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Never Forget How God SHAPED You for Ministry

What's Driving Your Life: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start

The Daniel Plan Study Guide with Streaming Video

The Purpose Driven Life Book

If you’ve ever doubted your calling to ministry, consider this: God has been molding and shaping you for ministry since before you were born! “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe.” (Psalm 139:13-16 TLB) This passage indicates that—

God shaped you for a purpose
You are unique
You are wonderfully complex

You are a composite of many different factors, summarized in the acrostic, S.H.A.P.E.: Spiritual gifts Heart Abilities Personality Experience

Spiritual Gifts

The Bible teaches that God gives every believer certain spiritual gifts to be used in ministry (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 8; Ephesians 4). However, I believe spiritual gifts are only one part of the picture. In my opinion, spiritual gifts are often overemphasized to the neglect of other equally important factors. Natural abilities that you were born with also came from God. So do your experiences and inborn personality traits. Your Creator planned these factors as well. I also believe most churches get the process backwards. They say, “Discover your spiritual gifts and then you’ll know what ministry you’re supposed to have.” I believe the exact opposite of this: Start experimenting with different ministries and then you’ll discover your gifts! Until you actually get involved in serving, you’re not going to know what you’re good at.

Heart

The Bible uses the term “heart” to represent the center of your motivation, desires, interests, and inclinations. Your heart determines why you say the things you do (Matthew 12:34), why you feel the way you do (Psalm 34:7), and why you act the way you do (Proverbs 4:23). Physiologically, each of us has a unique heartbeat. Each person has a slightly different pattern. Likewise, God has given each of us a unique emotional "heartbeat" that races when we encounter activities, subjects, or circumstances that interest us. Another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects that you feel passionate about and others that you couldn’t care less about. God had a purpose in giving you your inborn interests. Your emotional heartbeat reveals a very important key to understanding his intentions for your life. Don’t ignore your natural interests. People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing. High achievers enjoy what they do.

Abilities

These are the natural talents that you were born with. Some people have a natural ability with words—they came out of the womb talking! Others are naturally good with numbers. They think mathematically and they can’t understand why you don’t understand calculus. Exodus 31:3 gives an example of how God gives people “skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts" in order to accomplish his purposes. In this case, it was artistic ability to be used in building the Tabernacle. It’s interesting to me that musical talent is not listed as a “spiritual gift,” but it certainly is a natural ability that God uses in worship. One of the most common excuses people give for not getting involved in ministry is, "I just don't have any abilities to offer." Nothing could be further from the truth. Many national studies have proven that the average person possesses from five hundred to seven hundred skills! The real problem is two-fold: First, people need some process of skill identification. Second, they need a process to help them match their abilities with the right ministry. There are people in your church with all kinds of abilities that are not being put to use: recruiting, researching, writing, landscaping, interviewing, promoting, decorating, planning, entertaining, repairing, drawing, and even feeding. These abilities should not be wasted. “There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:5 NIV).

Personality

It's obvious that God has not used a cookie cutter to create people. He made introverts and extroverts. He made people who love routine and those who love variety. Some people work best when given an individual assignment while others work better with a team. There is no "right" or "wrong" temperament for ministry. We need all kinds of personalities to balance the church and give it flavor. The world would be a very boring place if we were all plain vanilla. Fortunately, ministry comes in more than 31 flavors. Your personality will affect how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. For instance, two people may have the same gift of evangelism, but if one is introverted and the other is extroverted, that gift will be expressed in different ways. When you minister in a manner that is consistent with the personality God gave you, you experience fulfillment, satisfaction, and fruitfulness. It feels good when you do exactly what God made you to do.

Experiences

God never wastes an experience. Romans 8:28 reminds us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV). At Saddleback, we help people consider five areas of experience that will influence the kind of ministry they are best shaped for:

Educational experiences: What were your favorite subjects in school?
Vocational experiences: What jobs have you enjoyed and achieved results while doing?
Spiritual experiences: What have been the meaningful or decisive times with God in your life?
Ministry experiences: How have you served God in the past?
Painful experiences: What are the problems, hurts, and trials that you’ve learned from?

God sovereignly determined your shape for his purpose, so you shouldn’t resent it or reject it. "What right have you—a human being—to cross‑examine God? The pot has no right to say to the potter: ‘Why did you make me this shape?’ Surely a potter can do what he likes with the clay!" (Romans 9:20‑21 JB) Instead of trying to reshape ourselves to be like someone else, we should celebrate the shape God has given to each of us. Wise stewardship of your life begins by understanding your shape. You will be the most effective and fulfilled in ministry when you use your spiritual gifts and abilities in the area of your heart’s desire and in a way that best expresses your personality and experiences. What God made you to be determines what God intends for you to do.

