Engage with your seminar professor and colleagues on the topic of how God has shaped and gifted you as His creation using the following prompt to begin the discussion:
Building My Identity Bridge
Will Mancini in Younique states that most people fail to break-thru in life planning because they miss the key ingredient of identity (Younique, 37-43). While you most likely have taken personality or temperament inventories (e.g., Myers-Briggs, DISC, CliftonStrengths) in the past, you may not have spent sufficient time understanding what they reveal about your identity as one created in the image of God. Mancini states, “But God wants us to have high God-awareness and high self-awareness. He wants us to know him deeply and to know how he made us to reflect him. He wants us to grasp the identity he dreamed for us and to design the life it implies” (Younique, 39). Our goal in the second half of this class will be to help you achieve “…a break-thru understanding of [your] identity that is named in a specific, personal, and powerful way” (Younique, 38, insertion mine).
You will begin the process of moving toward this personal break-thru this week as you take three inventories (i.e., CliftonStrengths, Myers-Briggs, Basden-Johnson). You will receive your CliftonStrengths results immediately online after completing that inventory. The Basden-Johnson inventory is self-scoring, and your professor will interpret your Myers-Briggs results and get them back to you as soon as possible.
Having the results of these inventories is not enough. Break-thru occurs only when you can build what Mancini calls an “identity bridge” by interpreting the results of these inventories and then inscribing them in your lives by “…articulating or naming things in [y]our lives that celebrate and encode the work of interpretation for the future” (Younique, 41, insertion mine). In this week’s forum, we will work on interpretation, the first pillar of Mancini’s “identity bridge” which leads to break-thru personal planning.
Based on your results from the CliftonStrengths inventory, the Basden-Johnson inventory, Myers-Briggs, and other inventories that you may have taken in the past, spend some time reflecting on and interpreting the results. Mancini proposes,
Interpretation asks the question “Why?” . . . Interpretation is asking deeper questions of why the inventory says what it says. Here are a few of the questions that illustrate what interpretation looks like:
- Why do I have these strengths?
- Why do I have these weaknesses?
- Why did God allow these experiences to happen to me?
- Why do I get a sense of accomplishment doing this?
- What are the natural limitations of my personality type preferences?
- Where did this passion come from?
- What has God been preparing me for next?
Based on your reflection on these questions and the results of your inventories past and present, please share insights gained about your God-given identity. You are not required to share the specific results of your inventories. What you share may be either general insights or specific details which you feel comfortable sharing. Remember that we are colleagues and fellow travelers on a journey together. The purpose of sharing your insights is two-fold. First, articulating your insights in writing makes them concrete. Second, as you share insights, you will find points of resonance with your colleagues and may also find some helpful insights based on their feedback. Only share to the level with which you are comfortable. Our goal in this task is “. . . to grasp the identity he [(i.e., God)] dreamed for us and to design the life it implies” (Younique, 39, insertion mine). We will continue to work on the task of building and crossing Mancini’s “identity bridge” as we move on to the process of inscription and finally to implementation for the rest of our lives.
NOTE: Per the class syllabus, part of your Portfolio, which is due at the end of the term, is “…a personal reflection of at least two but not more than four pages on insights gained from the results of these instruments.” You are beginning to work on that element of your Portfolio via your participation in this forum.
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My personality/leadership inventories have been limited to the spiritual gifts assessment. I know the inventories are valuable, but I have been hesitant to take them because I’ve seen people base their entire identity on the results, which has led them to avoid things outside their comfort zone that they are more than capable of doing. BUT, I look forward to exploring them further in class.
Based on my spiritual gifts assessment and personal observations, I am a strong administrator. Organization and planning come very easily to me. I joke that it is a boring gift, but it is very useful in pastoral ministry. My biggest weakness is mercy, as I am a very black-and-white person who has to work very hard to show empathy in a lot of the situations I talk to people about. Being self-aware of my weakness makes it very manageable.
Looking back over 25 years of ministry, the Lord has used me to lead through many very difficult ministry situations. It has allowed me to handle these situations objectively, moving people and resources where they need to be in a way that glorifies the Lord while speaking the truth about the hardships.
I do not know what the Lord has in store for my future, but I will continue to pray, observe, and pursue Him and the opportunities put before me.
Rob,
Thanks for taking the Clifton and MBTI inventories. They can provide valuable insights, and I hope they have done so for you. One value is their confirmation of things we know about ourselves. In your case, that you are an administrator. As an ENTJ, administration is in my blood as well.
I would never want someone to base their entire identity on the results of a personality inventory. The goal in taking such inventories is to come to a better understanding not only of who you are but how you relate to others of different types and strengths. Why do people act the way they do? Why are some people quiet and others loud? Why are some things, like staying on schedule, more important to some people while others are always ready for a diversion? I am a people watcher in waiting rooms, restaurants, and churches. By observation, I can gain much insight based on my understanding of these personality inventories into people. It’s not always 100% , but it is a helpful skill. Knowing what motivates a person and what they perfer can help us better relate to them.
