A Failed Experiment

Some years ago while in ministry at Richmond Hill I offered a short term study on spiritual gifts and then followed it up by leading the program planning group to abandon the traditional way of setting the program for the new year.  Instead of following the prescribed plan which meant finding people to fill certain ministry areas, we made a decision to set our program on the basis of the spiritual gifts given to individuals.  Some of the traditional areas of ministry did not have leadership and some new ones came into existence as someone responded because of their given spiritual gift.    

It was an experiment not repeated a second year.  It drove the people who were sticklers for doing things the way we have always done them crazy.  And while it was one of the many things I tried which did not really work, I have often wondered how the church would look if it allowed itself to be guided by the spiritual gifts given to its members.  The Scripture does say, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."  (I Corinthians 12:7)  It also says, "...serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received."  (I Peter 4:10)  And finally in Romans, the Word says, "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us."  (Romans 12:6)    

The Word of God points us to a church that is empowered not so much by careful intentional researched planning as it is by its people responding to the way God is spiritually empowering it.   For the church to be led by its own awareness of how it is being spiritually empowered through the giving of spiritual gifts, a measure of trust in God to provide is required.  This spiritual virtue is not always present in the church of today.  Whenever the church seeks to live in such a way that the controls are abandoned for the sake of God being in control, some are surely going to do everything in their power to restore the church to traditional order so that good common sense can prevail.