Sound Footings — Winter 2024
Greetings Virginia Conference members and affiliates!
In the Church, we often talk about mission as a going (or sending) out to achieve a specific purpose. The mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches and extension ministries of the Church provide arenas through which disciple-making occurs. The mission of the Foundation is to help Virginia conference churches and affiliates steward their God-entrusted assets.
Do you have a personal mission? Those who are called to work in the Church may feel their vocation is the way they fulfill their personal mission. But does a job description encapsulate the fullness of one’s personal mission? What makes one disciple different from another? In 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks to this by listing various manifestations of the Holy Spirit, such as faith, prophecy and language. He further describes our individual talents with the familiar metaphor of being the hands, feet and eyes of the Body of Christ.
Is defining a personal mission simply a matter of discovering one’s unique personality traits or talents? Today there are many popular tools that can help us understand the way we interact with each other, such as Enneagram and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Many churches and ministries have successfully used StrengthsFinder to reveal traits in their members (sometimes yielding surprising results). The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation can help individuals discover their innate abilities, which may help them choose vocations and put their talents to their highest use.
Another way the talents we have been given by God are revealed is the joy we experience when we serve others. Have you ever noticed someone smiling while working feverishly at a physical task? Often I have seen it when working with others, and I can’t help but feel the fellowship being shared is a key contributor. Small groups sometimes choose projects that can help them get to know each other better and put their talents to use in service to others. Community gardens, farmers markets, food pantries, clothes closets and home repair/building projects are all ways we serve others and share fellowship with those around us. Within each of those projects are needs for unique talents.
If you haven’t done so recently, take the time to rediscover your personal mission, perhaps using some of the tests listed above. Try writing different drafts of a personal mission statement, limiting it to a single sentence. Once you’ve found one that fits, actively seek ways to pursue it.
Let’s help the Church remain the place where the world experiences the Body of Christ.
By Bo Bowden
President
Virginia United Methodist Foundation