Recent Articles

What to Do When Someone Is Dying

Pastor, at some point this year, you’ll likely be called upon to minister to someone who is dying. Nothing prepares you for that moment like experience—and nothing tests your heart like sitting beside someone facing death.Even with all your training and Bible knowledge, walking into a room where someone is dying can shake you to your core. What do you say? How do you bring comfort? You can’t promise healing—that’s in God’s hands. But you can bring comfort.Here’s how to offer C.O.M.F.O.R.T. to someone who is dying.C: Confront Your Own FearsBefore you can help someone else, you must deal with your own fear of death. Fear of death is natural; many people avoid funerals because they’re afraid of facing death.But as a pastor, you can’t afford to hide from that fear. Instead, you need to admit it. Acknowledge it. And then trust God to help you overcome it. You’re not going to mess anything up by showing up. You’re not going to say the wrong thing. Just be present. Trust that God will use you.O: Offer Your Physical PresenceThe most powerful ministry you can provide is your presence.You don’t have to say much. You might not say anything at all. Just being there—sitting in the room, holding a hand, offering a quiet word of prayer—can be more comforting than any sermon. People should not have to face death alone.M: Minister with Practical AssistanceAsk, “How can I help?”Dying people are often in pain or discomfort. Your willingness to do simple, practical things—adjusting a pillow, turning on a fan, bringing water or ice chips—communicates love. No task is too small. These small acts of service reflect the love of Christ.F: Fortify Them with Emotional SupportPeople who are dying carry heavy emotional burdens. You can help lighten that load.One of the best ways to do this is through prayer. But don’t just say you’re praying—pray aloud with them. Reflect their emotions in your prayers. If they say they’re frustrated, pray, “Lord, Susie is feeling frustrated right now.” If they say they’re scared, pray, “God, Bob is feeling anxious and afraid.” That’s intercession—standing in the gap for someone who doesn’t have the strength to pray.O: Open Them Up with QuestionsDying people often carry a swirl of unspoken emotions—fear, regret, guilt, sadness. Open-ended questions help draw those feelings out.If they ask, “Am I going to die?” don’t pretend you know the answer. Instead, reframe the question: “What does dying mean to you?” That kind of question opens the door for meaningful conversation.And if they don’t want to talk about death? That’s okay. Follow their lead. The goal is not to force a conversation but to create space if they want to share.R: Remember the Family Has Needs TooMinistry doesn’t end with the dying—it extends to the family.Ask the hard questions that family members might feel awkward bringing up, like: “Have you made any final arrangements?” “Is there anything you’d like to say to your loved ones?” Your presence can bring clarity and peace to those standing by.Friends care for friends—and for their families too.T: Turn Them to JesusThe most important ministry you can offer is spiritual.If the person hasn’t yet trusted Christ, lovingly share the Good News. Let them know that Jesus loves them, died for them, and offers eternal life. Invite them to pray with you. This may be the most important moment of their life—and of your ministry.You don’t need all the right words. You just need to bring the presence of Christ into the room. Walk in with compassion. Offer C.O.M.F.O.R.T. And trust that God will use you to bring peace in someone’s final days.

Why Your Health Matters to Your Ministry

Your body is a tool for ministry. God wants to use you to fulfill his purposes in the world—but he won’t do it without your cooperation. That means you must take care of your body.The Bible says: "Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT).If you want God to use you more effectively in the year ahead, it starts with your health.1. Recognize that your body matters to GodThe Living Bible paraphrase says, "You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws” (Psalm 119:73) God created your body and established principles of good health. You need a balance of sleeping, eating, and exercising to serve effectively.Chances are you need to work on at least one of these areas:Sleep: Some of you are tired all the time—not because you’re overworked in ministry, but because you stay up late doing things that don’t matter. A single extra hour of sleep each night could significantly increase your energy for ministry. “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night . . . for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2 NLT).Eating: Let’s be honest—God made food taste great. But self-control is necessary. What you eat—and what you avoid—impacts your health and your ministry.Exercise: Every January, people launch into exercise plans. But by February, those plans are often forgotten. Don’t let that happen. Put your plan on the calendar. Make it a commitment, not a whim.2. Develop a healthy attitude toward your bodyYou can choose the wrong attitude. You can choose to neglect it, reject it, or try to perfect it (worship your body). None of those honor God.The right attitude is to respect and protect your body. Why?Because God made it, Jesus died for it, and the Holy Spirit lives in it.3. Discipline yourself for an eternal rewardPaul writes, “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize” (1 Corinthians 9:25 NLT).You’re not getting in shape just to look good—you’re doing it to fulfill your life mission and serve God with strength.So, pastor, make this the time to get in shape—for the glory of God and the good of others. Watch how God uses you more effectively in ministry when you take care of the body he gave you.

