How Churches are Using Enneagram to Understand their Congregation
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Curtis Fease
There was a time when pastors knew every one of their congregants on a personal level. While some small churches have maintained the ability to do this, it’s become more difficult as cities have grown and houses of worship serve larger areas. To deal with loosening connections with parishioners, some churches are using Enneagram to understand their congregations.
If you’ve never heard of this model of personality types, you’re not alone. Even though certain aspects of the Enneagram harken back to the ancient world, it’s only recently become a major fad within certain religious circles. Debate remains over whether using this tool is appropriate, but at DonorWerx, we believe anything that helps you better understand congregants is a good thing.
What Is the Enneagram of Personality?
You may hear detractors of the Enneagram claim that it’s Gnosticism or mysticism, but in reality, it’s merely a tool with many uses. The foundation of the system is nothing more than a resource that can categorize human personalities into nine distinct types. Each of these nine is interconnected, and learning where a person fits in the model offers an understanding of their personality.
Any church leader who’s engaged in donor segmentation knows the importance of identifying personality traits among congregants. These traits can have a direct effect on which ministries a congregant takes part in, the projects they’ll donate to, appropriate messaging for engagement and much more. The Enneagram lists the following nine personality types and their traits.
- The Reformer: Purposeful, perfectionist, self-controlled and principled.
- The Helper: People-pleasing, generous, possessive and demonstrative.
- The Achiever: Excelling, image-conscious, driven and adaptive.
- The Individualist: Self-absorbed, dramatic, temperamental and expressive.
- The Investigator: Secretive, innovative, perceptive and isolated.
- The Loyalist: Responsible, suspicious, anxious and engaging.
- The Enthusiast: Distractible, scattered, versatile and spontaneous.
- The Challenger: Willful, confrontational, decisive and self-confident.
- The Peacemaker: Agreeable, reassuring, receptive and complacent.
Catholics have debated whether the Enneagram is appropriate for religious use for decades, but Evangelicals have taken note of it in recent years. Younger church members are more likely to use this personality typology, but older adherents often see it as an occult activity. This likely stems from the fact that the system started out as psycho-spiritual teachings.
In recent years, though, books on the Enneagram have moved from the “New Age” section over to “Self Help” in bookstores. Just like Christmas started out as a pagan holiday, Enneagram has evolved from its initial roots. While some people may place great spiritual value in the system, its ability to help pastors learn about congregants makes it an undeniably effective tool for others.
How Can Churches Use Enneagram?
The Enneagram isn’t something that’s on the verge of finding its way into mainstream religion. Experts in the model already hold workshops in Presbyterian, Episcopalian, United Methodist and other denominational houses of worship. Some Catholic retreats even focus on the system. While individual congregants can benefit from this, Enneagram is also a powerful tool for pastors.
By learning their congregants’ specific personality types, pastors can create better sermons, events, fundraisers and more. That’s because it’s easy to break these types down into three “centers of intelligence.” The following describes which types fall together in these centers along with ideas that can help in their journey to serve God:
The Helper, The Achiever and The Individualist
These individuals find feelings and moods important. They don't need to serve a major role or have a desire to speak much. They will benefit from offerings such as moments of communal silence in worship services.
The Investigator, The Loyalist and The Enthusiast
Thought is very important to individuals who fall into this center of intelligence. Iconography, candles and symbols can all serve a significant purpose during services for these folks.
The Reformer, The Challenger and The Peacemaker
Congregants that fall into this group are headstrong. They need to gain a feeling of worth from their time. Sharing stories - both biblical and testimonials - is a great way to engage these individuals.
The Full Effect of Enneagram
Parishioners also find these personality types useful. The Enneagram figure shows people both their strengths and weaknesses. This increases self-awareness and informs them where they need work. This can help them come closer to God and understand how they can better serve Him. This can lead to a more engaged congregation.
Pastors can also use the information garnered from these typologies as part of their donor avatars. Church leaders have found these to be an effective way to better target and grow their email lists, but these avatars can do so much more than that. If used within the DonorWerx Framework, they'll serve as powerful resources to improve engagement and increase church revenue.
Use Enneagram in Church for What It’s Worth
How much value a church places in the Enneagram model depends entirely upon the congregation. Some people view this resource as a powerful tool for spiritual growth. Others feel it’s appropriate for identifying personality traits but shouldn’t involve spirituality at all. If you put this system to use in your ministry, though, you’ll garner several valuable benefits.
Your congregation is the foundation of the DonorWerx Framework, and knowing each member on a personal level is vital for increased giving. Donor segmentation can assist in this process, and Enneagram for churches can be a powerful tool for segmentation. If nothing else, this personality model will help you better understand your congregation.
Schedule a Discovery Call with our giving experts today. We’ll help you understand how really knowing your congregation can help increase giving by 10 percent in just six months.
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