Why Churches Don’t Function Very Well!

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1 Corinthians 12:

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

Today Paul teaches on the concept of spiritual gifts perhaps one of the more widely misunderstood aspects of the Christian faith. Simply put a spiritual gift is a divine enablement God has given us to help the church grow. It is a specific gift God has given to each believer to use, as we work with others in the church to grow his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven  

As Paul teaches, though we each have DIFFERENT gifts, they all come from the SAME LORD!  There is no classification of certain gifts like speaking in tongues over and above for instance the gift of helping the church in practical ways like cleaning up the kitchen, or raking up the leaves on campus  

One of the problems in the church, as I assume you already know, is that most of the work gets done by a small majority of people . We call this the 80/20 rule, which is also called the “Pareto Principle”  ie 20% of the people do 80% of the work.  The only problem with this is that it is not BIBLICAL.  It is not how God made the body of Christ to function. In the church maybe it is even the 90/10 or 95/5 rule  

There are two equal and opposite problems with this kind of organizational functioning  1. The 20% are doing too much and sometimes for the wrong reasons   They are being spread too thin and probably operating in ways not even in their core spiritual giftedness. 2. The 80% are not fulfilling their primary calling as a Christ follower to serve as Christ served the church, laying down his life for her.

Finally, the church will never grow beyond its level of functioning and in the way God intended it to. It is probably the biggest issue all churches face. We call it “volunteerism” but is more than just getting more volunteers to help. It is getting the right people in the right places for the right reasons.  

Have you discovered your God-given spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit assigned to you when you came to faith in Jesus?  You have been given at least one and probably a couple more spiritual gifts.  There are many spiritual gift inventory tests you can take online, which gives you an idea of 3 to 4 spiritual gift possibilities God has given and equipped you with.  But the only way to truly discover your gifts is to try using them in one of the ministries at the church. 

There a few key indicators which show you if you operating in the right ministry using your gifts. 

1. You enjoy doing this Ministry. Yes, God wants you to enjoy serving him. The joy of serving him is what led me into being called as a pastor using my pastoring and teaching gifts  

2. You see fruit in this ministry Ie. It is growing. It doesn’t have to be numerical, it can be merely that this ministry is functioning better in your church. 

3. The body of Christ is being built up and you are growing in maturity in your relationship with Christ. Serving is a big part of being a disciple, who makes other disciples.

If you are not serving, or have not yet discovered your spiritual gift(s), I highly encourage you to make this a priority in your spiritual journey.  I believe it will change your life and also help your church to fulfill the mission God has given it! Matthew 28:19-20

To God be the Glory forever and ever Amen! 


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