About the Spiritual Gifts

Steers God's people into effective channels of service by understanding the resources needed to accomplish goals and plans, provides direction to others that results in efficient attainment of goals to make plans, launch projects, maintain vision and avoid chaos (1 Corinthians 12:28)

Strengths: Initiator, likes to organize, is detail oriented, loves to discover how the church gets from "here to there", loves to delegate and get others involved

Weaknesses: Expects too much, loves rules and policies, rigid, becomes lost in the details and forgets the big picture

The divine strength or ability to pioneer/start new churches, ministries, or opportunities through planting, gathering others, overseeing and training. Can identify, raise up, and develop new leaders. Leaders of leaders.

Strengths: Tenacity, perseverance, entrepreneurial, plants new ministries and churches, able and willing to take risks and perform difficult tasks. Can do conflict.

Weaknesses: Temperamental, stubborn, will run over people in order to accomplish the creation of ministries. Uses people to accomplish a purpose. Can be difficult to work with.

Divine strength or ability to plan, build, create, and work with your hands. People are blessed through your creative and artistic abilities.

Strengths: Can help create hospitable environments that accentuate ministry environments and opportunities. Brings beauty to the world. Need to be trained, tamed, and channeled to find appropriate means to bring their abilities to full fruition.

Weaknesses: Judgmental and critical eye on someone else’s work. Disregards others input when on your team. My way is right.

Clearly distinguishes truth from error by judging whether the behavior or teaching is from God, Satan, human error, or human power (1 Corinthians 12:10)

Strengths: Quick to see things that others don't see or don't see right away, possesses great insight so as to provide great insight, counsel and direction, able to accurately perceive if a church's ministry is on track with God's purposes and design and offer assistance

Weaknesses: Because they are often right, may become arrogant and even obnoxious, easily misunderstood

Enthusiastically shares the good news of the Gospel (the way of salvation), with ease, courage and effectiveness so that others desire to be saved (Ephesians 4:11-14; 1 Corinthians 12:10)

Strengths: Burdened in their hearts for the lost and will go out of their way to share the truth with them, compelled to win souls, given insight into how the lost think, able to clearly articulate the Gospel, dynamic, sees fruit of witnessing

Weaknesses: May tend to think that everyone should be like them, prideful, may not be as concerned with personal holiness ("winning the world and losing your soul"), may compromise facts to "make a sale"

Comes alongside of others with words of encouragement, comfort, consolation and counsel to help them mature in Christ and grow spiritually (Romans 12:8)

Strengths: Eagerly comes alongside during difficult times, constantly reminds people of God's sovereignty and love, gives thanks in all seasons, believes in God's goodness and strength to help a person become all God desires, compelled to give advice

Weaknesses: Tends to oversimplify solutions, needs visible evidences of acceptance and affirmation, talks too much, success may tempt them to promote principles as formulas and the formulas as cure-alls, may quote Scripture out of context, gives unwanted and unsolicited advice to people without a good foundation of trust and friendship

Possesses absolute confidence in God, believes God's promises and acts with unwavering assurance in carrying out His will; boldly prays, believes and sees God answer regularly (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

Strengths: A great prayer warrior, trusts God in all situations, optimistic and joyful about God fulfilling His purpose, sees God working and is grateful, believes God is loving and good

Weaknesses: May trust God and not act, impatience with those wavering in their faith, may become proud of their faith

Gives generously and joyfully (above a tithe) to the work and mission of Christ (Romans 12:8; 2 Corinthians 9:7)

Strengths: Cautious with purchases, hardworking, appreciative of accountability, personally involved in people's lives, rarely incurs debt, generous, loves to motivate others to give

Weaknesses: Reacts negatively to pressure to give, "tunnel vision" giving, if offended may allow feeling to interfere with God-given opportunities, tempted to judge a ministry based on a single incident that appears to reflect poor stewardship

Welcomes people warmly (even strangers), into their homes or church as a means of serving those in need of food or lodging or belonging (1 Peter 4:9-10)

Strengths: Tirelessly loves to serve people by making them feel comfortable, welcomed, valued and encouraged

Weaknesses: May take on too much, may feel frustrated by not being able to greet and get to know everybody well, frustrated with those that do not invite others into their home or are not friendly toward others

Seeks to learn as much about the Bible as possible through the gathering of much information and analyzing of data (which is not learned through the efforts of the natural mind) (1 Corinthians 12:8)

Strengths: Loves to study and gather information from God's Word, loves doing very detailed research

Weaknesses: Not necessarily gifted in teaching or exhorting, may even struggle with keeping others interested in what they have learned, may become prideful because of their great understanding of Scripture

