...Where and how is God calling you? Is your church helping you to discover and answer God's call?
...How do we maximize our leadership potential without driving one another crazy?
...How can we make our church more open, inclusive, and able to meet the ministry needs of a constantly changing culture?

Equipped for Every Good Work provides a way to explore these questions. The four tools — Spiritual Gifts Inventory, Leadership/Interaction Styles, Spirituality Web, and Task Type Preferences — help individuals and groups discover and understand the gifts, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that influence their ability to live as Christian disciples and to lead within a community of faith.

Spiritual Gifts Inventory Statements (pdf) from Equipped for Every Good Work

Train the Trainer Workshop for Equipped for Every Good Work The following is an outline for a "train the trainer" workshop. This event is designed to equip facilitators to lead the process for one another's churches.

Leading by Not Doing: A Reflection on Wesley's Instruction to "Do No Harm" Good leadership is commonly defined by the things we do — by our skills and abilities and accomplishments. Rarely do we reflect on what not to do as leaders. Although it is important to engage in good activities, it may be even more important to refrain from bad actions.

The Power of Questions When asked to name the most critical need in any organization — including the church — one answer regularly given is "good communication," which includes the ability to ask good questions. Insightful, incisive questions can help focus people's thinking and draw them together in transformative dialogue.

Listening to Teach, Speaking to Learn A critically important work for leaders in local congregations is to learn to listen. There is healing in listening. There is connection and community in listening. And there is learning in listening.

New Group Process Documentation (in Excel) Our efforts to improve the Equipped process continue. We hope you will find the following ideas and instructions helpful and easy to use.

A Shifting Spirituality? What Newcomers Are Looking For There are some similarities among many United Methodist congregations, but an emerging trend is worth noting — newcomers to the faith are very different from people who have been members of a church family for a number of years.