Five Ways to Worship When You’re Wounded

Everyone gets wounded. Even pastors.Sometimes it’s physical. Other times, it’s emotional, spiritual, or relational. And if you’re not experiencing a wound right now, one is probably on the horizon.So how do you respond when life hurts? You worship.That may seem counterintuitive. But worship is the only antidote to pain that brings both healing and hope.Job is one of the best examples in the Bible of how to worship when you’re hurting. In a single day, he lost everything—his wealth, his health, and even his children. The book of Job tells the story of a man deeply wounded but ultimately unshaken in his devotion to God.Here are five ways to worship when you’re wounded:1. Grieve: Tell God how you feel.Worship doesn’t always start with a smile; it often begins with tears.Job didn’t hold back: “Job stood up, tore his robe in grief, and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshiped” (Job 1:20 GW).In the ancient Middle East, people expressed grief by tearing their clothes. God isn’t afraid of your raw emotions. In fact, he welcomes them. When you pour out your hurt, you’re not being unspiritual—you’re worshiping.Don’t bottle up your pain. God didn’t design your body to store negative emotions. Let them out. Confess them to God. He can handle your honesty.2. Praise God—not for your problems, but in the midst of them.Job’s story boils down to one question: Will I worship God when everything goes wrong?It’s easy to praise God when life is good. But what about when it’s not? That’s the real test of faith.Life is rarely all good or all bad. It’s more like two parallel tracks—one of joy and one of sorrow—running side by side. Even in our darkest moments, there’s still something to thank God for. Job chose to praise God in the middle of his suffering. You can, too.3. Ask God for wisdom and strength.Pain makes it hard to think clearly. Wounds distort our perspective. That’s why we need God’s help to see straight and stay strong.The Message paraphrase says, “True wisdom and real power belong to God; from him we learn how to live, and also what to live for” (Job 12:13).Wisdom gives you direction. Strength gives you endurance. Both come from God. The BIble promises, “The LORD saves good people; he is their strength in times of trouble” (Psalm 37:39 NCV).God may not remove your pain, but he will supply what you need to keep going.4. Gather with others for support.God didn’t create you to worship alone—especially when you’re hurting.The natural tendency when we’re wounded is to withdraw. We isolate. We put up walls. We hide. That might feel safer, but it only prolongs the pain.If you never learn how to share your pain, you’ll never heal.That’s why pastors need small groups, too. You need people in your corner who will walk with you through the valleys, not just celebrate with you on the mountaintops.Don’t wait until the crisis to build those relationships. Find a group where you can be real, be known, and be supported.5. Keep going.Perseverance is a form of worship.Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. But Job refused. Instead, he said, “Though he [God] slay me, yet will I trust him” (Job 13:15 KJV).That’s radical faith. That’s worship in its truest form.What gave Job that kind of confidence? He knew his Redeemer lived: “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth” (Job 19:25 NIV).Whatever you’re going through, it won’t last forever. Eternity is coming. Your Redeemer is alive. And one day, he will make all things new.Pastor, don’t let your pain rob you of worship. Don’t let it derail your ministry.

What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up

Pastor, the mission God has given you isn’t easy. Ministry is filled with delayed answers, slow progress, and seasons that test your endurance. When you’re discouraged, your vision blurs. That's why learning to resist discouragement is absolutely essential for finishing the race God has set before you.Discouragement may feel like it just happens to you—but it’s more than a feeling. It’s a choice. And with God’s help, you can choose a different path. Here are five truths to help you keep moving forward in faith, even when your situation feels unfair.1. Discouragement is one of Satan’s greatest tools.If Satan can’t get you to procrastinate on your mission, he’ll try to get you to quit altogether. Discouragement neutralizes leaders. It’s the opposite of faith. When you say, “It can’t be done,” you’re no longer trusting what God has already said he will do.Galatians 6:9 says: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good” (Galatians 6:9 NLT). That’s hard sometimes, because the right thing is rarely the easy thing. But that’s the kind of perseverance that God honors and uses.2. Discouragement is always a choice.It might not feel like it, but you can choose what you focus on. Will you focus on your problems or your purpose? On your weakness or God’s power?You can’t always control what happens around you, but you can control what you think about. Discouragement begins with discouraging thoughts—and those thoughts can be replaced.As Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV). Faith starts with optimism. And that optimism isn’t naivety, but trust that God is still at work even when you don’t see it.3. Endurance turns ordinary people into great ones.Great people aren’t born—they’re shaped through persistence. Think about a sculptor chiseling stone. The first strike of the hammer doesn’t reveal a masterpiece. It takes repeated effort. That’s how God shapes your life too—slowly, steadily, through faithful steps of obedience.Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. You need spiritual endurance to keep going when you feel like giving up. When you feel like quitting, remember this: You’re not a failure until you quit.4. God’s delays are not his denials.Maybe you’re praying for something and it still hasn’t happened. That doesn’t mean God has said no—it might just mean “not yet.”In the Living BIble paraphrase, Habakkuk 2:3 says, “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!”At Saddleback, we waited 13 years without a building of our own. But God had a better plan—one that wasn’t even visible when we started. That’s true for your ministry, too. Be patient. God is never late.5. God tests your patience to grow your faith.Spiritual maturity means learning the difference between a “no” and a “not yet.” God doesn’t test you so he can learn something new—he tests you so you can learn something new. He wants to reveal your commitment and his faithfulness in the process.You won’t be tested just once. You’ll be tested over and over again—not to discourage you, but to build endurance in you. And you can take it. Why? Because God is with you. He will strengthen you.Don’t give up!You may feel like you’re at the end of your rope. But you’re not alone. God is with you—and he’s not finished with you.Don’t drop out of the race. Keep pressing forward. Resist discouragement and finish what God called you to do.