Theological blinders

In our recent staff evaluations, I and the church planter both pressed for the staff to spend some time in the Word as a staff. This hadn't been happening ever, so the senior pastor started it last week with 2 Timothy. Today we covered verses 3-7 and in the course of the study, he asked what we thought the gift in verse 6 actually was. A couple of people thought it was Paul passing on his authority and/or calling - possibly something akin to an ordination. I pointed out 1 Timothy 4:14, which reads (in the NASB): "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery." Now, I'm no trained exegete, but "the spiritual gift within you" sounds like a lot more than a mere ordination or "passing the baton" as the SP suggested. I raised this question and was told, quite quickly, that this could not, in fact, be a spiritual gift since Timothy already had the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it could only be an appellation or transfer of authority and nothing more.

Riiiiiiiight. Way to edit the text to avoid uncomfortable implications.