Spiritual Gifts

Paul talks about the gifts people have, and how not everyone will have the same gifts. My pastor keeps mentioning that the people in church who can speak in tongues need to speak in tongues because we're a Pentecostal church.

I don't speak in tongues. Somehow, I became afraid of it when I was a child, and still feel uncomfortable with the idea of speaking tongues myself. I think it's awesome when other people do it for real. It brings God's presence right into our service. 

But when he kept mentioning it, I wondered again: "Do I need to speak in tongues? Am I a bad Christian if I don't? Am I a bad Pentecostal Christian if I don't?

And then, I found Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Corinthians 12:3-6).

There are different works, and God calls each of us to different works by the abilities He gives us. It's actually a bit of a relief that God doesn't call all of us to be preachers behind the pulpit, even though we're all supposed to be leaders. (I'll work on a post about that.)

The next part answered my questions.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

Some people may have multiple gifts. I have seen people speak in tongues one service, and then interpret a message in tongues the next. But we all have different gifts, and the distribution of them is determined by the Holy Spirit. We should not try to push a gift onto someone, nor should we ridicule someone based on our perception of their gift (or lack thereof).