As your heart races with hope and your mind continues to dream of the day when every member in your church is ministering through their S.H.A.P.E., I want to ask three questions:

1. Do you truly desire to serve God through your unique S.H.A.P.E.?
2. Do you desire to see everyone in your church serving God his or her S.H.A.P.E.?
3. Do you know of ministry needs that are going unmet in your church?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I want to help you learn how to create an empowering culture of ministry in your church!

I love pastors and church leaders. My heart breaks when I hear about those among us who have lost their love for ministry and the joy of serving God and others. Believe me, I’ve been there more times than I want to admit . . . people to help, meetings to attend, e-mails to write, calls to return, training to develop, the list seems endless.
However, that is not the way God designed it. The Bible clearly tells you and me in Ephesians 4 that we need to be the administrators and let the members be the ministers – a truth that you must embrace if you truly desire to finish the race of ministry faithful and fulfilled.

But how can that happen in the real world of your church? How do you get to the place where every member is involved in ministry? There are three main steps you will need to take to create an empowering culture in your circle of influence.

Step #1
Grasp your ministry by identifying your own unique God-given S.H.A.P.E. and specific Kingdom purpose.Then I encourage you to start with your staff so they too can express their S.H.A.P.E., then move to your core leadership teams, and finally to the general membership of your church.

Step #2
Give away the rest of your ministry by constantly inviting your members to serve God with you. One way to do this is to dedicate an entire month at your church to the concepts of S.H.A.P.E. and service, culminating with a Ministry Fair in which you showcase all of your ministries and challenge your members to not be spectators but contributors. To help you discover how to invite your members into ministry, take advantage of the free tips and tools available online at www.shapediscovery.com.

Step #3
Grow your members by continually investing in their S.H.A.P.E. This final step to creating a true empowering culture of ministry in your church is all about developing programs that help teach and train your staff, core leaders, and members. Consider starting with a course that focuses on helping your entire church understand what the Bible has to say about S.H.A.P.E. and service.

At Saddleback Church, we use an incredible tool written by Rick Warren entitled: C.L.A.S.S. 301, Discovering Your Ministry. This resource has helped us develop and mobilize thousands of people for ministry effectiveness, and can be adapted for churches of any size.

Finally, as you develop your members, readily encourage them to start new ministries within your church that align with their Kingdom purpose and meet the needs of your people. Ninety-five percent of the ministries at Saddleback got started by members wanting to make an eternal difference with their lives. We (the staff) just needed to pave the way for them.

No matter where you are in the process right now – even at square one – you can create an empowering culture of ministry in your church that allows you to do your part while everyone else does theirs. Make a covenant with God and watch your church grow.

Article adapted from S.H.A.P.E.: Finding & Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose in Life by Erik Rees.