On Thursday evening, November 1st, 2018, our Parish Hall was filled to capacity with leaders representing nearly every area of ministry. Everyone who came had done the Strengthsfinder 2.0 assessment, which identifies a person’s top 5 innate strengths in order of their intensity. Nametags for the evening included each person’s top 5 strengths for quick reference.
The goal of the evening was not only to express gratitude to these leaders for all they contribute to our mission of discipleship, but to kick-start a culture change from a “plug-in-the-holes” approach to building ministries, to identifying and leading with our strengths. The night began with a delicious dinner and lively conversation that filled the festive space. The hall was abuzz with fellowship!
Following the meal, each table took part in a team exercise designed to tap into participants’ varied strengths, with sharing and discussion following. Also included in the evening were presentations on the value of StrengthsFinder as a tool to build self-awareness and knowledge, and to work more productively in leading teams of ministers.
Click HERE for interesting findings on the StrengthsFinder assessments completed by the participants.
It was especially rewarding to have our teens be a part of the evening, with one table filled with Antioch teens and their leaders. The top strengths of many of the teens fall into the category of “Influencing,” which is an area of deficiency among the adult ministers. This was a source of great hope for the future of our mission of discipleship!
Lastly, there was brief testimony given by a ministry leader on her use of StrengthsFinder to identify and tap into the top strengths of her core team. She related how having greater awareness of her top strengths and how to manage them can make a positive difference in her leadership style and approach.
The evening was a wonderful start to building a culture of strengths-based leadership here at Notre Dame. It affirmed the remarkable uniqueness of each of us as God’s creation and, going forward, will give us a better appreciation for talents different from our own.
WONDERFULLY AND FEAFULLY MADE