SHAPE: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Every leader needs to know their SHAPE. SHAPE is an acronym for Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experience, all of which come together to shape who you are as a person and how you are "wired. SHAPE is designed to help you figure out how God has uniquely created you and to explore what it is that you are gifted to do. This exercise will give you a brief overview of SHAPE and will help you to begin thinking about your unique makeup and how to use those unique gifts and passions as a leader.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS
A spiritual gift is an ability given by the Holy Spirit to a believer for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. We know from the Bible that each believer is given at least one spiritual gift, but no one gift is given to everyone (1 Corinthians 12). Our different sets of spiritual gifts complement each other to accomplish Gods purposes through the church (Romans 12:4-6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Its helpful to begin identifying and understanding your spiritual gift(s) as you lead and serve within the church. This should be done prayerfully. If you arent sure what your spiritual gifts are, there are a variety of online surveys to help you determine your gifting. One such survey is: http://mintools.com/spiritual-giftstest.htm. Additionally, consider asking friends, family or mentors what spiritual gifts theyve seen in you. Gifts I think I might have: ___________________________________________________________________ Gifts indicated on survey: __________________________________________________________________ Gifts affirmed by friends: ___________________________________________________________________ My conclusion: __________________________________________________________________________

HEART
Heart represents your motivations, desires, interests and passions. When we speak of these things, we often say that we have a heart for something. Some of us have a heart for children, some for athletics, etc. Just as we have different gifts, we also have differing interests and passions. To begin identifying some of the things you have a heart for, think and journal about the following questions. 1. If you could do anything regardless of time, money, geography and education, what would it be? 2. When are you most happy and fulfilled? 3. What is your biggest dream in life? 4. Name an experience when you thought: I could do this for the rest of my life!

ABILITIES
Abilities can be defined as a combination of your natural talents and learned skills. For instance, you might be naturally artistic and creative, so you might have learned the skills of acting, dancing and songwriting.

To begin identifying some of your abilities, complete the following sentences. I am good at: ____________________________________________________________________________ I have succeeded at: ______________________________________________________________________ I could teach others to: ____________________________________________________________________ When I am in a group, my most valuable contribution is: __________________________________________

PERSONALITY
Each of us has a unique personality, or way of being and interacting with the world. One of the most commonly-used tools to understand our personality is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI helps to identify how we relate to others, how we structure our lives, how we take in information and how we make decisions. For a more detailed description of the MBTI personality types or to take the paid test, visit: www.myersbriggs.org. Just to get started, you can fill out the chart below: Rate yourself on the following scales [put your x closest to what is true of you] Introverted Self-Controlled Routine Cooperative Extroverted Self-Expressive Variety Competitive

EXPERIENCES
Your experience includes all of the unique events, people and places that youve observed, encountered and been a part of in your lifetime. Some experiences include becoming a parent, giving your life to Christ, graduating from school, starting a business, etc. What have you experienced and how has that shaped you, or what have you learned? Think and journal about the following: 1. What are some significant spiritual experiences for you? 2. What are some painful experiences? 3. What are some important lessons youve learned from your experiences?

NEXT STEPS
Once youve completed this worksheet, share it with a CA staff member, Life Group Leader, etc., to discuss next steps or to begin discerning how and where you can lead within the life of CA. If youre not sure who to contact, call the CA office at 323-255-1421.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels The Making of a Leader by Dr. Robert Clinton