One step in the Discernment Process

Everyone has gifts, useful, even necessary to the work of God in and through the church. The gifts we have are not the same gifts; each of us has something different that we can offer. No one gift is better than any other gift. All gifts are precious and are needed in the life and ministry of the church.

The discernment of spiritual gifts is a helpful process for those who would like to be involved in the church but who may not know what they have to offer. The Spiritual Gifts Inventory is only one step in the process of the discernment of gifts. To read more about the Spiritual Gifts Discernment Process, see the blog post Spiritual Gifts Discernment Process

Spiritual Gifts Inventory Test

Instructions For Use

Time: 15 – 20 minutes
Download and print out the Score Sheet to record your answers.
There are a total of 115 statements below.
Don’t be modest; answer spontaneously and honestly using the following scores:

4 – Strongly Agree
3 – Agree Somewhat
2 – Undecided
1 – Disagree Somewhat
0 – Strongly Disagree

1. I find great joy in leading people to accomplish group goals.
2. I feel called to be a leader in the church.
3. I look for opportunities to assist people who have trouble doing for themselves.
4. I find that the repair and maintenance of things in my environment come easily to me.
5. It seems easy to perceive whether what a person is doing is honest or dishonest.
6. I enjoy sharing about God with people who are not church-goers.
7. I enjoy motivating people to a higher spiritual commitment.
8. I try to do God’s will, even when it’s not the popular thing to do.
9. It is very satisfying to me to give generously of my money for God’s work.
10. I enjoy the opportunity to pray with and for a person who is physically ill.
11. I like having people in my home.
12. I seem to recognize prayer needs instinctively.
13. I enjoy learning new things of all kinds.
14. I feel great compassion for the problems of others.
15. I adapt easily in a culture different from mine.
16. I like to sing hymns and songs either alone or with other people.
17. I enjoy having the responsibility of leading other people in their spiritual life.
18. I am ready to try the impossible, because I have great trust in God.
19. I like to talk about spirituality with other Christians.
20. I enjoy doing “chores” around the church.
21. I’m excited in helping people to discover important insights in the scriptures.
22. I am communicate easily with people of a different culture or language background.
23. People with spiritual problems have come to me for advice and counsel.
24. People seem to enjoy following my leadership in undertaking an important task.
25. I feel that God gives me wisdom in leading people in spiritual matters.
26. I enjoy helping with the emergency tasks around the Church.
27. I have enjoyed creating various kinds of arts and/or crafts.
28. I seem to have a sense of the direction in which God is leading.
29. I seem able to sense when the Spirit is leading a person to realize the Holy in their lives.
30. I have a knack for bringing out the best in others.
31. I’m willing to keep trying, even when a task is tedious and seems unending.
32. I share my possessions with others willingly.
33. I have prayed with a person who was in distress, and the person was comforted.
34. I do not feel uncomfortable when people drop in unexpectedly.
35. I pray for others often and for significant periods of time.
36. Through study I have learned many helpful insights.
37. Visiting people in retirement homes or the hospital gives me a great satisfaction.
38. It is easy for me to move into a new community and make friends.
39. God has given me the ability to play a musical instrument and I enjoy it.
40. It is exciting to provide spiritual leadership for a congregation.
41. I am often ready to believe God will lead us through a situation which others feel is impossible.
42. I like to share Scripture to comfort or to encourage others.
43. I enjoy doing routine tasks for the glory of God.
44. I have enjoyed teaching individuals and/or classes.
45. I derive spiritual meaning from music, art or nature.
46. I enjoy helping another to find solutions to difficult problems in life.
47. I like to organize people for more effective ministry.
48. I have little fear in leading people in spiritual matters.
49. I don’t mind helping people who are sick or disabled.
50. I like to create things with my hands.
51. I seem to have a knack for sensing the difference between truth and error.
52. I am drawn to share my faith in God with others.
53. I like to encourage inactive church members to become involved again.
54. I am sure of God’s loving presence, even when things go wrong.
55. I appreciate the opportunity to give of my skills and energy in a critical situation.
56. I feel called to be a part of the healing ministry of the church.
57. People seem to feel very comfortable in my home.
58. God consistently answers my prayers in tangible ways.
59. I have learned much about God from Scripture, books and observing life.
60. I sense joy in comforting people in difficult situations.
61. I am able to relate to and communicate with people of different locations or cultures.
62. I have enjoyed being involved with Church, school and/or local musical productions.
63. I like to assist people with their spiritual problems.
64. I believe that when I am doing God’s will, God can and does work through me.
