11/06/2026
Kia ora e te whānau
About 20 of us lingered with Joseph McAuley after the gathering a week or so back to "deep dive" into the topic of spiritual gifts. Joseph focused on the gifts in Ephesians 4. He helpfully broadened the scope, explaining that we all have a bit of each gift. He then narrowed things down to show we all have different leanings and unique giftings. He suggested some people were more 'Capital Letter Apostles,' for example, with big visions for beginning new things, and others were 'Capital Letter Teachers' with a clear, undeniable ability to teach and guide people.
Interestingly, he also talked about how this plays out in a more secular context. Those with an evangelistic gifting in a church setting are more likely to be in sales in their workplaces, for example. Those with a pastoral / shepherding gifting in church are likely to see that outworked in caring vocations like nursing or counselling.
Here's how he defined the five areas of gifting:
Apostle – take ground, establish, develop, big picture, culture setting
Prophet – truth, revelation, call to faithfulness, holiness, realign
Evangelist – reach out, recruit, passion to bring in, passion for lost
Shepherd – care, guide, nurture, love, include, builders of community
Teacher – guides, meaning & significance, clarification, understanding
Let me know if you are keen to do more of this sort of thing - exploring how God has shaped us. I personally find it really useful as I seek to understand myself and how I can better serve God and those around me.
Have a great time in House Churches this Sunday! See you next week.
Tina Teope
