What Are My Spiritual Gifts? Tests & Tools to Discover Your God-Given Gifts

If you’ve ever wondered, “What are my spiritual gifts?” you’re not alone.

Maybe you’re trying to understand how God has uniquely equipped you. Maybe you’re searching for greater clarity around your purpose or calling. Or maybe you simply recognize that certain ways of helping, leading, teaching or encouraging others seem to come naturally to you.

A spiritual gifts test, sometimes called a spiritual gifts assessment or spiritual gifts inventory, can be a helpful starting point.

These assessments typically ask you to reflect on your interests, motivations, behaviors and experiences in order to identify patterns that may align with spiritual gifts described in the Bible.

But there’s an important distinction:

A spiritual gifts test can help you reflect. It can’t definitively tell you what God has called you to do.

Think of your results as information to explore alongside Scripture, prayer, experience, trusted community and the actual ways your gifts show up in your life.

Quick Answer: What Is a Spiritual Gifts Test?

A spiritual gifts test is a self-assessment designed to help Christians explore the ways they may be particularly equipped to serve, lead, teach, encourage or contribute to their communities.

Depending on the assessment, you may answer questions about:

• What kinds of problems you’re naturally drawn to solve
• How you respond when someone needs support
• Whether you prefer teaching, leading, serving or encouraging
• What types of service energize you
• What others consistently come to you for
• Where you’ve seen your efforts create meaningful impact

Your answers are then compared with different categories of spiritual gifts.

Most assessments take somewhere between several minutes and 20 minutes depending on their length.

And there are no “good” or “bad” results.

The purpose isn’t to determine how spiritual you are. It’s to give you another tool for understanding how you may be uniquely wired to contribute.

What Are Spiritual Gifts?

Within Christianity, spiritual gifts generally refer to abilities or expressions of service associated with the work of the Holy Spirit.

Several New Testament passages discuss spiritual gifts, including:

• Romans 12:6–8
• 1 Corinthians 12
• Ephesians 4:11–13
• 1 Peter 4:10–11

Different Christian denominations and theological traditions interpret these passages somewhat differently, including how particular gifts function today.

What these passages consistently emphasize, however, is that gifts are meant to benefit other people and the broader community, rather than simply becoming labels we collect about ourselves.

That makes identifying your gifts less about asking:

“What am I?”

and more about asking:

“How am I equipped to serve?”

What Are the 7 Spiritual Gifts in Romans 12?

Romans 12:6–8 is one of the most commonly referenced passages in spiritual gifts assessments.

It describes seven gifts or expressions of service:

1. Prophecy

In this context, prophecy is often understood as communicating truth with conviction and helping others see what needs to be acknowledged or addressed.

Christian traditions differ in how they understand the nature and present-day expression of prophecy.

2. Serving

People drawn toward service tend to notice practical needs and want to meet them.

They may be the people quietly asking:

What needs to be done, and how can I help?

3. Teaching

Teaching involves helping others understand ideas, principles or truths more clearly.

People strong in teaching often enjoy studying information, organizing it and communicating it in a way that helps something finally click for someone else.

4. Encouraging

Sometimes called exhortation, encouragement involves strengthening, motivating or supporting others.

An encourager may naturally help people see possibility, continue through difficulty or take a meaningful next step.

5. Giving

Giving reflects a willingness and desire to generously contribute resources to help others and advance meaningful work.

Those resources aren’t limited to money. They may also include time, access, opportunities, expertise or other forms of support.

6. Leadership

Leadership involves guiding, organizing and mobilizing people toward a shared vision or goal.

Someone with strong leadership tendencies may naturally see where something could go and help create the structure necessary to move people there.

7. Mercy

Mercy reflects deep compassion toward people who are hurting, struggling or marginalized.

People strong in mercy often notice emotional or human needs that others may overlook and feel compelled to respond with care.

Are There More Than 7 Spiritual Gifts?

Yes, depending on the biblical passages and theological framework being used.

Romans 12 is only one of several New Testament passages discussing gifts.

For example, 1 Corinthians 12 discusses gifts including wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation of tongues.

Ephesians 4 discusses apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in the context of equipping the church.

Because these passages serve different purposes and Christian traditions interpret them differently, you’ll find spiritual gifts assessments that measure different numbers and categories of gifts.

That’s one reason two spiritual gifts tests may give you somewhat different results.

The goal shouldn’t necessarily be finding the one “perfect” test.

The better question is:

What patterns keep showing up across your assessment results, your experiences, the feedback of people who know you well and the ways you naturally contribute?

How Do I Determine My Spiritual Gifts?

Taking an assessment is one way to begin, but it shouldn’t be the only way.

Try combining these five approaches.

1. Take a Spiritual Gifts Assessment

An assessment can give you language for patterns you may already recognize but haven’t known how to describe.

Pay particular attention to your top two or three results rather than becoming overly attached to one label.

2. Look at What People Already Come to You For

Think about your actual life.

Do people consistently ask you to explain things?

Organize things?

Lead?

Listen?

Encourage them?

Solve practical problems?

Make decisions?

Create community?

Sometimes the patterns other people already recognize in us provide useful clues about our strengths.

3. Notice What Energizes You

Not everything you’re capable of doing is necessarily something you’re called to keep doing.

Ask yourself:

When do I feel most useful, energized and connected to something larger than myself?