Leads, motivates, casts vision, directs and unifies a group to accomplish the goals and purposes of the church (Romans 12:8)

Strengths: Trustworthy, excelling with people, usually multi-talented, ability to dream and cast vision, loves to grow and improve, able to see and articulate the "big picture", winsome personality that people want to follow, visionary, humble, confident leader

Weaknesses: Can be demanding and impatient, may struggle with pride and fail to take into consideration what "non-leaders" may be feeling or thinking, may be tempted to move too fast (so that he/she is so far ahead of the "troops" that he/she looks like the "enemy''), often needs those with the gift of administration to figure out the details of going "from here to there"

Loves, cares for, assists and walks compassionately with those who are suffering, until the Lord allows their burden to be lifted (Romans 12:8)

Strengths: Reaches out to people who are hurting, attracted to people in distress (that others want to run away from), loves the "unlovable", does not take sin lightly, tends to embrace humility

Weaknesses: Overly sensitive, allows others to become dependent on them, quick to take up others offenses, avoids conflict at all costs

The missionary gift is the divine strength or ability to reach others outside of your culture or nationality, while in most cases, living in that culture or nation. In some cases, willing to leave family and friends to take the faith to wherever God may lead.

Strengths: Courage, ease and excitement with the prospect of engaging different cultures and people groups.

Weaknesses: May witness without compassion, frustrated with others who do not "witness", may not be as concerned with discipleship ("let somebody else do that")

Can guide the emotions and spirits of others and help them enter into the presence of God. More than just a musical ability. It is the ability to gather and lead people into the presence of God through your presence. One test you might use to differentiate between natural talent and spiritual giftedness is determined whether you sing or play to be admired or whether you sing or play to instruct others in the things of the Lord

Strengths: Calls attention to Christ and the Word of God rather than self. They seek out others with this same gifting and encourage/instruct them and invent ways in which others can serve with their voices even if it means giving them preference in special music.

Weaknesses: Difficulty in planning and administration. Temperamental. Difficulty when perceiving your creativity is being challenged or stifled.

The gift of pastor/shepherd is the divine strength or ability to care for the personal needs of others by nurturing and mending life issues (1 Peter 5:1-3)

Strengths: Willing to take “ownership” of others and their needs in order to help encourage them, takes responsibility for “their people” and helps them get where they want to go

Weaknesses: Can be so focused on the needs of “their people” that they do not see a bigger picture for the church, they can allow the needs of a smaller group to impose upon the church at large

Proclaims the Word of God boldly with confidence - "forth-telling" the will of God (Romans 12:6-7; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; Ephesians 4:11-12)

Strengths: Boldly communicates and confidently uses Scripture, usually more teachable than others, not easily swayed by emotions, deep capacity to trust God, calls attention to sin and wrong attitudes, focuses on God's way, declares truth, views things as black and white

Weaknesses: Insensitive or harsh, has little sympathy and patience with people who do not respond objectively, intolerant or prideful, negative, "gloomy" approach to life, a confronter or fighter, may be intolerant with those who have a different (Biblically acceptable /permissible) view, critical of others, sees things as black and white

Gives support or assistance to others in the body so as to free them up for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:18)

Strengths: Flexible and selfless, orderly, available, sacrificial, gifted to perform physical tasks, loves to help others, finds joy in staying out of limelight

Weaknesses: Takes on too much, poor delegator, misplaced priorities, frustrated with people not helping, feels underappreciated

Instructs others in the Bible in a logical, systematic way so as to communicate pertinent information for true understanding and growth (Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

Strengths: Loves to study, enjoys expressing why things are true, loves to solve problems by studying more, is passionate about correcting error

Weaknesses: May dig so deep so as to miss the obvious, (impractical, analytical and unemotional), may reduce God's Word to an academic textbook and miss the goal of becoming like Christ, may be tempted to be prideful, may appear to be cold or insensitive by concentrating on facts, may give more information than anyone wants

Applies knowledge to life in such a way as to make spiritual truths quite relevant and practical in proper decision-making and daily life situations (1 Corinthians 12:8)

Strengths: Able to point out how God's Word fits into real life, provides great insight and counsel to those who are seeking godly wisdom (note: may not always be appreciated by those who are seeking worldly wisdom), believes the Bible to be absolutely true; points out the relevance and implications of Truth to particular situations or issues

Weaknesses: May be frustrated with and judgmental of people who act foolishly by not following God's Word, may feel discouraged and underappreciated when others do not heed their wise advice, may struggle with pride