Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Purpose-Driven fame has officially launched the 40-Days of S.H.A.P.E. program. He writes in his Ministry ToolBox Issue #227 (9/20/06):
“At Saddleback, we talk about the five different factors that make up a person’s S.H.A.P.E.: Spiritual gift(s), Heart, Abilities, Personalities, and Experiences. Why is this important? Why should we bother figuring out how God has shaped us? I’ll give you five benefits.”
Warren then promises these 5 benefits from understanding your S.H.A.P.E.:
reduces stress
increases success
determines how you learn
deepens satisfaction
builds self-esteem
The 40 Days of S.H.A.P.E. will be launched at the Roswell, New Mexico, Grace Community Church beginning on October 1, that culminates in a “Only You Can Be You! Conference” with Erik Rees, November 10-12, and concludes with a Celebration Sunday on November 19th.
Erik Rees is author of the newly-released book S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose in Life. This isn’t just a single book, but an entire curriculum that includes a package with bulk rates for the main book, study guides, and a DVD.
40 Days of S.H.A.P.E. is looking for H.O.S.T. Homes:
Here’s what it takes to be a HOST:
Have a heart for our church family.
Open your home for a six week video seminar.
Serve some coffee or soft drinks.
Tell your friends to come.
40 Days of S.H.A.P.E. includes a Commitment Card where the attendant agrees to participate every Sunday morning, join a small group, read Erik Rees’ book, memorize a weekly Bible verse and attend the finale conference.
40 Days of S.H.A.P.E. was inaugurated with a letter from Senior Pastor Rick Hale of the Grace Community Church, dated August 30, 2006, which called for the members to commit to the forty days. It stated that
“The goal of this campaign is to help you find the key that unlocks the door to your God-given shape for service.”
This letter explains the overall context of this 40 Days of S.H.A.P.E. Campaign:
Do you remember the Purpose-Driven Baseball Diamond that illustrates God’s five purposes for our lives? The “40 Days Campaigns” are designed to help us deepen our understanding and application of God’s purposes. Think back to our previous campaigns:
40 Days of Purpose – helped us connect (1st base) with God’s five purposes.
40 Days of Community – helped us grow (2nd base) together by joining a small group.
Now …
40 Days of S.H.A.P.E. – will help us be equipped (3rd base) to serve by discovering our unique ministry in the church.
40 Days of S.H.A.P.E. is a prelude to the P.E.A.C.E. Plan, which is recruiting an “army of believers sitting in churches waiting to be mobilized.” In a key article, “How to mobilize your church for ministry” by Kristine Noelle, she explains:
When a church family discovers and celebrates its spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences (S.H.A.P.E.), it becomes focused, fulfilled, and fruitful.
The major pathway to taking the S.H.A.P.E test is by purchasing Erik Rees’ new book, S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose In Life. The test is generally taken online. The S.H.A.P.E. test is psychological self-report inventory of interests, which generally falls into the category of vocational and educational counseling, and is used in vocational selection and classification. It is a form of testing that originated in social psychology to chart people’s attitudes, assist in intergroup relations, predict public opinion, market research (marketing), and facilitate employee relations.
The Truth:
In the days to come, Lord willing, this blog will analyze this issue in more detail.
“But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9)