One of my favorite experiences in pastoring is bumping into people who
have just found their "spot". You know what I mean--a person who's
just begun serving in a place and role that suits them well. When
they've gone from being a happy church attender to an engaged teammate
in the work of Jesus. People who find their spot have a glow in their
eyes and excitement in their voice that is unmistakeable. But the
reality is, finding your spot is hard work, even in an environment with
lots of tools and options. Finding your spot means pursuing God,
persevering through attempts at serving that don't seem to work out,
and being determined to settle for nothing less than the right place to
serve Jesus.
EJ Lyon [mailto:
ejl@newlifechicago.org]
, our ministry director at New Life Lakeview is like the "spot-finder's
assistant". She has helped more people move into their spot, fitting
their passion and gifting than anyone else I know. She is always
asking the question, "how can we get more people into the place of
ministry that God made them for?" And she has worked on all sorts of
tools and trainings to make that happen more quickly and for more
people.
Just recently I spoke with Bridgette, a woman who has been attending NL
Lakeview for some time and who recently completed EJ's class called
"Discovering Your Spiritual Design". It was so encouraging to have her
share how she's moving toward "her spot" now that EJ has given her some
training and encouragement. It didn't take a lot--Bridgette was
already a talented and passionate person. But sometimes it takes the
right person to help draw that out. I think that is the heart of
church leadership--to draw out the gifts of the body, identify them and
mobilize them for the glory of Jesus.
