Called to Transformationis centered around the belief that individuals, groups, and communities have the gifts they need to address the needs they see around them. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that each of us are given different gifts to serve the community and we are all a part of the body of Christ working together. Learn more…
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Gifts discernment is the foundation of the asset-based approach. Helping people understand their gifts and how they might better serve the community benefits both the individuals and the community. Once someone has discerned their gifts it invites them to use the gifts God has given them to serve the community.
When you are inviting people to a gifts discernment session, workshop, or retreat make sure to articulate clearly that this will benefit both individual and community because it will give some clarity about individual and communal gifts. You may want to talk about how understanding your gifts will allow you to better live into God’s mission, our Baptismal Covenant, and the Five Marks of Mission.
Communicate: Publicize Your Workshop
Hospitality and invitation are key. How will you publicize your events? Keep in mind that you need to advertise and explain the process in as many avenues as possible. Commonly, these include:
If it is practical, ask for advance registration so you know how many to expect at each event.
Make it clear in your publicity materials that the main purpose of this project is to help members discover their gifts and call to ministry in their lives – not just to volunteer on yet another committee. You can do this by stating Learning Objectives or just an introductory paragraph like this:
This Workshop/Session/retreat will help you discern your gifts, skills, and callings through presentations, personal reflection exercises, small group sharing, and time for personal planning and prayer. It is our hope that you will walk away with a better sense of the gifts God has given you and how you might use them in your life.
Action: Designing Your Gifts Discernment Workshop
When you created your Plan, you determined who would design and facilitate your workshops. Those charged with this responsibility should carefully plan the events so that they are appropriate for your community, including the variety of learning styles and time constraints.
Choose a theme for your Workshop. Your theme should be based in any theme you chose for the project or in a topic or idea that makes sense in your setting. Here are some ideas:
Determine when and how long. Faith communities may be able to incorporate gifts discernment activities into their existing education or design a variety of workshops in different formats and lengths since it is often the case that everyone cannot participate in a single event. Formats can include:
Whether you hold a single event, a series, or a retreat, there are several elements you will want to include in your time together:
Prayer: Begin and end with prayer or worship so that you ground yourself as a facilitator and all of the participants in the love of the Spirit and the sacred nature of the work.
Covenant: Be sure to cover the ground rules for your conversation. If you have time, work together to create a covenant like you did in your initial team meeting. If there isn’t time, have a prepared document to post or distribute and highlight essentials at the beginning of your time together. Your covenant should include:
Theological reflection: Just as you did with your Team Planning meeting, you want to ask Workshop Participants to engage in theological reflection on how we are called as Christians to discern our gifts. Choose a passage to use and a reflection method such as Gospel Based Discipleship or another reflection method. You can also ask members to share passages of Scripture that are particularly meaningful to them. If your group is small enough, this can be done as a large group exercise. Otherwise, you will want to break into small groups so that everyone has an opportunity to share. Because doing theology can be intimidating, you may choose to call this something more accessible like “Our Vision” or “Why Are We Here?” In addition, it may help ease anxiety if the facilitator(s) each share their own reflection as an example.
A Note About Small Groups: Breaking the participants into smaller groups may help people feel safe and get to know each other. Some groups may be random, others based on styles, self-selection or even pre-assigned based on symbols or numbers on nametags. You can even assign groups based on the color of clothing people are wearing. The strength of this method is that trust and community are formed. Its weakness is that small group members will not have an opportunity to work with others in the workshop.
Gifts Discernment assessments: The number of types of gifts discernment exercises you undertake depends on the format and size of your group. A smaller group can do a more interactive discernment exercise while larger groups may want to use a mix of interactive and personally reflective styles.
Learning styles: Facilitators want to take very seriously the reality that participants learn in different ways – not simply teaching to their own personal style. For starters, you can invite participants to take this quick and simple online Learning Styles quiz: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml. Workshops should be designed to include activities for visual, auditory, and tactile learners.
Food and Breaks: Every event is better and more enticing if there is food involved. Make sure you have snacks, coffee, water and other refreshments available. And, take breaks during your time together. This work can be intense so moving around will help refresh the mind and the body.
Carefully consider how much time each aspect of this Workshop will take. One of the more challenging aspects of putting together a gifts discernment Workshop is being realistic about the time each exercise takes.
Sample workshops schedules are here for a variety of different styles and lengths of workshops.
Action: Workshop Facilitation
Facilitating a Workshop can be both rewarding and challenging. While you will undoubtedly have great fun watching members go through the exercises and enjoy witnessing their discoveries, you are also carrying the responsibility for keeping the group on task and responding to unforeseen events as they arise.
In addition, Facilitators should keep in mind the following:
Facilitators should be prepared for strong reactions ranging from surprise, to shame, to confusion, to profound sadness. You might consider assigning someone the role of chaplain for the workshop in case anyone needs to talk through their reaction apart from the group.
Facilitators should also be ready to allow for individual learning styles and needs that emerge. For example, an introvert can quickly become overwhelmed with the tasks of completing a number of exercises without adequate time for reflection. Promote an environment in which each participant can take care of their own needs and comfort. Encourage people to take breaks or go for a walk if needed.
Celebration: A Job Well-Done!
Once you have completed the sessions, workshops, or retreats, be sure to let the wider congregation know. Celebrate this accomplishment and thank everyone for participating. You may be able to find some creative way to incorporate this into your worship service. Here are some ideas:
Special thanks to The Beecken Center who helped facilitate this process and pilot the training.
beeckencenter.sewanee.edu
