, as his essence unfolds under the power of the Spirit, is gift. He becomes more fully human, more fully Christian. Functions naturally flowing from this new being are recognized. As these gifts are recognized by the member and confirmed by other members, they are employed for the enrichment of the group’s life. If every member has discovered the unique treasure of his or her own being and it is being received by the others, there is tremendous fulfillment and power. The unity of the group consists in the faithful use of the variety of gifts. If even one or two members have not identified their gifts, the problem of envy will be a serious one for the group. (Handbook for Mission Groups. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1975. Pg 60-61. )
When we speak of the authority of each participant at the point of their gift, we mean that as each person in the mission group exercises her or his gift, every other person in the group will confirm and be obedient to that gift. For example, if you are the worship leader of a mission group, you can expect all participants to enter into worship from the heart. When this process causes disagreement or tension, it is the task of the group to work through the issue with prayer and love until the gift can be confirmed by all in the group. If this confirmation is not possible, the group must enter a period of discernment to reassess where gifts for the group are being given.
There are times when God’s gift to a group is through an individual’s pain or weakness: the participant in pain can draw forth the healing love of the entire group by being open and vulnerable in sharing that pain.
There are many processes for clarifying and confirming the gifts of members of a mission group. Typically, the person leading the group will include these elements:
• Quiet, prayerful reflection by all members of the group about the call of the group and what each member of the group brings to that call;
• Affirmation of the contributions of each member of the group to group life and group mission;
• A statement from each member of the group about what God is calling her or him to bring to the group;
• Reflection on each member’s sense of call to the group;
• Confirmation of each person’s call by all members of the group; and
• Discussion of how the work of the group can be structured to fit the call of each member and remain faithful to the call of the group.
In Seekers mission groups, selecting participants to fill roles requires a process of discernment that allows the group to call forth and confirm God’s special gift to each participant in the group. Sometimes this gift is a skill or talent that the individual has developed outside the group, like administration or accounting, or leading meditation. In the same way, God’s gift is sometimes a desire to learn something new by offering it to the mission group. The important thing is to be open to the quiet voice of God, and honest with one another in the group about what we hear. As long as any participant in a mission group does not feel that his or her gift is essential and making a contribution to living out the call of the group, there will be problems.
Once the gift of each member has been discerned within the context of the group and confirmed, roles can be structured to allow each participant to give to the group from a position of authority. This allows authority within the group to be shared by all participants, and gives each person a position of leadership. Discerning the gifts of mission group members should be done for all participants at the same time. As new participants join a group, the distribution of gifts will change. Discernment involves sharing God’s hints, praying together, discussing, claiming what is revealed and confirming the gifts in the presence of everyone. This can be an important opportunity to ask questions or offer constructive reflection to one another in the context of the call of the mission group. Although the specific roles are unique to each group, common roles that we have found useful are also listed below.
Every participant should have a part to play in the life or mission of the group -- responsibility for some part of the life of the group. Every group needs participants who will take several basic roles. These roles may have different names, or be combined in different ways, but each group needs a moderator, someone for spiritual accountability and someone to uphold the vision of the group.
Other roles that may be combined with those described above, or with each other include:
[Seekers] [Write us] [Up] [Contents] [Next Page] [Previous Page]