How do I discover my gifts? Sometimes people ask a church to help them discover their spiritual gifts so that they can be involved in ministry. They hope for some sort of diagnostic test that will precisely identify their gifts.

But is this approach consistent with the way gifts are understood in the Bible? In the Bible, a gift is exercised for the edification of the body of believers. If that is true, how can people "discover" their gifts in isolation from the body?

Some churches say: "Discover your spiritual gift and then you'll know how you're supposed to minister." Could this be backwards? Could it be that if you start getting involved in different ministries, you'll eventually discover your gifts? Until you actually get involved in serving, you're not going to know what you're good at!

Is ministry only for paid professionals? Consciously or unconsciously, many congregations believe that the ministerial staff are the people paid to "make the church happen." They are "spiritual people" who do the Christian work; the rest of the congregation doesn't really have the time or expertise. Although this may work smoothly, it dramatically contradicts Paul's instruction in Ephesians 4:11-12, where he expects the leaders of the church to equip the members, and the members themselves to engage in ministry.

If this is God's design for us, should we be surprised if our ministry involvement directly impacts our level of contentment? According to a recent international survey of Christians in over 1000 churches, the single greatest measurable factor contributing to contentment was whether Christians were using their gifts in ministry!