How the Christian Enneagram Can Help Your Ministry
How the Christian Enneagram Can Help Your Ministry
The Christian enneagram exposes our worst version of ourselves, and prescribes our sinful nature to the healing message of the Gospel. Find out how the Christian enneagram can help you as a woman in ministry.
As an undergrad in psychology, I was fascinated with personality tests as a tool to uncover the motivation of human behavior. However, I lost interest in my junior year because every assessment only broadcast my deepest insecurities and fears, leaving me feeling broken and exposed.
Until now.
What is the Christian Enneagram?
During our February 16, NACWE C&E Webinar, Kim Eddy talked about the Christian enneagram. Did you catch that important distinction? Kim didn’t talk about the enneagram; she talked about the Christian enneagram.
What’s the difference between the enneagram and the Christian enneagram?
Jesus.
Beth and Jeff McCord have spent their lives studying the enneagram at the foot of the Cross. Their mission at Your Enneagram Coach is “for people to see themselves with astonishing clarity so they can break free from self-condemnation, fear, and shame by knowing and experiencing the unconditional love, forgiveness, and freedom in Christ.”
So what does this mean to you as you pour over your Christian enneagram results?
Hope.
The Christian Enneagram and The Gospel
The Christian enneagram exposes our fears, our weaknesses, and our worst version of ourselves, but it it doesn’t stop there. It then prescribes our sinful nature to the healing message of the Gospel.
Type 1 fears being judged as bad or unredeemable, but you can trust that Jesus loves you no matter how much you mess up.
Types 2s fear being rejected, but you can find rest knowing you are loved and chosen.
Type 3s value their productivity and fear being exposed as incompetent, but Jesus loves you by His grace, not your grind.
Type 4s fear being insignificant, but God so loves you that He sent is only Son to save you.
Type 5s tend to hoard their resources for fear they will run out, but Jesus meets all your needs.
As a type 6, I am prone to anxiety, but I can cast my cares on Jesus in prayer.
Type 7s can be hard to satisfy, but Jesus will take care of all your needs.
Type 8s long to protect themselves and those they love, so you can rest knowing that Jesus will never abandon or betray you.
Type 9s long to know they matter, so you can be assured that God made you for a very specific purpose.
Reflection Question
Do you know which enneagram type you are? You can take the assessment free at YourEnneagramCoach.com.
How the Christian Enneagram Can Help Your Ministry
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
The Christian enneagram is a tool that can help us serve God better. Women in ministry share the same fears and weaknesses as everyone else, even though we are dedicated by God to our calling. So how can we stand sanctified in the ministry spotlight?
Being set apart for ministry is more than just a job title. Sanctification means being cleansed, purified, and renewed in order to be equipped for service.
The Christian enneagram points us to Jesus. When we surrender our fears and weaknesses to Jesus, we can then lean on Him and invite Him to serve with us.
Sister, the truth is that no matter what enneagram type you are, your fears are justified and real. We will never be perfect. We will be rejected. And we will know lack.
But the Christian enneagram reminds us that His grace is sufficient for all our ministry needs, because, as Beth McCord wrote: we have to know not only who we are, but also whose we are in order to experience true growth and freedom.
Reflection Question
What fear or weakness are you dealing with today? Find a relevant verse to pray over your struggle to give it to Jesus.
Next Steps
Watch the Webinar
Productivity and the Christian Enneagram with Kim Eddy
Read The Partner Post
Each week, Karen Lindwall-Bourg and Valerie Riese each write a post for the Community and Education Webinar.
Join Us on Facebook!
For more encouragement, join us on Facebook:
NACWE Freedom Facebook Group
or
Karen Bourg Companies Facebook Group
Valerie Riese
Valerie is a wife, mother, blogger, breast cancer survivor, and virtual assistant. After suffering years of debilitating anxiety, she learned that victory over anxiety comes only through surrender to Jesus. Valerie writes to point women to the Jesus as co-director of Candidly Christian, and as a freelance writer and editor. You can learn more about Valerie at ValerieRiese.com
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
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