Spiritual Gift of Pastoring
The spiritual gift of pastoring is the special ability to spread the awareness of God’s glory through caring consistently for the personal needs of others through personalized counseling and coaching.
Marketplace Christians with this spiritual gift are passionate about meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of their co-workers and other people with whom they interact one-on-one in the marketplace. They listen more than they preach. It is a “ministry of presence,” just being available for people.
Spiritual Gift Recognition Statements
- “I am passionate about connecting with, caring for, and coaching others one-on-one.”
- “I often take the time to care for the emotional and/or spiritual needs of people around me.”
- “People often share their personal struggles with me because they trust me.”
Marketplace Impact
After retiring as a chaplain from the US Army, Gil Stricklin used his spiritual gift of pastoring to begin a chaplain service for companies, which is now known as Marketplace Chaplains USA. Gil saw a need in corporate America for employees to have one-on-one care for their emotional and spiritual needs. Many of these employees would never attend church.
By providing this service, Gil was able to increase employee morale and productivity through displaying the love of Jesus among the employees in his clients’ workplaces. Gil’s company, Marketplace Chaplains USA, lists the following as benefits of providing pastoral care in the workplace:
- Increases employee retention
- Decreases employee absenteeism
- Increases employee productivity
- Improves workplace safety
- Reduces employee stress
- Increases employee commitment to company goals and objectives
- Reduces employee conflicts
- Increases employee loyalty to the company
- Improves employee attitudes
- Increases employee morale and teamwork
- People feel valued[i]
An employee with one of Marketplace Chaplains USA’s clients reported,
Just the existence of the Chaplain Care Team at David Weekley Homes (Six-Time Honoree on Fortune Magazine’s list of “The Best Companies to Work For”) helps to set the tone for the level of integrity and morals expected from its people. It was one of the items that really attracted me to David Weekley Homes because it showed me that he had a vested interest in my overall well-being, not just in what I could do for the company.”[ii]
Biblical Insights
- John 10:1-18
- Ephesians 4:11-14
- 1 Timothy 3:1-7
- 1 Peter 5:1-3
[i] http://mchapusa.com/benefits/
Discussion: Do you have the spiritual gift of pastoring? If so, please share how you use this spiritual gift in a business setting. Can you think of any other marketplace Christians who use this spiritual gift in a business setting? If so, please share this page with that person, and ask them to share how they use this spiritual gift in a business setting.
