Thoughts on personality dichotomies and ministry

I am an ISTJ.  So, what ministries are a natural fit for my personality type?

I've been thinking lately about how the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator could prove useful in determining your overall potential for positions in ministry.  I have read up on introverts and how the typical stereotype of an evangelist does not seem to fit well with an introverted personality.  What I mean by this is that I don't necessarily see an introvert as a person who would willingly embrace stepping out in an evangelistic role in front of droves of people while preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Rather, it seems to me that the introverts among us would more quickly embrace a role where they would affect the lives of fewer people yet dig deeper into relationships.

This is just one example of how the Myers-Briggs personality type indicators could prove useful in helping someone find their place in the Kingdom of God.

Now, I will most certainly need to caveat this blog post by saying that no matter what your personality type indicates, God can and will use someone with the many giftings that they already have but He will also supernaturally provide the giftings as deemed necessary for the moment.  After all, He is our provider and we can operate successfully outside of our comfort zones by His manifest presence that sometimes rests upon us for those situations.  He can provide us with temporary capabilities that come and go with the circumstances or He can provide us with new capabilities that will never leave.

But, for the purposes of this blog post, let us look at the Meyers-Briggs personality type indicators and explore the natural ministry possibilities that may fit with those comfort zones.  After all, it would be worthwhile for us to start into a ministry opportunity based on these type indicators and later find out that we are not in the right place rather than just do nothing at all.

For Meyers-Briggs, there are 4 personality dichotomies.
Extrovert (E) versus Introvert (I)
Sensing (S) versus Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F)
Judging (J) versus Perception (P)
http://www.myersbriggs.org/

I've already touched on the first dichotomy slightly.
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/extraversion-or-introversion.asp
Extroverts tend to be people that like to be around other people.  They feel their most alive and gain energy through social interactions.  Introverts, on the other hand, tend to expend energy through social interactions and expand their energy through moments of solitude or through reflection.  In this dichotomy, we can see that the extrovert would do well in ministries where there are large groups of people (like a teacher or a pastor) or in ministries that would require reaching out to others (like serving the elderly or talking with those that need a friendly face).  The introvert would do well in ministries with smaller groups (like bible studies or helps ministry) or ministries that require intensive thoughtful processing (like technical media ministries).  This is in no way to suggest that an extrovert could not serve in the ministries that I listed for introverts or vice versa.  We all have unique gifts and need to apply them in service to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The second dichotomy (Sensing versus Intuition) describes how we perceive information.
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/sensing-or-intuition.asp
A person with a sensing personality type may execute better in ministry positions where real data must be used to either inform for decision making or collecting the factual data (such as an administrator or treasurer).  A person with an intuition personality type may perform better in ministries that would require observations to be made about statements or where one must perceive the intent behind a person's actions.

The third dichotomy (Thinking versus Feeling) describes how we make decisions.
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/thinking-or-feeling.asp
A person with a thinking personality type would operate better in a ministry where logical decisions need to be made (sometimes regardless of other people's opinions).  A person with a feeling personality type would operate better in a ministry where the opinions of others need to be weighed (maybe even heavily weighed) before making a decision.  This is not to say that a feeling personality type could not make a decision which is opposed by others.

The fourth dichotomy (Judging versus Perception) describes how we like to interact with the outside world.
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/judging-or-perceiving.asp
A person with the judging personality type would operate better in ministries that are task oriented or have a focused and organized ministry.  A person with the perception personality type would operate better in ministries where decisions are left open and they can respond to changing situations and environments.

It is important to note that our personalities can change over time and so should our ministries.  We should always seek to grow and expand rather than stay stagnant.

Oh broken soul, rise up and seek the face of Jesus

I had a vision while singing worship songs in church this morning.  I imagined that I was seeing a version of myself that was down and in despair.  I was viewing that version as if someone was looking at me or in other words, I was seeing in a third person view.

The version I saw was sitting down watching nothing but what was in front of him and just viewing a small world.  In his perspective he could only see a little part of the world and he was focused only on the sewer. He could only see the bits of garbage and trash that were lying on the street.  Obviously, with such a small, limited, view-able area that was focused on nothingness, his mindset was deeply negative.  He could not find the good in the world nor could he be refocused.

I then further imagined that I was walking around him trying to lift up his eyes and get him out of that dark hole.  It was like he had blinded himself from the many different perspectives that were around him.  He just wanted to stay focused on a small window that he felt that he could manage in his own power.

I kept trying to bring him out of that pit by telling him to seek out the face of Jesus.  "Oh broken soul, rise up and seek out His face!  Only there will you find the freedom from despair and only there you will find the joy that you seek."

"Through intimacy with Jesus, you will find happiness and your mindset will be changed into a positive outlook.  Seek out the face of Jesus and you will be lifted from this gutter that you have purposely closed yourself down onto and you will be able to see the goodness that is around you.  Seek out the face of God your Father and do not just seek his hand.  For in His face is peace, mercy and grace.  He has saved your soul and you only need to turn towards Him and accept his perfect gift of sacrifice."

"Jesus died for you!  Do not waste his precious gift by closing yourself off.  Do not hide behind any weaknesses of your introverted personality.  Do not narrow your vision and focus on everything bad that comes your way."

"Oh broken soul, lift up your eyes and seek out His face for your mindset will be changed, your life will be blessed, and your heart will be filled with love from on high.  Open your eyes, expand your vision, and look around you.  God's love surrounds you and you only need to look to find Him.  He will come in many ways and you merely need to seek out His face to recognize the many forms that He will use to visit you.  He loves you so and he wants to see you walk in victory.  So, I say to you, oh broken soul, rise up and restore your intimacy with Him.  Seek out His face and truly live!"

I felt that in this vision, I had two forms that had different desires.  My flesh man, the one born into sin, the one from Adam, was the one that had chosen to sit and do nothing but grumble and complain about life.  He had chosen to close off.  However, my spirit man, the one saved by the precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the one born again from sin and death, knew the way to victory and is able to walk around in power that is bestowed upon him by the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, this battle between spirit and flesh will continue as long as we live in these earthen bodies.  Feed your flesh and your flesh will rise strong.  But, feed your spirit with the goodness that is in the Holy Trinity, and your spirit will rise to power.  I myself want to have a strong spirit man that is rooted in the power, wisdom, and strength that is God the Father.