Vintage21 Church

Courtney Hodgson · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Raleigh, NC

This month we are going to be highlighting spiritual gifts as Tyler works his way through 1 Corinthians 12. We will culminate this series at the end of the month with a group spiritual gift assessment on April 22 at Owner's Night. All owners, regular attenders and newcomers are welcome to attend.

So, for all of you that are looking to discover your spiritual gifts and/or refresh your memory, be sure to attend Owner's Night on April 22! Not only will you be able to discover your spiritual gifts, but we'll personally explain how you can continue to develop your gifts and use them to serve at Vintage21.

Be on the look out for more information and opportunities to register as the month goes on.

Questions? Email Courtney Hodgson at courtney@vintage21.com.

Courtney Hodgson · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Raleigh, NC

As I mentioned last week, we're going to give all owners, regular attenders and newcomers the opportunity to assess their spiritual gifts and learn how to use them in ministry at Vintage21 at our next Owner's Night -- April 22.

But, this will not be your traditional spiritual gifts assessment. We are going to use a robust, online assessment tool from AssessMe.org that will not only help you identify your spiritual gifts, but also identify your personality type and leadership style -- all to give you a better understanding of God's unique design for your life in ministry!

Picture this: 100 laptops, 100+ people assessing their giftings in one short evening. No more flipping pages and penciling in answers; it's all electronic and personalized results are produced instantaneously! And to top it off, we have paired all gifts with Vintage21-specific ministries so that you can easily identify the areas at Vintage21 where you've been designed to serve.

* Vintage21 will pay for anyone who attends Owner's Night to take this powerful assessment. Following this event, there will be a fee of $10/person to take the assessment.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

To register, email courtney@vintage21.com by Monday, April 21 and include your first name, last name and email address so we can create your assessment login for Owner's Night.

Courtney Hodgson · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Raleigh, NC

To make the spiritual gift assessment a success on April 22, we're going to need 100+ laptops at Owner's Night. If you have a laptop that you could bring with you to Owner's Night and/or let us borrow your laptop for the evening, please email courtney@vintage21.com ASAP.

We'll need to have a definite laptop count by Thursday, April 17.

Thanks!

Pastor Tyler · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 92 Location: Downtown Raleigh

Courtney...Kimberly has a laptop that we will bring and I will bring my V21 laptop too. Thanks for all of your work.
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Pastor Tyler

Pastor Matt · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 30 Location: Raleigh, NC

I have a Vintage21 laptop i'll bring, and there's also another one that we use for Sunday service/band recording stuff.

put me down for 2 total.

thanks, Courtney!
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Matt Stevens
Worship Pastor
Vintage21 Church

Pastor Nate · Joined: 25 Jan 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Raleigh, NC

Count the Williams in for 2.

Rob Davis · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 90 Location: Raleigh, NC

Two, too.
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bredelings · Joined: 18 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Raleigh

The personality test here seems to be a re-branded version of the common Myers-Briggs personality test, based on (I think) Jungian psychology. The example diagnosis demonstrates this:

http://www.assessme.org/about/epersonality.aspx

The correspondences are

Introverted / Extroverted -> independent / social
iNtuitive / Sensing -> abstract / concrete
Thinking / Feeling -> head / heart
Judging / Perceiving -> systematic / adaptive

I think the new category descriptions seem to be pretty good characterization of what the original category descriptions were supposed to mean, at least in the N/S and J/P case. However, in my opinion this test preserves certain damaging dichotomies that have infected our entire culture: such as that thinking and feeling are opposite or alternatives. (And nobody asks where the will and the imagination are.)

Hmm... apparently this is supposed to characterize how "God has wired [us] for ministry service"... the advertising on this website seems to be very heavily targeted as the dreams of pastors and church organizers.

I'm leaning against taking this test. I'd love to be re-assured that the people who will be using this have a healthy respect for the limitations of this approach.

Incidentally, has anybody read Eugene Peterson's new book "The Jesus Way"?

Courtney Hodgson · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Raleigh, NC

Ben -- Thanks for taking the time to look into the ePersonality assessment. And I think you're right when you say it's very similar to the traditional Myers Brigg assessment. However, I like how AssessMe.org has tied the personality traits to ministry to make it more tangible for people to figure out where they might enjoy serving in the local church.

Know that we're not going to look at the results from the ePersonality, Grace Gifts or Leadership Styles and immediately put people into categories of where they can serve. We're basically going to look at people's gifts, see how they correlate to their 'assessed' personality and leadership style and see if that helps us find a good ministry fit for them. God has gifted all followers with spiritual gifts and natural talents and if this tool will help us help people find a place in the church where they can build the kingdom and grow and prosper as they do it, then we're all for that. If not, we'll find alternate means to do that. So far, based on initial tests among staff, these assessments have been very accurate, have lined up accurately with other assessment brands, and exemplify biblical principles. So for now, we're interested to see how this tool will help the people of Vintage21 discover their gifts and talents, and with additional teaching, learn how to apply them to ministry at Vintage21. And we'll continue to assess this process as we go, just as we do with most processes at V21.

-- Courtney

Rob Davis · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 90 Location: Raleigh, NC

Courtney Hodgson · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Raleigh, NC

In regards to the assessments, we're also going to be very clear and explain how we plan to use them at Owners Night. For instance, if John Doe possesses gifts A, B & E and has a personality trait of Z, that may be an indicator that he would do very well in XYZ Ministry. However, that in no shape or form obligates John Doe to serve in that ministry or prohibits him from exploring other ministries. The assessment is just a discovery tool for him to use to identify the gifts God has given him and help him determine a good place to serve. Many people have a difficult time finding their place or determining how to grow in ministry, and if this assessment helps them, then we've accomplished a great thing.

Eric Butler · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 56

Paige Puckett · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Raleigh, NC

so if we get someone to watch daniel, we will bring three laptops. if not, then two... i'll be working from home ;)

i took the test and it lined up with my meyers-briggs except for the social/extrovert independent/introvert (if the tests truly do line up). i just about always test the same on meyers-briggs (really the tests most people take are kiersey-jung, test of preferences rather than a true m-b.) these tests based on preferences can't be proven accurate b/c unless you studied someone's day-in and day-out living and lived inside their brain as they made decisions and took in information, you can't know if they are truly answering the questions truthfully. and perhaps as might explain eric's case, preferences change. however, the meyers-briggs though faulty as it may be has helped give me great insight into how my preferences play into my decision making, work and relationships and has even helped me understand how to better communicate and work with others. i am excited to see how this tool might help the rest of the community and leadership. if anything, it will generate discussion on how people can incorporate their lives into ministry.

Rob Davis · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 90 Location: Raleigh, NC

Do we believe God can and does work through 'secular' means? If we do, then we can gladly receive tools from our culture (i.e. psychology) and use them for our good. But, they are just that - tools. They are not Scripture. On the flipside, that doesn't mean just blindly accepting whatever culture throws at us as being useful for the Kingdom.
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Paige Puckett · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Raleigh, NC

right on.