I grew up with a single mom, two sisters, a girl cousin, and an aunt. One Christmas morning, we were sitting around the tree rifling through presents. We tore a package open and showed it to the entire family. One time I opened my gift, and I pulled out … a skirt! The family exploded in laughter. Late on Christmas Eve, my mom had gotten the gifts all goofed up.
I am reminded how each of us receives different gifts. When we open them up, others can look at them and either affirm them or say, "You know what? I don't think that's yours—it's probably somebody else's."
The Bible teaches that spiritual gifts are given for the common good of the body of Christ. The Body is blessed when those gifts are opened, engaged, and exercised. But if they're never opened, they'll never be experienced. It's like walking by a Christmas tree and leaving all the packages wrapped.
As a small group host, one of your chief goals is to help your small group identify and develop their spiritual gifts. Below is an acronym (CHAMPION) to help you lead your small group in this key area:
1. CELEBRATE every member's spiritual gift. While everybody is blessed with abilities and skills, an individual understands their unique God-given gift whey they trust Christ with their lives. God uses circles of friends—the body of Christ—to affirm and help develop those particular gifts.
We need to mirror one another. Once, I told a friend I thought I had a certain spiritual gift, and I was wondering what he thought. He said, "I really don't think it's that gift. It's this gift, Brett." Soon after that encounter, another person said, "Brett, you need to be focusing on this particular gift in your life."
If you don't create an atmosphere for your small group members to get this type of feedback, you may be leaving a package wrapped up with a nice little bow on it. Take the package, shred the paper, open it up, and have everyone ask, "What do you think?" Here it is!" Be gentle, but don't be afraid to help them identify and develop their spiritual gifts.
2. HAVE every member take a baby step toward using his or her gifts. A small group is the smallest form of the body of Christ. Within each group, there are just enough gifts to accomplish exactly what God wants—He provides this for every single small group, every single church, and every body of Christ around the world. His dream is for all of us to get in the game.
Try to assign a role or responsibility to everybody in the group. Do this regardless of where they're at in their spiritual journey; just get them moving in an area where they think their gifts are.
Also, take time to encourage them. Say, "Hey, you're so good at this!" or "Thank you for that," or "Have you ever thought of this?" These are opportunities to get them in the game.
3. AFFIRM every individual's gift and every step he or she takes in ministry. No matter what steps they take, you and your group should be hootin' and hollerin'. Ask the group, "Hey guys, wasn't that fantastic?" It doesn't matter what they did, just praise them.
Also, encourage members to test-drive ministries such as the children's ministry, youth ministry, music ministry, or mission team. Introduce them to areas where they could be involved and urge them to try and participate in one. Another good way for a member to find a fit is to do a spiritual gift assessment. From those results, they'll be able to see where God uniquely made them to fit in.
4. MOTIVATE every member to develop their God-given shape for life. One way to do this is to say, "What things would you guys like to do? What are some ideas?" Fill a whiteboard, and then say, "Who should fill these individual roles?" They'll fire out some names. Then ask, "Who would you like to join you in accomplishing this particular deal?" They'll proceed to give names of individuals who they enjoy hanging with.
One turn deserves another, so rotate the responsibilities every month--or every series--so each time everyone's doing something different (but still working together). This won't happen overnight, but dream to have this happen over time.
5. PUT them into teams in order to mobilize everyone. Jesus didn't send out his disciples alone; he sent them out in pairs. Use the power of pairs to accomplish any task. If you have people at different spiritual levels--one is a new Christian and one is a long-time believer--pair them together. This makes the new believer feel safe and empowers them to accomplish something they would never do on their own. It also provides accountability.
6. INSPIRE your members with your own examples and stories. I've told my scariest small group stories, ones in which I was reluctant to lead but was pushed to lead anyway. This is your chance to testify that God uses all people with various gifts—regardless of whether they feel prepared or not.
7. OFFER open discussion about serving together. Ask your group, "What can we do together?" Don't just tell them what you're going to do as a group; instead, involve them in determining what to do and where you think God is calling them to go. You may consider watching and discussing the movie Pay It Forward to demonstrate how doing small things catalyzes others to get in the game also.
8. NEVER give up. The body of Christ needs you. If you're a little wobbly at times, remember what Hebrews 13:7 says: He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He will never leave you out there in a place where he doesn't want you to grow and go to the next level in your own gifts. Be steadfast; be immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil in the Lord is not in vain. It is for a great measure and a great cause (2 Corinthians 15:58).