Seeing things in black-and-white is not necessarily a weakness but simply a reality of being wired as an administrative type. I share this same struggle. Administrative types are rare among Senior Pastor ranks. However, I have been a Senior Pastor for 22 years. I have also served as an Executive/Administrative Pastor for 10 years. In the course of my ministry, I have learned to check my initial administrative reaction and pause for some reflection on feelings and how others will receive my response. Knowing that I am an administrator and knowing that not everyone else responds in that way has helped me to temper my responses. Often, my decision does not change, but the way that I explain it or present it does, especially when dealing with those of different personality types. It is important to know yourself and to know others in order to facilitate communication and cooperation in ministry.
Dr. Bryan
I know you do a great job pastoring your church. As a Pastor you have to stay calm in all types of scenarios. It isn’t easy being levelheaded in difficult situations. What you do is real gift and blessing to your congregation. My former Pastor, who has gone to be with the Lord, was very similar. He was lower in compassion/mercy but incredible at funerals, at hospitals, and in crises. He knew just what to do, what to say, and what not to say. He didn’t create more chaos but created a calming presence. When a family from our church had a baby boy that was tragically stillborn. Our Pastor held their baby at the hospital. They never forgot that. He was their Pastor forever. Thank you for your being a safe place for you congregation.
Hey Rob! Fellow administrator here. I’ve felt that hesitation about some of the assessments, too. I took them as part of a leadership course way back in undergrad. It felt like there was a time when everybody was identifying themselves by their enneagram number, which I’ve never done and remain blissfully in the dark about. The MTBI and Clifton were helpful for thinking through some things personally, and relationally with other people’s strengths in mind.
My inventories suggest that God has designed me to pursue understanding, share it, and help others grow through it. The same patterns popped up in my assessments: Learner and Intellection, INTP, and the spiritual gifts of knowledge and teaching. These consistent affirmations point to a pattern of life that brings me joy: studying deeply, asking careful questions, and explaining what I discover in a way that others can digest.
The results also reveal some weaknesses of mine. My competitive nature can motivate personal or ministry growth, but it can also tempt me to compare myself to others. I’m open-minded and skeptical of gossip, but this attitude has caused me to miss opportunities to speak out against obvious, sinful behavior in our church. Finally, my analytical nature can lead to a lack of empathy and projects that never get implemented.
Mancini’s connection between knowing God and understanding ourselves has helped me reflect on my identity. I see that my worth comes from being created in God’s image, while these assessments are designed to show how I can best serve others. First and foremost, my identity is rooted in Christ as a follower. The secondary identity I might have is a thoughtful teacher who helps others grow in truth.
Skylar,
You are reflecting well on your results. You have made a good start on the two to four page personal reflection on insights gained from the results of these instruments that you will include in your Portfolio at the end of the term.
As an INTP, your personality type falls into the Administrative classification of types (i.e., INTP, ENTP, INTJ, ENTJ). My type is ENTJ. We share the same core of Intuitive Thinker (NT). You relate more comfortably through inward processes (I), while I relate more comfortably through extroversion (E). The J/P dichotomy points to preferences for staying on course /schedule (J) or an openness to new possibilities that may divert the original course (P).
In your comments, you mentioned “weaknesses.” A weakness may simply be an untapped or misdirected strength. For example, your “competitive nature” is not a weakness unless you fail to focus it properly in your life and ministry. Sometimes, we can compete against ourselves to improve skills or habits. Competition can also be healthy even among peers if managed properly. Competition can have negative expressions when it comes from a root of pride or selfishness. Competition can be positive when it comes from a root of helping yourself and others grow and be the best you can be. As with many things in life, it comes down to our attitude and motivation.
Dr. Bryan
Thank you for your insight. My sons are extremely competitive and turn everything into a game of winners and losers. It’s causing a lot of fighting, and I am a little concerned with their competitiveness. Recently, it has colored my perception of a competitive nature in a negative light. However, I do see where God has blessed my ambition if I am attempting to better myself in order to serve more faithfully.
Hi Skylar,
I also love to teach, and I can also compare myself to others. I am often my biggest critic especially when I am teaching. I get nervous before and then think about all the things I should have said afterwards. Not to keep saying also to your post but I need to work on speaking up as well. I know my role in ministry is to disciple with grace and truth. One of my problems is signing up to do too much and then getting overwhelmed. I am then not at my best, and I get mad at myself for not setting better boundaries. I know your church is blessed to have you.
Hey Skylar! It seems like you really took the opportunity to internalize and process some of the results. I hope it has been helpful for you. Every one of us has those areas of strength, and areas of weakness. I think part of this whole assessment is identifying those things and learning how to work in relation with others in a complementary way. It’s kind of like Paul and the body of Christ metaphor.
As Rob mentioned, I have not done any personality inventories other than a few spiritual gift inventories. Some of the ways the Lord has designed me have happened innately or supernaturally. I have a gift to share the gospel, teach and preach. God has answered a prayer when I was a young christian (I was 12 years old) to help me understand his word. He continually helps me grasp his word. He has also given an ability to trust and live by faith. I also have an ability to be creative in ministry.
