Party Balance

In D&D and most other Role-Playing Games, there are a variety of classes one might play, including Fighters, Wizards, Clerics, Rogues, Druids, Paladins, etc., and each class has their own sets of abilities. Each class excels in different areas. Some specialize in combat, some wield potent magic, some do well in social encounters, and so on. Since each class has different skillsets, many adventuring parties try to have members in a variety of classes, so, no matter what comes up, they'll have at least one or two party members who can handle it. Having a balance of different classes is the key to some groups' success.

We have something similar in the church. Instead of classes, we each have different Gifts of the Spirit. Some prophesy, some preach, some teach, some do service, some coordinate and/or supervise the doing of service, and so on. We don't all have the same role in the church, just as not all adventurers have the same role in the party. The system works when we all use our gifts, fulfill our roles, and work together.

The key is to have unity in spite of our differences and to use those differences as a strength. A party of all arcane spellcasters might be interesting, but they could quickly get into trouble if a physical fight broke out and they all started needing healing. Similarly, having a church or a ward whose members all have the same spiritual gifts might lead to interesting results, just probably not productive ones. In the church and in role-playing games, we need different kinds of people fulfilling different roles so we can, together, handle the various problems that come our way. We don't all have the right tools for every job. We need different people with different tools to make sure we can get the job done.