Purpose:
The purpose of the LaySHAPE© is to help lay persons know themselves more completely as people who have been gifted by God to serve Him in a particular ministry or job fit.  It is also useful to the Pastor/Church Staff Search Committee in understanding and interpreting the candidate's MinisterSHAPE©.

Description:
The LaySHAPE© is a multi-construct assessment tool that clarifies many different aspects of who a person is. We believe that until we discover how God made us and where He wants to use us, we will not feel completely fulfilled. Basically, the LaySHAPE© discloses understandings in four broad areas: 1) Ministry Gifts and Abilities: What are this person's God-given strengths? What is the individual naturally good at? 2) Ministry Values: When a person approaches a task, what types of things are important? What is it that the individual wants to have happen as a result of his/her own efforts? What things motivate the person and what things demotivate the person? 3)Approach to Ministry: How does one approach ministry? How does one solve problems? What part is a person motivated to play in a project? How proactive or responsive is the person in relationship with others on the job? How does the individual relate to other people? 4) Experiences of Life: What are the personal/family experiences of the person? What professional training has the person had in dealing with certain life experiences? Is the person willing to use those experiences and training in a church ministry setting? A complete Interpretation Guide is provided with each assessment report.

Outcomes:
As a result of the Interpretation Guide lay persons will be able to explain their own individual LaySHAPE© graphs and scales. Every individual will be able to explain how good the fit is to his/her present church ministry.

Procedures:
Order a LaySHAPE© from MinistryConnect using the processes below and complete the assessment. It will take about 1.5 hours to take and is comprised of 326 questions that can be answered with a range of scores from 1-7.

LaySHAPE Process for Individuals Using the Internet:
1. Order the LaySHAPE© by calling MinistryConnect at 573.291.9800 or 573.690.5562.
2. Complete the LaySHAPE© online.
3. Receive the Report and Interpretation Guide as a PDF file via e-mail.