Then there are the abilities that he has developed through time and circumstances. God has developed an ability to be organized and be an administrator.
As for the why, I believe I am to honor and glorify our Lord with our strengths (Mark 12:30 and Colossians 3:17). As for my weaknesses, I believe the call for my weaknesses is to depend on God. (Dependence is a beautiful thing, because it allows us to see God’s tender care.)
Johnny,
Since you have never done personality inventories in the past, what insights did you gain from Clifton and MBTI? Did the results confirm things you already knew about yourself? Did the results point you to some new, untapped abilities?
Dr. Bryan
Our staff recently did the DISC assessment and our spiritual gifts. I was almost an even combination of ISC (Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness). D or Direct/Dominance was my lowest. My spiritual gifts are mercy, exhortation, and evangelism or teaching. Evangelism and teaching are usually close as my third. I have a harder time speaking up for myself, so the low direct score didn’t surprise me. I have always loved talking to people and encouraging people. I would get in trouble in kindergarten for talking too much. Before I felt called to ministry, I felt called to missions. I was in 3rd grade. So having a strong score in evangelism really encourages me. I think growing up at my home church helped too. My church has always had a huge heart for missions. It is a blessing and on October 22 I get to lead a mission trip team from my church to Kazakhstan. I won’t go into details but growing up with my dad was difficult and unpredictable. My mom and the church were my safe places. I now get to minister to children (mercy) that are going through harder seasons. I also really enjoy teaching. I remember in elementary school wanting an overhead projector for Christmas. I know all these passions were of God’s design and Him giving me opportunities to use my gifts. I was blessed to have great mentors that urged me to keep following my calling. One specifically said to be a lifelong learner. Ministry can be hard at times, but I do feel like I am living out my dream job. I plan on doing the assigned assessments ASAP.
Lezah,
How exciting to go on mission next week and fulfill a childhood calling. We will pray for you and your team to accomplish God’s purpose as you touch lives there. Please email us updates and specific prayer needs, if possible.
Dr. Bryan
Hi Dr. Bryan,
Thank you so much for the prayers. I will definitely keep you all updated and send any specific prayer requests. I am grateful for the opportunity to go.
Sincerely,
Lezah Maitland
I have done Clifton and Myers-Briggs in the past, but around 12 years ago. It’s interesting to see how the results have changed. I suspect that, to a degree, this is caused because I have changed. I believe experiences play a large part in molding people. Bolsinger wrote about this in Tempered Resilience. I think my strengths have been tempered within the crucible of life experience and ministry. My weakness probably have been too. I don’t believe all of it comes down to experience, however. I think there is also the way God created each of us, including personality, gifts, the context we’re in. The Bible talks about the good works that God has prepared for each of us to do. I believe that means God has created us and equipped us in part for the way that we are created and formed to serve in His Kingdom. For myself, I think the passion and the sense of accomplishment come from the same place: when I’m operating within the Kingdom and within my giftedness, there is a sense of fulfillment, or a sense that what I am doing is what I’m meant to do. The limitations are obviously that we are not gifted, or meant to do or be everything. We are created to be a small part of a large and diverse body, across every demographic, including giftedness. We need each other, and we need to know how to relate to each other, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to be unified.
Mark,
I’m interested in how your MBTI results changed. The theory on which the inventory is based holds that our personality types most likely don’t change with time. Type change is possible but only in long term situations. Dig into which preferences changed. Most likely you have only moved one box away from your older results on the personality grid. Let me know in the forum or my email if you have questions.
Dr. Bryan
I took the MTBI and Clifton, I believe back in my undergrad around 13 years ago as part of a leadership course. My T and F flipped, but I believe they’ve always been really close percentage wise.
Mark,
I have also taken one of these assessments in the past. I remember seeing questions that were familiar and wondering if the last decade has affected my personality. However, I did get the same confirmations that I received by in seminary. My personality is much different than the majority of pastors that I studied alongside. They were extroverted and people-oriented; I was very introverted and task-oriented. That’s okay. God has made us all different for different roles of service, and I haven’t changed at the core even through the worst of calamities. I also learned that our “weaknesses” can be overcome. I learned how to be social out of necessity, but it continues to drain my battery.
I wonder if your counseling background has affected your perception of self-assessments. I know that in counseling, one’s answers to self-reflective questions can be radically affected by temporary conditions (their daily attitude, their prior interactions before the counseling session, if they’ve spent time with the Lord that day, etc.). I’ve experienced this phenomenon in counseling many times. I’ve also seen it in others. They can answer with 2’s and 4’s on one day; the next day after a good night’s sleep, they could answer with 7’s or 8’s. Self-assessment (especially concerning self-esteem) in counseling seems like a difficult practice.
Let me know your thoughts.
My bias towards the assessment definitely could come into play. Who knows what mood I was in when I took it way back when. I was also in a different place in life. It didn’t change very much, as Dr. Bryan guessed.
Class,
Thank you for your responses and attention in gaining understanding and application of your results. These insights will form a base from which we will build for the rest of this term as we explore how Hod has shaped and equipped you for kingdom ministry.
Dr. Bryan