Free Spiritual Gifts Test: Explore Your Gifts in 10 Minutes
You will see your three highest gifts, each with a Bible verse and two simple ways to use it.
How it works. Read each statement and choose how much it sounds like you: Not like me, A little like me, Mostly like me or Very like me. Think of the past year, and count what you choose to do at church, at home, at work and among friends, not only what a job or family role requires. Answer as you usually are, not as you’d like to be. Lower scores are fine; this isn’t a grade.
Save Very like me for things people who know you would say about you straight away. New to faith? Answer from what you do anywhere; low scores on the Bible-based gifts are normal at the start.
What you get. Your three highest of fourteen gifts, each with a verse from the Bible and two practical ideas, a chart of all fourteen, one simple step for this week, an easy way to ask friends which gift they see in you (the best check on any result), and journals for your quiet time with God. Six gifts from Paul’s lists, such as prophecy and tongues, are not in the test; the questions at the end of the page explain why.
Read more
How your result was worked out
Every gift is given for the good of others, and none of them matters without love. A test can point the way; serving, prayer and the people around you will show you more.
What are spiritual gifts?
The Holy Spirit gives every Christian gifts to use for others. Paul writes: “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.” (1 Corinthians 12:7, WEB). Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4 each name some of these gifts. They are not rewards, and no gift makes one Christian more important than another. They are the different ways God equips his people to care for one another.
Knowing your gifts helps you say yes to the right things. It can also free you from trying to do everything yourself. Some things, such as welcoming others, giving, showing mercy and speaking about Jesus, are asked of every Christian; a gift is a particular joy and strength in one of them. A gift is not the same as a natural talent, though God often works through both, and it grows as you use it.
The 14 spiritual gifts in this test
Administration
You see how the pieces of a shared task fit together, and you help a group move from good intentions to clear, workable steps. The word translated ‘governments’ in 1 Corinthians 12:28 pictures someone steering a ship.
Encouragement
You come alongside people and strengthen them to keep going. Paul's word ‘exhorts’ means to urge and to comfort, and your words help others take the next faithful step.
Evangelism
You find it natural to talk about Jesus with people who do not yet know him, and you notice openings others miss.
Faith
Every Christian lives by faith in Jesus; this gift is a special confidence in God for the sake of others. You trust God for what others think impossible, and your steady confidence helps a group keep praying and keep going.
Giving
You enjoy meeting needs with what you have, whether money or things, and you give gladly and without fuss.
Hospitality
You make people feel welcome and at home, whether at your table, at church or in a crowded room.
Serving
You see practical needs and meet them, often behind the scenes. Much of the church's life depends on people like you. Paul's word ‘helps’ in 1 Corinthians 12:28 points the same way.
Leadership
You help people see where a group could go, and you work diligently to take them there together, serving them rather than lording it over them.
Mercy
You are drawn to people who are hurting, and you stay with them with patience and compassion, gladly rather than grudgingly.
Shepherding
You care for the spiritual growth of a group of people over time, and you notice when someone drifts.
Teaching
You love to understand the Bible and explain it clearly, so that others grow in knowing God. Peter's ‘If anyone speaks’ (1 Peter 4:11) is close to this.
Wisdom
You see how God's truth applies to real situations, and people often find your counsel practical and helpful. Paul calls this ‘the word of wisdom’; churches understand it in different ways, and this test looks at the side most churches share.
Knowledge
You love to dig into God's Word and understand it deeply, and you help others see how the whole Bible fits together. Churches understand Paul's ‘word of knowledge’ in different ways; this test looks at the side most churches share: a God-given grasp of his truth, used to build others up.
Discernment
You can often tell truth from error, and you humbly help others weigh what they hear against Scripture. Paul calls this ‘discerning of spirits’; churches understand it in different ways, and this test looks at the side most churches share.
