"The worship service has finished and the congregation has been sent out to minister in the world. While you are packing up your worship notes, you are approached by a lady you've seen around the chuch but never met. She introduces herself as Mary and tells you how much she enjoyed the service. In the course of discussion, Mary mentions that she used to sing every week in her previous church. Seeing Mary's obvious love for God and based on her apparent experience, you sense that she just may be the answer to your prayers. After all, a couple of the other singers have recently transferred in their employment and the next few weeks are looking quite challenging. With some sense of peace given what seems to be a divinely appointed encounter, you ask Mary if she would be prepared to sing with you in next week's service. With great excitement, Mary says "YES!”
One week later... Within moments of the first song starting, you feel the blood drain from your face and watch as the congregation before you begins cringing and losing any chance of focusing on the song words, let alone encountering God! Whilst Mary has such a clear love for God, she also has one of the loudest, most out of tune voices you have ever heard in your life. As row after row of congregation members begin wincing before you, you gesture to the band to play louder and faster and try to catch the eye of the sound engineer... but it is too late. This service will forever be known for only one thing – the day we discovered the hard way that Mary's gifts clearly rest in other parts of the Kingdom of God!
After the somewhat shortened and very awkward service, you take the opportunity to spend a little more time talking to Mary about her past singing experience. You find out that indeed, Mary sang every week in her previous church, but that this singing actually took place in the congregation. What's more, she had been asked at one point if she would mind sitting in the back corner of the congregation near the cooling system. She had assumed that this was simply a kind gesture to help her to be comfortable during the services. Having now learnt the value of discerning, testing and knowing, for the sake of Mary, yourself and the whole church, you kindly thank her for her heart and effort during the service and introduce her to the person in your church responsible for Gift-based Ministry.”