Earlier today, I was talking with my sister about spiritual gifts and went off into a rant. For those who may not know, the briefest description of a spiritual gift is this: an ability that is given by God at the moment a person becomes a Christian. Spiritual gifts equip us as believers to build up the Church. If you want to learn more about spiritual gifts, the most referenced biblical passages are Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11,29 and Ephesians 4:11-13.
If you are a ministry leader, it’s helpful to know the spiritual gifts of your team members because it can give you greater clarity and understanding of how God wants to use your team to advance his mission. As an individual, it’s helpful to know your spiritual gifts because it gives you greater clarity regarding and understanding of your personal role in advancing God’s mission. It will help you better understand which opportunities to pursue and which ones to turn down.
There are tons of assessments that will help you discover and understand your spiritual gifts, but my pet peeve is assessments that identify things like singing and craft making as spiritual gifts. While the talent of singing can certainly be seen as a gift, it’s not a spiritual gift. So instead of just ranting, I thought I would share one of the spiritual gifts assessments that I have often recommended to others.
This free assessment is from the Church Growth Institute. Click here to access it. Please note that there are two options: a free individual analysis and a group analysis. The group analysis has a charge, but it provides a way to store and track the results of a team.
Do you know your spiritual gifts? What was your journey of discovering them? How have you seen God use your gifts? I’d love to hear from you!