Spiritual gifts in the Bible
Four main passages list spiritual gifts. Romans 12:6-8 lists prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and showing mercy. 1 Corinthians 12 lists wisdom, knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, languages and their interpretation, and later apostles, prophets, teachers, helps and ‘governments’. Ephesians 4:11 names apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. 1 Peter 4:9-11 speaks of hospitality, speaking and serving. None of the lists is complete on its own, and each one is set inside a call to love and to unity in one body. Paul also speaks of each person’s own gift from God when he writes about marriage and singleness (1 Corinthians 7:7), and speaks of a gift given with the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 4:14).
How to find your spiritual gifts
- Take this test honestly, thinking of what you have actually done in the past year.
- Try serving in the areas where you scored highest, for a few months.
- Ask people who know you well, and your pastor, priest or minister, your group leader or a mature Christian friend you trust, what they see God doing through you.
- Keep a quiet daily time with God, and notice where serving brings joy and fruit for others.
The test is the same for women, men and teenagers. Gifts are given to every Christian, at every age and in every season of life, and each one is for building up others.
About this test
This free spiritual gifts test covers fourteen gifts that churches across traditions recognize today, at least in their everyday form, and that you can notice in ordinary life. Each gift has four statements, and the statements are mixed so the questions don’t come in gift order. Your result is a starting point for reflection: talk it over with your pastor, priest or minister, a small-group leader or a friend who has watched you serve. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.
Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican readers may know the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit from Isaiah 11; this test is about a different list, the gifts for serving others that Paul and Peter name.
Made by Stilling Waves Press, a Christian publisher, from within the historic faith confessed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. Questions or corrections: hello@stillingwaves.com.
For church leaders and small groups
There is no sign-up, and no answers are sent to us. Each person can print their result, and the group message under “Share your gifts” lets everyone compare their top three. Use the result as a conversation-starter, and confirm gifts through serving and your church’s own discernment.
Download the free leader kit (PDF)
Questions people ask
What are spiritual gifts?
Spiritual gifts are gifts of grace that the Holy Spirit gives to Christians so they can serve one another and build up the church. Paul lists them in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, and Peter in 1 Peter 4. Every Christian has at least one gift, and no gift makes anyone more important than anyone else.
How does this spiritual gifts test work?
You rate 56 short statements about what you do and enjoy, from ‘Not like me’ to ‘Very like me’. Each of the 14 gifts has four statements, so each gift scores from 0 to 12. At the end you see your three highest gifts, each with a verse and practical ideas, one simple step for this week, and a chart of all fourteen. It takes about 10 minutes.
Which gifts does the test cover?
Administration, encouragement, evangelism, faith, giving, hospitality, serving, leadership, mercy, shepherding, teaching, wisdom, knowledge and discernment: gifts that churches across traditions recognize today, at least in their everyday form, and that you can notice in ordinary life.
Why are apostles, prophecy, healing, miracles and tongues not included?
Paul also names apostles, prophecy, gifts of healings, miracles, kinds of languages (tongues) and their interpretation. These are real gifts in Scripture, and churches understand how they work today in different ways: some believe they continue today, others that they belonged especially to the church's founding, and churches also differ on how the apostles' calling continues. Either way, a questionnaire about everyday habits is not the right tool to measure them. Wisdom, knowledge and discernment come from the same list in 1 Corinthians 12; this test looks only at their everyday side. To explore these gifts, read 1 Corinthians 12–14 and talk with your pastor, priest or minister, or a mature Christian friend you trust.
How accurate is the result?
It is a starting point for reflection, not a final word. Your answers describe how you see yourself today. A questionnaire cannot fully tell a spiritual gift from a natural talent or your personality; the difference shows when God uses it to build others up. Gifts are usually confirmed as you serve and as people in your church see God working through you.
Is the test free? Do I need to sign up?
Yes, it is free, and you see your result straight away without giving an email address. Your answers stay in your browser and we do not receive them. If you would like the free Seven Days of Stillness emails (followed by about one email a week about our journals), you can sign up after your result.
What should I do after I know my gifts?
Pick one small way to use your top gift this week, tell your pastor, priest or minister, a group leader or a mature Christian friend you trust what you found, and keep a quiet daily time with God. Some gifts, such as shepherding, teaching and leadership, are linked in many churches to recognized roles, so let your church guide how you use them.