SHAPE stands for Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. It is a useful tool to help believers assess how God has uniquely prepared us for effective service.
Please scroll down to see each category or jump to individual sections as appropriate.
Spiritual Gifts
- Pastor/Church Planter
I write it this way because I have been blessed with a pastor’s heart for people, but it tends to reach beyond the church walls to have a planter’s sense that God has sent me to the lost in the surrounding community as well. Perhaps some might refer to this as a missionary gift. - Teacher:
I enjoy helping people understand God’s Word—whether it be one to one over coffee or in the pulpit. I know I can keep people entertained, but I have often been encouraged to see the Holy Spirit use my teaching in people’s lives. - Counseling:
I have seen God cancel engagements or restore marriages through my counseling opportunities. Not that my counseling is that great, but that God has chosen to allow me to have already learned insights or experiences. - Helps
I don’t always have to be in the spotlight. I often enjoy serving and supporting others to help make them as effective as possible. - Encouragement:
I am not sure if this is a spiritual gift or just my attempt to follow God’s commands to encourage one another. My life motto is to encourage and equip as God gives opportunity. Hebrews 10:19-27 shows us that one of the major reasons for meeting together is to encourage one another. God has placed this on my heart as a message that every church needs to hear at least once. - Administration:
I have worked in corporate America, entertainment and ministry. Each area has its own administrative demands between paperwork and meetings. This is the lesser of my gifts, but God has enabled me to have some insights into assessing and planning to help my ministry efforts be more effective. - (Passion for) Evangelism:
Please Note: I have a passion for evangelism. By God’s grace, I have led some to Christ, encouraged others to receive Christ and to share their faith but I do not feel that I have the gift of evangelism.
Heart
My greatest passion is to serve God. It is an immense privilege and honor to know that the God who created the world would choose to use us to accomplish His will.
Additionally, I have a two-fold passion to help build loving & lasting marriages, and to help churches in transition seek their next pastor while preparing for a long-term, effective ministry.
Finally, I love to help people get connected with God and with His people. That includes three aspects.
- I help people focus on God. If we can get their attention on God, they will be more open to His work in their life.
- I help people understand God’s Word.
- I help people get connected in mutually supportive relationships.
Abilities
I have been very fortunate to have worked in a number of settings and learned a lot that God has allowed me to use in serving Him.
- Skills include: Announcing, Narrating, Radio Production, Video filming, editing and production,
- Computer Software:
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access)
Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Media Encoder,
Adobe Illustrator, InDesign
Sony Vegas (video), Magix Movie Studio
WordPress Website Design And Maintenance, - Social Media: Facebook (profile, pages, groups, ads), Twitter,
- Languages: Fluent in Italian
Personality
Personality Inventories:
Myers Briggs Type: E N F P
DISC: I S
Strengths
From Leading from Your Strengths (www.MinistryInsights.com)
- Adaptable.
- Builds confidence in others.
- Optimistic and enthusiastic.
- Flexible.
- Will gather data for decision making.
- Positive sense of humor.
- Team player.
- Negotiates conflicts.
Strength Finders 2.0 Themes
- Connectedness
People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason. - Positivity
People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do. - Empathy
People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations. - Includer
People who are especially talented in the Includer theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them. - Adaptability
People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.
Experiences
Secular work experience includes DJ in Radio and Night Clubs, Videography, Customer Service, and Sales/Marketing; Started Own Business, Independent Contract Work, Employment Consultant
Education experiences include Roman Catholic schools First Grade through High School; college at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and seminary at the New York City campus of Bethel Seminary. I am also enrolled and seeking certification in Interim Pastor University and in Church Revitalization, both founded by Thom Rainer.
Family experiences include growing up the youngest of four boys in New York City projects. Married since 1987, with three grown kids–including a set of twins.
Culturally, I have also had the benefit of significant team dynamics and cross-cultural training which made living overseas a major joy and impact on my life. That has also impacted my premarital and marital counseling.