Tool
for
Gifts-Driven
Churches

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Introduction
TheSHAPE© was created out of the need that young people and adults have expressed to identify who God created them to be. The Bible speaks to this uniqueness in Psalm 139.13-16: [ The Message ]

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb,
I thank you, High God-you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration-what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
You know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
Before I'd even lived one day.

This tool is incomplete in the sense that it cannot grasp every aspect of an individual. Nothing can do that because of the uniqueness of each person who is designed and influenced from conception.

TheSHAPE© does, however, key in on the major pieces of what Christian believers bring to the Kingdom of God . A believer's life is meant to glorify God and build up the Body of Christ. As Rick Warren says in his powerful book, The Purpose-Driven Life , "Whenever God gives us an assignment, he always equips us with what we need to accomplish it."

Base Design
MinistryConnect has designed the SHAPE © Series to unfold the following:

Leadership approach
Role in a project or process
Personality
Ministry gifts and abilities
Significance for service
Experiences of life
Age-group preferences

All of these combined in each person's unique way provide an avenue for a better fit in the life of the church. As Warren says, "The better the fit, the more successful you will be."

TheSHAPE© instrument contains 327 items designed to be completed in approximately 75 minutes. In addition to grammar and spelling checks, the design of the tool uses the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level and Fog Index to insure appropriate readability. It is completed online and reports are provided to each participant by e-mail. A 21-page Interpretation Guide for TheSHAPE© and a document that answers many of the frequently asked questions are included with every report.

For more information about TheSHAPE© ministry tool, please contact:

Verlyn Bergen, 573.690.5562
vbergen@ministryconnect.net

Roger Hatfield, 573.291.9800
rhatfield@ministryconnect.net