65. I enjoy relating God’s Word to the issues of the day and sharing this with others.
66. When there is something to be done for the church, I’m glad to help, but I don’t want to be in charge.
67. It seems that people learn readily when I teach them.
68. I can communicate well with people who are limited by a physical or mental handicap.
69. I seem to be able to help people find the truths they seek.
70. I like the challenge of making important decisions.
71. I appreciate the opportunity to share God’s word with others.
72. One of my ministries is helping other people to bear their burdens.
73. I like to spend time and money improving and beautifying things in God’s creation.
74. I have helped people to discover God’s will in their lives.
75. I have sometimes shared spiritual experiences with a neighbor who doesn’t attend church.
76. People who are feeling perplexed often come to me for encouragement and comfort.
77. When everyone is discouraged — even me — I still trust God.
78. If I cannot give much money to support God’s work, I give generously of my time.
79. I feel peace when I am with a person who is sick or injured.
80. When missionaries or church leaders come to our church I like (or would like) to have them come to my home.
81. I faithfully pray for others recognizing that their effectiveness and total well-being depends on God.
82. Knowledge of the Bible and of church teachings helps me to solve problems in daily life and in the life of the church.
83. People seem to think I am a kind, compassionate person.
84. The thought of beginning a new church in a new community is exciting to me.
85. I feel secure that my musical ability will be of benefit to other people with whom I come in contact.
86. People like to bring their troubles & concerns to me because they feel I care.
87. People seem to think of me as one who believes that with God everything is possible.
88. It is important for me to speak out against wrong when I see it in the world.
89. I find more satisfaction in doing a job myself than in finding someone else to do it.
90. One of the joys of my ministry is training people to be more effective in living out their faith.
91. I can make sense of specialized information (like computers, blueprints, accounting, or others).
92. I feel that I have insight in selecting workable alternatives in difficult situations.
93. When I am in a disorganized group, I tend to be the first one to step forward to get us organized.
94. I enjoy training workers in the congregation.
95. If a family is facing a serious crisis, I enjoy the opportunity to help them.
96. I find pleasure in designing, creating or decorating things.
97. I often look beneath the surface and discover richer meanings.
98. I feel a deep concern for the people in my community who have not been attracted by the church.
99. I am sort of like a cheerleader, cheering others on when they are doing something well.
100. Even when it seems that my prayer isn’t answered, I keep praying.
101. I give sacrificially of my time, talents and resources because I know that God will meet my needs.
102. I feel strongly that my prayers for a sick person are important.
103. I have opened my home to someone in need.
104. I find myself praying even while I am doing other things.
105. I find it an enjoyable challenge to read and study a difficult book of the Bible.
106. I find great satisfaction in visiting people who are confined to their homes.
107. I have a strong desire to meet people of other communities and countries and to talk about our respective understandings of God.
108. I have a knack for selecting appropriate and inspiring music for worship services or for parish events.
109. I enjoy a close relationship with people in a one to one situation.
110. I will take on a difficult task for the church, because God will give me the ability to see it through.
111. I feel called to stand up for what is right even if it irritates others.
112. I like to do things without attracting much attention.
113. It is easy to organize materials for teaching a Bible class.
114. I have a knack for foreign languages — or ASL or Braille.
115. I have confidence in dealing with problems.

Calculate and interpret the score using the directions on the score sheet.

Read about your gifts

Use the List of Spiritual Gifts for further study.
Look over the material for your top three scores. If you have time, look at the information for any scores that you have doubts about.

Ask yourself…

Do I agree with the results? Why or why not?
Am I using my strongest gifts? How, or what do I need to do differently?
Are there gifts which I’d like to make stronger? How would I do that?
How does what I have learned from the inventory fit into my ministries?
What does this exercise lead me to do now?

The next step…

Find your ministry

After one has identified one’s spiritual gifts, the process of discernment turns to the discernment of one’s ministry, the use of one’s gifts — living out one’s baptismal vows — in the church and community. The List of Spiritual Gifts makes helpful suggestions of ministries where you can use your gifts effectively.

copied from “A Spiritual Gifts Discernment Process”
with a Spiritual Gifts Inventory developed by Michael Anne Haywood, with much help from Genie Carr, Steve Gambino, The Reverend Virginia Herring, Margaret Moore, Marjorie Northup, Mary at Stillpoint and Jean Woods, (c)June 1998.