A spiritual gifts inventory
The Gifted Life
Discover how God may have gifted you.
You are not giftless. But knowing what you have been given takes time — prayer, reflection, and the honesty of people who know you.
19 gifts · 76 statements · About 20 minutes
About
This is a guided reflection to help you begin. Over about 20 minutes, you'll consider how God has shaped you, look at the gifts the New Testament describes, and start to see where you might serve.
Your results are a starting point, not a final word. The most reliable confirmation will come from prayer, from conversation with people who know you, and from actually serving.
A companion to the teaching series Gifts of the Spirit.
Before you begin
How to use this inventory
- Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit, who gives the gifts “just as he determines” (12:11), to guide you as you reflect.
- Respond honestly. There are no right or wrong answers. Score yourself as you are, rather than as you wish you were.
- Think about the last two or three years. Recent patterns tell you more than a single moment. If you’re new to following Jesus, some statements about experience may be thin for now; that’s fine. Come back to this in six months.
- Use the scale. For each statement, choose a number from 1 to 5.
- Score your results. At the end, we total each gift and show your top three.
- Seek confirmation. Share your results with a trusted friend or leader, using the “What do you see in me?” questions.
The scale
Each gift has four statements: one about what draws you, two about what you've done, and one about what others have seen in you.
1
Not at all true of me
2
Rarely true of me
3
Sometimes true of me
4
Often true of me
5
Very true of me
Reference
The 19 gifts
Each gift is a way Christ speaks, acts, serves or leads through his body.
The Speaking GiftsChrist speaks through his body. · 8 gifts
1Prophecy · 1 Cor 14:3
Speaking a word prompted by God that strengthens, encourages and comforts.
Where to serve: Prayer team, House Party facilitation
2Words of wisdom · 1 Cor 12:8; James 3:17
Seeing and saying the godly way forward in a specific situation.
Where to serve: Counselling, mentoring, leadership
3Words of knowledge · 1 Cor 12:8; John 4:16–19
Insight from God about a person or situation, given for their good.
Where to serve: Prayer team, intercession
4Discernment · 1 Cor 12:10; 1 John 4:1
Telling apart what is from God, the flesh or the enemy.
Where to serve: Leadership, prayer team, pastoral care
5Teaching · Rom 12:7; 2 Tim 2:2
Explaining God’s Word clearly so people understand and obey it.
Where to serve: House Party, Institute, preaching
6Exhortation · Rom 12:8; Heb 10:24–25
Encouraging and urging people forward in faith.
Where to serve: House Party, pastoral care, mentoring
7Tongues · 1 Cor 14:2, 14–15
Praying and praising God in a language you haven’t learned.
Where to serve: Prayer team, worship
8Interpretation · 1 Cor 14:5, 13, 27
Making a message in tongues understandable to the church.
Where to serve: Worship, prayer team
The Power GiftsChrist acts through his body. · 3 gifts
9Faith · 1 Cor 12:9; Heb 11:6
Unusual confidence that God will act, which strengthens others to trust him.
Where to serve: Prayer team, vision, leadership
10Healing · 1 Cor 12:9; James 5:14–16
God restoring bodies, minds or hearts through prayer.
Where to serve: Prayer team, pastoral care
11Miracles · 1 Cor 12:10; Acts 4:29–31
Acts of God’s power beyond natural explanation, as signs of the Kingdom.
Where to serve: Prayer team, outreach
The Serving GiftsChrist serves through his body. · 4 gifts
12Service · Rom 12:7; 1 Pet 4:11
Meeting practical needs so the body can function.
Where to serve: Setup, teardown, hospitality, logistics
13Administration · 1 Cor 12:28; Luke 14:28
Organising people and plans so a vision becomes reality.
Where to serve: Events, operations, leadership
14Giving · Rom 12:8; 2 Cor 9:7
Joyful, generous use of resources for God’s work and people in need.
Where to serve: Generosity, fundraising, benevolence
15Mercy · Rom 12:8; Luke 10:33–34
Compassion that draws near to people in suffering.
Where to serve: Pastoral care, outreach, benevolence
The Equipping GiftsChrist leads through his body. · 4 gifts
16Evangelism · Eph 4:11; Acts 8:35
Sharing the gospel clearly and naturally, and seeing people believe.
Where to serve: Outreach, community engagement
17Shepherding · Eph 4:11; 1 Pet 5:2–3
Caring for and guiding a group of people over time.
Where to serve: House Party, pastoral care, discipleship
18Leadership · Rom 12:8; Mark 10:42–45
Setting direction and helping people move together.
Where to serve: Ministry teams, leadership, vision
19Apostleship · Eph 4:11; Rom 15:20
Pioneering and establishing new works for the Kingdom.
Where to serve: Church planting, new initiatives
What do you see in me?Questions for two people who know you well, to help confirm your gifts.
- What does this person do that blesses you or others?
- Where have you seen God bear fruit through them?
- Looking at the list of gifts in this inventory, which two or three do you see in them? Why?
- Where do you think they could serve, in the church or in the city?
- Is there anything you’d encourage them to develop or grow in?