Seven Characters We Need In Church

I found this on Christianity Today.
It's long, but I thought worth the read.....

Romans 12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-31 compare the church to a body. In order to function, a body needs a lot of different parts. And each part needs special abilities. What kind of abilities? I thought of seven characters who'd fit in well. In fact, I think every church needs a …
Professor X
In the X-Men films, Magneto believes that mutants must take care of themselves in a world that hates them. Professor X believes humans and mutants can and must live together.
Magneto's plan doesn't sound that evil, really. But Professor X is able to see the lie behind Magneto's thinking. Just because a path seems easy and attractive, it isn't always right. Knowing the difference is discernment. We need people like Professor X in the church because of their ability to know right and wrong.
In church, Professor X would help his congregation stay on the right track and discern what the Bible says about certain issues. God would speak through him in distinguishing truth from error and deciding if teachings really come from God. We see this a lot in the Bible. My favorite example is in Acts 5:1-11. Ananias and Sapphira tell lies from Satan, but God uses Peter to discern the truth.
Other discerners: Morpheus in The Matrix and Yoda in Star Wars.

Mrs. Beaver
The first time Mrs. Beaver meets the young heroes of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, she says, "Come inside, we'll get you some food." From there, she works to provide for them while Mr. Beaver tells them all about Narnia. She stirs the pot on the fire. She feeds the kids. Keeps them all warm.
She is the behind-the-scenes server and helper. In the church, these people do tasks—however small—to free others to use their own gifts for ministry. So who's Mrs. Beaver in your church? It's the person in the kitchen washing dishes after a big fundraiser. Or the guys setting up chairs. Or the people working in the nursery. In John 13:1-17, Jesus gave the ultimate lesson in serving when he washed his disciples feet. Jesus (who modeled many gifts including teaching and leading) modeled humbleness by doing the small tasks for others. This is shown in a neat way in Bruce Almighty. When Bruce first meets God, he is a humble janitor. That's Jesus—a helper and server. Like Mrs. Beaver, this janitor knows that every church needs those who do the dirty work.
Other servers/helpers: Jin from Lost and Edna 'E' Mode in The Incredibles.

Pierre Dulaine
In Take the Lead, Pierre Dulaine is able to reach rough, lost kids considered unteachable. How does he do it? By dancing.
Through basic dance principles—like leading and following—Pierre teaches his students about life. He makes his lessons relevant to their daily experiences. He spots their talents and skills and not only encourages them to use those skills, but shows them how.
At your church, Pierre would be the youth pastor who uses great illustrations, tells powerful stories and offers understandable and practical ways to live out your faith. He'd have the gift to make God's Word come alive and make sense. He'd also care deeply about each student and encourage them to find their own role. This is what Ephesians 4:12 means when it says that God appointed teachers "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
Other teachers: Hank Hill from King of the Hill and Coach Boone from Remember the Titans.

Summer Hathaway
When fake substitute teacher Dewey Finn forms a band out of his class in School of Rock, he makes ambitious, responsible and organized Summer Hathaway the band manager. "I'll be busy rocking out," Dewey tells her. "It's up to you to make sure everyone is doing their jobs." And she does. With a clipboard and many checklists, Summer makes sure everyone is where they need to be, schedules gigs and keeps track of the band's gear.
In your church, Summer is the person who keeps everything in order and on schedule. This is the gift of administration. In the original Greek, "administrate" means to steer or guide. Administrators in your church, like Summer, keep things running so the leaders can concentrate on doing what God has called them to do.
Other administrators: Alfred in the Batman films and C-3PO in Star Wars.

Will Turner
When the governor's daughter, Elizabeth, is kidnapped in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the commodore wants to play it safe. But a lowly peasant blacksmith, Will Turner, steps up with a new plan. Before it is over, Will becomes a trusted leader. When being chased by pirates, Will commands the crew to take a stand. Though Will's plan seems crazy, his crew trusts his leadership and guidance.
Why? Because Will has the leadership qualities of confidence, decision-making and courage. He models trustworthiness and shows what it means to work hard. Will doesn't lead like a dictator, but works as a team with Captain Jack and Elizabeth. He isn't always the first to speak on issues, but he guides others—sometimes quietly—to address them. He presents an example of what is right and just. This is a big part of what leadership in the church is about: standing before people to direct and motivate them to accomplish goals. Hebrews 13:17 says that leaders "are watching over you, and they must answer to God."
Other leaders: Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings and Peter Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson is so smart that she used to change her own diapers. And now, even though she's only 8, Lisa often uses her wisdom to guide others. Whenever something in Springfield is not right, Lisa is the person always popping her head up and saying, "We need to fix this!"
When Homer joined the Stonecutters club, Lisa discovered they only concentrated on power and fun. Lisa told her dad, "Getting what you want all the time leaves you unfulfilled and joyless." Her warnings help Homer see that the group should actually be helping other people. Like Lisa, people in the church with the gift of wisdom make their knowledge practical and useful by helping others understand how it impacts their daily life and decision-making.
Other wisdom-lenders: Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid.

Hagrid
Romans 12:8 says that if a person's gift is "showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully" (NIV). Nobody displays that better than Hogwart's groundskeeper/professor Hagrid. There are few people with a bigger heart than Hagrid. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, he has compassion for animals no one else would go near, and does it all with a big goofy grin. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Draco Malfoy does everything he can to make life miserable for Hagrid. What's Hagrid do? He does his best to be nothing but kind to Malfoy.
At your church, Hagrid would offer genuine sympathy, speak words of love and compassion. He'd be everyone's shoulder to cry on. And that's one big shoulder.
Other mercy-givers: Rachel Dawes from Batman Begins and Lucy from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Who are You?
You may not have any cartoons or talking animals in your congregation, but you do have people with lots of roles and gifts. Who has a gift of teaching? Who is serving? Who offers mercy? How do they all work together?
And how do you fit in? What gifts do you have?