By Sharon Abercrombie
Staff writer

Judy Archer is actively engaged in St. Raymond Parish’s small Christian community but please don’t ask her to serve as a greeter for the weekend liturgies at the Dublin church. “Greeters need to be good at small talk and I’m better at one-on-ones with people,” Archer said. On the other hand, she said, her pastor Father Bob McCann is an accomplished welcomer.

Are you an ‘includer’ or a ‘maximizer’? When people take the Clifton StrengthsFinder test on line, they will be asked to respond to 180 statements. Each statement lists a pair of descriptions such as “I read instructions carefully” and “I like to jump right into things.” During the next 20 seconds, the test taker is asked to choose the statement which best describes him or her. Patterns emerge based on the participant’s answers. The final results are their five major strengths or Signature Themes. Signature Themes include such qualities as “Includer,” “Ideation,” “Maximizer,” and “Activator.” For example, an “Includer” views the Church, not as an exclusive club, but as a community where everyone is welcome. An “Includer” could excel at implementing a parish-wide survey, advocate for global mission, and help others appreciate what we all share in common. When “Ideation” emerges as a strength, it means the person will be a valuable member of groups and committees looking for new ways to do things — from community outreach, to redefining the parish organizational structure, to creating a new approach to teaching religious formation classes. A “Maximizer” focuses on transforming something good into something great, and shines by helping other people recognize their own talents. An “Activator” wants to do things now, rather than simply talk about doing them. An “activator” can be quite powerful in making things happen and getting other people to take action.

Both Archer and Father McCann discovered their individual styles of working with people when they took the StrengthsFinder test, a 25-minute on-line assessment tool which reveals an individual’s top five talents known as their Signature Themes.

The late Donald Clifton of the Gallup Organization developed The StrengthsFinder test over a 40-year period. Celebrated as the father of positive psychology, Clifton believed that God gave people unique talents. When these are recognized and tapped into, people thrive in their life’s work.

Clifton’s test has been used for many years by corporations to help employees make the best use of their personal talents.

A few years ago, Albert Winseman, a United Methodist minister, adapted the StrengthsFinder model for churches by adding faith language that applies to parish life. His book, “Living Your Strengths,” now has both Catholic and Protestant versions in English and Spanish. It provides detailed descriptions of each gift and includes Scriptural quotations as illustrations.

Now many churches around the country are using these materials to help members discover how they can best match their talents with service.

In June 2008 the Oakland Diocese brought Winseman to the East Bay for a day-long Gallup Summit to introduce StrengthsFinder to clergy and lay leaders from Catholic and Protestant churches. The Summit served as a major launch of one of the goals of the diocese’s new pastoral plan — to become good stewards by living a lifetime journey of discipleship and growing in holiness.

Debra Gunn, stewardship coordinator for the diocese, estimates that at least 2,000 people in the diocese have taken the assessment. Thirty-one priests and lay leaders from 10 parishes have become trained coaches at levels beyond the initial assessment.

Level one coaches meet with parishioners for a series of one-on-one sessions to identify how they can use their talents in both parish and personal life settings. Level twos work with parish ministry teams to build on their top five strengths to enhance working partnerships.

Besides Gunn, Stephanie Moore of St. Anne Parish in Byron and Karen Miller, pastoral associate at St. Augustine Oakland, are level two coaches.

Father Dan Danielson, retired pastor of the Catholic Community of Pleasanton, and Father McCann of St. Raymond’s are certified in coaching other priests. Deacon Rigoberto Cabezas of St. Joachim Parish in Hayward is working with his fellow deacons.

Enthusiasm for the StrengthsFinder test is high for both coaches and parishioners. Father McCann considers it “a wonderful tool to engage more people in parish service.”

St. Raymond’s parish council took the assessment and “it’s changed the energy of our meetings,” said Father McCann. It’s resulted in some of “the best sessions we’ve ever had.” Future plans involve members of various service committees in the testing process and then the entire parish.

Parishioner Judy Archer loves the test’s ability “to shed a light on the people they are working with” and how everyone’s talents can complement everyone else’s.

Karen Miller of St. Augustine’s seconds Archer’s comments. StrengthsFinder gives “more clarity as to how people can partner with other people. It gives them patience, compassion and understanding for others.”

Instead of getting impatient or annoyed, people can more easily see that their colleagues “just have different talents than they do,” said Miller.

It’s also been a great tool for hiring staff. “When you use talent-based questions, you can predict how a person will do in their work,” she said, noting that three new staff members are flourishing in their jobs.

The parish also uses StrengthsFinder for marriage preparation classes.

Cory Williams, a parishioner of the Catholic Community of Pleasanton, has taken the test and is hoping to use his strengths in hospital ministry which, he believes, is a better fit than the Returning Catholics group he had volunteered for.

Debbie Snow, a member of St. Columba Parish in Oakland and a volunteer at Juvenile Hall, is using the StrengthsFinder to help troubled kids discover how they can put their talents to positive use.

Taking one’s talents into the community is what Judy Archer envisions as more parishioners become involved with StrengthsFinder. Moving beyond parish confines is challenging, she said, because discovering and using one’s talents to their fullest “is a nonhierarchical process. It works in the realm of the Holy Spirit.”

Ten parishes with trained coaches are: Catholic Community of Pleasanton; Most Holy Rosary, Antioch; Queen of All Saints, Concord; St. Anne, Byron; St. Augustine, Oakland; St. Bonaventure, Concord; St. Columba, Oakland; St. Joachim, Hayward; St. Joan of Arc, San Ramon; and St. Raymond, Dublin.

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