Monday, April 25, 2011

154. MBTI and Ministry

Following up on the MBTI discussion, I thought I would reveal what I am according to MBTI. Actually, I have tested out different several times on the last four letters. Sometimes I test out as T, sometimes as an F. Sometimes I test out as P, sometimes as a J. I am told you sometimes test out differently based on the position you are in within an organization. Your responsibilities and the choices you have been making create a pattern and point of reference for how you answer the questions on the MBTI test.

So, right now, I am an ENTP, which means my tag line is "Life's Entrepreneur." We are also labeled as "inventors" in the book Please Understand Me II. I recently came across this picture on the Internet as I was searching for material on MBTI and my own personality type.



As an "inventor", we like creating proto-types and get off into weird and eccentric ideas. But we are not just idea people. We are bricoleurs and entrepreneurs. Which means an idea has to be tested and put into practice. We like to tinker, and play around with stuff. We are quite inquisitive and love a good problem to solve. We want to know if the idea will work or not, and we take great satisfaction when it does work. The obverse is true as well. We take great pains and experience deep angst when it turns out wrong or we experience failure. But typically, it is only for a short period. The next idea is just around the corner and we cant wait to explore it and innovate our way into another reality.


If you are an ENTP, you can pretty much locate yourself within the pioneer categories of the APEST ministries mentioned in Ephesians 4 (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher). The continuum looks something like this.




The pioneering modes of ministry mean you have an affinity for the edge, the frontier. You are looking to start or empower new things. Me myself, I am apostolic, so this explains my need to engage in entrepreneurial forms of ministry. In the next post, I will talk about how P's operate in leadership and how this shows up in the Pauline forms of apostolic ministry, making a few conjectures about the J's in contrast to P's when it comes to apostolic ministry.










3 comments:

Peter said...

Hey Tim, I resonate with your results. I've varied from ENTP to ENFJ and everything in between, and like you, have found myself as an ENTP. From an APEST perspective, I'm a prophet (36) and Apostle/Teacher (34). I'm a young guy looking to grow... I believe God is calling me to plant churches (and it was after this leading from God that I eventually took the APEST & MBTI assessments), but I want to learn at this time (and the best learning is doing, often times). I've been a part of a churchplant in Kansas City called New City Church since we started in September 2010 and in August I will be coming on fulltime as the worship and arts pastor. It's an exciting time as I learn first hand from the other two pastors, shepherd and teach the flock through music, continue to cultivate a songwriting culture within our community, and develop other worship leaders to send in future churchplants.

Introduction aside, I would appreciate prayer. It sounds like you and I share many similarities as far as wiring goes. I've enjoyed reading your blog over the last couple days and felt the need to introduce myself and share where I am at. I greatly invite any wisdom and insight you have as I continue to pursue God's call.

Tim Catchim said...

Hey Peter, sounds like a great journey to be on. Would be glad to talk or be a blessing in any way I can.

Tim C

Peter said...

Thank you, Tim... I really do appreciate that.

Here's a video talking a bit about the upcoming ministry opportunity at our church.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYoZJ6t9M-8

However, I would love to chat and pick your brain sometime. I don't know if you're an email or phone type of a guy, but my email address is passad618@gmail.com & my cell phone is 908-705-3937.

Peter