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I was watching Zoolander the other day when I realized Derek Zoolander totally reminds me of a guy at my church. Really. This guy may not be the world's greatest supermodel, but he is a bit goofy and has a big, caring heart like Derek. Thinking about Derek Zoolander attending my church made me wonder, What if there was a whole church of movie and TV characters? That'd be a diverse group—full of action heroes, aliens and even talking animals. But then again, every church is made up of many different characters with varied abilities and jobs. That's how God made it.

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? Well, as I was thinking about that church Derek Zoolander might go to, I thought of seven characters who'd fit in well. In fact, I think every church needs a …

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 inActs 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.

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. InJohn 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.

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