All participants in the Body of Christ depend on the spiritual gifts God has given them. Those gifts differ but they provide the foundation for whatever ministry we do. Learn more about your spiritual gifts – and how to help your congregation learn more about theirs – in this two-week course.
Participants will interact via online discussions, journals, and videos throughout the two weeks. Participants are also expected to read the Discipleship Resources book, Each One a Minister, by William J. Carter. It is highly recommended that you acquire and read the book before the online course begins. Beth Perry will be teaching this session.
PLEASE NOTE: Participants must commit to posting in Discussion Board and Spiritual Gifts Journals every weekday. If you are going to be unavailable for more than one day during the course, please wait to register until a time when your schedule will permit full participation.
This class has been approved by Discipleship Ministries as an advanced course in Lay Servant Ministries. It is the “spiritual gifts” class required for Lay Speaker certification.
This course is eligible for 1.0 CEU.
Quick Info:
Number of weeks: 2
Price: $105
CEUs: 1.0
Required books: Yes
Blackboard: Yes
Zoom: No
Certification and Series: Yes (Lay Servant Ministries)
Read course description for details.
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Past Learners Said…
“This was a great class and I have enjoyed every minute of this course. I would recommend this to anyone that would like to learn more about Spiritual Gifts.”
“Not only did I discover my spiritual gifts (finally) but learned appropriate ways to use them and learned to recognize the spiritual gifts with which others are blessed. And that’s a lot!!”
“I highly recommend this course for all who want to know more about their Spiritual Gifts and how to use them more effectively in their ministries.”
“Beth was a wonderful instructor and a joy to get to know! The daily videos and spiritual journaling were great additions!! I hope this valuable course continues for a long time so that others can benefit from it also.”
“Reverend Perry is excellent. She made insightful comments throughout the course and seemed to be constantly commenting or updating the course. She took the course very seriously and challenged all students to think carefully about their spiritual gifts and what they can bring from their course to their own congregations.”
“This workshop was very informative, stimulating and interactive. I enjoyed it a lot and plan to use what I have learned in my own congregation. Beth was an excellent presenter, filled with God’s spirit, and put in a lot of effort keeping up and responding to all of us in this class… Thank you.”
Meet the Instructors
Beth Perry
Beth Perry graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with an M.Div. in 1994 and has a bachelor’s degree in business from Elizabethtown College. She was ordained in the United Methodist Church and then had Privilege of Call in the United Church of Christ. In addition to decades of pastoral and chaplaincy experience, she has taught college religion, critical thinking, and sociology courses, and been a frequent guest preacher, public speaker, and church consultant. She was the Safe Sanctuary consultant for NYAC for five years, developed a digital Bible study, mentored seminary students, and served on numerous boards and committees. She has been an instructor with BeADisciple since 2010 and has been on staff since 2021 as support for BeADisciple instructors. She is the author of “Storytelling: Beyond the Sermon,” “Women Mystics in the Christian Tradition,” and “The Study: Spiritual Action in Daily Life.”
Elaine Pratt
A retired college professor, Elaine Lehecka Pratt is a Certified Lay Minister (CLM) currently serving the Community Church of Durham. She teaches multiple courses on BeADisciple and writes daily devotions based on lectionary Scripture. To be added to that mailing list, contact her at devotions@guidestep.org. Before retirement Elaine was program director of and taught in the graduate program in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Stevens, Elaine spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry as a corporate middle manager and an independent industry consultant.
Sherry Bryant-Johnson
Sherry Bryant-Johnson is an ordained United Methodist deacon who has specialized in the ministry of spiritual formation for more than two decades.
A trained spiritual director, she has achieved certification in spiritual formation from both the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Institute for Discipleship. For almost 20 years Sherry has created and conducted retreats for a diverse array of church groups.
