Get Ready to Grow        

The results about our spiritual giftedness are not final, so don’t get discouraged with them. You are a growing believer in a growing church. Your ability to serve Christ can grow. This means you can develop your spiritual gifts, especially when there is a desire to do better. For those under age 20, or those who have recently been saved, these answers may not reflect your desire to serve Christ. Until you know your limitations, you won’t accurately know yourself nor will you accurately take this test.

Evolution of a young plant

When you get ready to interpret your abilities, notice your two or three strongest gifts. This is your Gift Mix. Don’t look for just your strongest gift; study how one gift relates to the other. Remember, God’s plan is to “use you,” where you are usable. This Questionnaire will help you discover where you are most usable. When you know your gift, then place yourself at God’s disposal to be used by Him.

What Are Spiritual Gifts?

This questionnaire only surveys the nine task gifts, also called the serving gifts. These nine spiritual gifts are generally recognized by evangelical believers. Different groups of believers add other abilities to their list which are not listed here, nor are they measured in this questionnaire. Because spiritual gifts should build unity in the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:14-27), the obvious abilities usually found in a broad base of churches are: Prophecy, Helper, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Administration, Mercy Shower, Evangelism, and Shepherding.

The following 9 spiritual gifts used in the questionnaire are explained and illustrated to help you understand your spiritual gifts. Look up the scriptural references to help you understand their nature and function.

PROPHECY:
that special ability to see the influence of evil as did the Old Testament prophets and warn God’s people of its damage. The prophet has a deep passion to defend God’s reputation, stand for issues and use negative motivation, i.e., “Thus saith the Lord…” (1 Cor. 12:10, 28; Eph. 4:11, 11-14; Rom. 12:6).

HELPS:
that special ability to do service-oriented work for God in necessary tasks that may seem routine and mundane. The helper usually enjoys serving without public attention, doing such tasks as preparing a meeting room or working on a church building (1 Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7, 16:1, 2 NKJV; 1 Pet. 4:10, 11).

TEACHING:
that special ability and desire to study God’s Word and share with others what is learned. The teacher enjoys communicating information to individuals or groups (Eph. 4:11-14; 1 Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7).

EXHORTATION:
that special ability to find and communicate to others practical ways of serving God. The exhorter is a positive motivator, knowing practical Christianity will change the lives of others (Rom. 12:8, 1 Tim. 4:13; Heb. 10:25).

GIVING:
that special ability to contribute material resources to God’s work. The giver has a great desire to share time, talent, and treasures with liberality and self-sacrificing cheerfulness (Rom. 12:8, 2 Cor. 8:1-7, 9:12).

ADMINISTRATION:
that special ability to manage human, financial, and physical resources in an efficient manner. The administration functions by planning, organizing, leading, and supervising (Rom. 12:8; 1 Cor. 12:28; Titus 1:5).

SHOWING MERCY:
that special ability to identify with those in distress and sympathetically give spiritual comfort and support. The mercy shower ministers through identifying with those in distress and comes along side to comfort them (Rom. 12:8; Matt. 9:36).

EVANGELISM:
that special ability to lead unsaved people to knowledge of Christ. The evangelist has a passion for souls, a clear understanding of the Gospel, and a tendency to be confrontational in approaching people because of the urgency of the task (Eph. 4:11-14; 2 Tim. 4:5; Acts 21:8; Acts *;5, 6).

SHEPHERDING:
that special ability to lead a group of believers. The shepherd (group leader) has a desire to help the group determine its spiritual goal(s), provide direction as they move toward the goal, and protect the group members from harmful influences (Eph. 4:11-14; 1 pet. 5:1,3).