This third look at gift assessments addresses two common complaints. The first is that someone may demand a position in the church based on the results of their spiritual gifts inventory, which could be a problem if they don't actually have the gift, or if they haven't developed the maturity to use it in an organized ministry. The second is that people will see their assessment results and solidify in their mind that their service and gift should always coincide, i.e. "I don't need to fold chairs because I don't have the gift of serving or helping."
Both of these complaints are probably true to the degree that spiritual gifts are misunderstood, but they are not arguments against gift assessments per se, they are arguments against their misuse. I suspect that some very basic teachings about the proper use of spiritual gifts would alleviate most of these problems, and Peter Wagner actually addressed both of these back in his 1979 book Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow.
He believes the problem of avoiding responsibilities can be curtailed by teaching that clarifies gifts and roles (responsibilities). We all have the duty to give, show mercy, and evangelize, even if our own gifting covers none of these areas. We could make a case for avoiding long term ministry positions in these areas based on our gifts, but not for avoiding the responsibilities altogether.
"Self deception" is the term Wagner uses for the other problem, that of someone demanding a position based on a gift they don't have. He responds that it would be difficult to remain "deceived" if believers are open and honest about sharing their perceptions of each others gifts. If no one else sees a gift of wisdom in me, then I probably don't have the gift of wisdom.
Now if, on the other hand, it could be shown that these two mistakes could not be readily avoided, and that believers will consistently misuse the principles involved, then perhaps spiritual gift assessments should not be used. I say this in principle, but I personally don't like arguments that would avoid the attempt to determine the truth because people might foolishly misuse the results (a sentiment I find to be elitist, because the person making the judgment presumably understands, it's just "those people" who can't be made to understand). In summary, these mistakes cannot be completely avoided, but solid, balanced teaching regarding spiritual gifts should make gift assessments more edifying than not.
Both of these complaints are probably true to the degree that spiritual gifts are misunderstood, but they are not arguments against gift assessments per se, they are arguments against their misuse. I suspect that some very basic teachings about the proper use of spiritual gifts would alleviate most of these problems, and Peter Wagner actually addressed both of these back in his 1979 book Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow.
He believes the problem of avoiding responsibilities can be curtailed by teaching that clarifies gifts and roles (responsibilities). We all have the duty to give, show mercy, and evangelize, even if our own gifting covers none of these areas. We could make a case for avoiding long term ministry positions in these areas based on our gifts, but not for avoiding the responsibilities altogether.
"Self deception" is the term Wagner uses for the other problem, that of someone demanding a position based on a gift they don't have. He responds that it would be difficult to remain "deceived" if believers are open and honest about sharing their perceptions of each others gifts. If no one else sees a gift of wisdom in me, then I probably don't have the gift of wisdom.
Now if, on the other hand, it could be shown that these two mistakes could not be readily avoided, and that believers will consistently misuse the principles involved, then perhaps spiritual gift assessments should not be used. I say this in principle, but I personally don't like arguments that would avoid the attempt to determine the truth because people might foolishly misuse the results (a sentiment I find to be elitist, because the person making the judgment presumably understands, it's just "those people" who can't be made to understand). In summary, these mistakes cannot be completely avoided, but solid, balanced teaching regarding spiritual gifts should make gift assessments more edifying than not.
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