A Church's Gift & Personality by Becky Dietz

Andy & I have discovered that each church has it's own gift and personality.  We've served in churches which have had the gifts of administration, teaching, giving, and serving.  It's so helpful to identify your church's gift to eliminate expectations and frustrations...or at least some of them.  Once we understood why the church with the gift of administration was so O.C.D., it made it easier to live with.  Well...at least a little easier to understand!  Ok...I'll just have to be honest and admit that was a hard church to serve.  It was full of corporate-types who loved to control things--it was as if that body of believers just drew them in.  The church with the gift of teaching had a series of senior pastors who were great expository teachers.  Those pastors had invested in the men of the church and developed many of them who were deep Bible teachers and could fill the pulpit any time on short notice.  Giving was so much easier to recognize in our third church---those people knew how to give!  We were so blessed with people giving to us as a family, helping with mission trips we took, and reaching deep into pockets when presented with a need.  The church we serve in today has the gift of serving.  It's a small church and when we got here it was hard to understand how it was organized--or if it was organized.  But then it happened.  Event after event, people would just show up exactly on time, pitch in, and get the job done--quickly and completely.  In fact, my head was spinning the first few times it happened!  Of course, within each church, you'll find people with all of the gifts.  But it's so interesting that we've found there to be an overriding gift which governs each church.

I once went to a ladies' conference in a charismatic church and as I enjoyed the enthusiastic worship, it hit me!  I believe each denomination can also be described by a temperament or personality.  I'm old-school with personalities, so I'll characterize them as I know them:

Choleric--dominant, leader, loves organization
Sanguine--outgoing, happy, sociable
Melancholy--analytical, holds things close to the chest, artistic
Phlegmatic--laid back, peaceful, not easily upset, excited or angered

I began to laugh as I realized I could pretty easily put denominations in these categories.  It wouldn't be fair to say each church of every denomination would fit in these slots exactly, but see if you think I'm close.

Choleric--Baptists, Methodists
Sanguine--Charismatics, New Church Plants
Melancholy--Lutheran, Episcopal, Anglican
Phlegmatic--Bible Churches, Non-Denominational

It's so important to understand and know those we serve.  If we go to a church and have no discernment of who that church is, we may be in a constant tug-of-war, demanding the other side conform to us.  At least if we go in with a little more awareness, we have a better chance of working together in peace and harmony.

I'd love to know if you can identify the gift and personality of the church you're in...or if you already knew!

*Becky Dietz is the wife of Andy Dietz, pastor of First Baptist Church in Groom, TX.  Andy has also served as Youth Pastor and Missions & Evangelism Pastor in other churches.  Becky's love is teaching women and has been the guest speaker at women's conferences and retreats.