Then look for patterns.

4. Experiment Through Service

You don’t have to completely understand your gifts before using them.

Volunteer.

Lead something.

Teach something.

Mentor someone.

Help organize a project.

Serve in your community.

Sometimes clarity comes through action rather than additional introspection.

5. Ask People Who Know You Well

Ask trusted friends, mentors, faith leaders or community members:

“Where do you see me making the greatest impact on other people?”

Their answers may surprise you.

Two Spiritual Gifts Assessments to Explore

There are many spiritual gifts tests online. Rather than taking every quiz you can find, start with a couple of established options and compare what you learn.

Discipleship Ministries Spiritual Gifts Inventory

Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church offers an online Spiritual Gifts Inventory consisting of 80 statements.

Participants rate how closely each statement describes them, and the inventory is designed to help people explore spiritual gifts within a New Testament framework.

Take the Discipleship Ministries Spiritual Gifts Inventory.

Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Survey

The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Survey from ChurchGrowth.org contains 108 questions and explores nine team- or task-oriented spiritual gifts.

The assessment is designed as a self-evaluation rather than an exam and provides a profile of the participant’s dominant gifts.

Explore the Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Survey.

You may get slightly different results from different assessments.

That’s okay.

Look for patterns, not a perfect score.

How to Get Better Results From a Spiritual Gifts Test

A few simple guidelines can make these assessments much more useful.

Answer based on who you actually are.
Don’t choose the answer you think a “good Christian” is supposed to choose.

Don’t overthink every question.
Your initial reaction often tells you more than spending five minutes trying to engineer the ideal answer.

Think about repeated patterns.
One isolated experience doesn’t necessarily reveal a gift. Look at behaviors and motivations that consistently appear across different parts of your life.

Don’t treat the result like a diagnosis.
A spiritual gifts assessment is a reflection tool, not an objective measurement of your worth, faith, maturity or divine calling.

Compare the result with real life.
Where have you actually seen this gift expressed? What feedback have you received from others? What happens when you use it?

Spiritual Gifts vs. Natural Talents: What’s the Difference?

Spiritual gifts, natural talents and personality traits can overlap, which is one reason people sometimes use the terms interchangeably.

But they aren’t necessarily the same thing.

A natural talent is something you may have an aptitude for or develop through practice: writing, athletics, design, public speaking or music, for example.

A personality trait describes tendencies in how you think, behave or interact with the world: analytical, outgoing, reflective, adventurous or detail-oriented.

A spiritual gift, within Christian theology, relates specifically to how a believer may be equipped to contribute, serve and build up others.

These categories can work together.

Someone may have a natural talent for communication, a personality that enjoys connecting with people and a spiritual gift related to teaching or encouragement.

The more interesting question becomes:

What happens when all of those things work together?

What Do You Do Once You Know Your Gifts?

This may be the most important part.

Because identifying your gifts is only useful if the information changes how you live.

Once you’ve identified a few likely strengths, ask yourself:

• Where am I already using these gifts?
• Where am I underusing them?
• What environments bring out the best in me?
• What problems do I care deeply about helping solve?
• Who do I feel especially drawn to serve?
• What would it look like to develop these strengths intentionally?
• Could these gifts influence the work I choose to do?

That final question can open an entirely new conversation.

Can Your Spiritual Gifts Influence Your Career or Calling?

Your spiritual gifts don’t necessarily dictate a particular profession.

Having the gift of teaching doesn’t automatically mean you’re supposed to become a teacher.

Leadership doesn’t automatically mean you should become a CEO.

Encouragement doesn’t automatically mean you should become a coach.

But understanding how you naturally contribute can give you valuable information about the kinds of roles, environments and work that feel meaningful to you.

Maybe you’re excellent at teaching but rarely get to teach in your current career.

Maybe everyone comes to you when they’re facing a major decision.

Maybe you naturally create community wherever you go.

Maybe you’re energized by helping someone see something about themselves they couldn’t see before.

Maybe you’ve spent years developing strengths that don’t appear anywhere on your résumé.

Those patterns are worth paying attention to.

Could Coaching Be One Way You Use Your Gifts?

For some people, exploring their strengths eventually leads them to professional coaching.

Professional coaching is distinct from ministry, spiritual direction, therapy and consulting. A trained coach doesn’t simply give advice or tell someone what path God intends for them.

Coaching is a professional skill built around listening, inquiry, awareness, reflection, goal development and helping clients create their own forward movement. Check out “What is Life Coaching? Explained Simply” here.

That distinction matters.

You can be naturally encouraging and still need to learn how to coach.

You can be an incredible listener and still need professional training.

You can have years of lived experience and still need to understand the boundaries between coaching, therapy, consulting, mentoring and other helping professions.

Natural strengths can be the beginning.

Training develops those strengths into professional skills.

If you’re curious about the profession itself, start with our guide to What Is Life Coaching? or watch our video on How to Coach Yourself to experience some coaching principles in action.

From Theologian to Professional Coach: Rozella White’s Story

There isn’t one personality type, career background or life story that creates a great coach.

Rozella White is a powerful example.

Before becoming a professional coach, Rozella’s work was deeply rooted in theology, ministry, leadership, spirituality and social impact.

She later completed professional coach training through IGC Coaching School and built coaching into work centered around leadership, relationships, healing, justice and what she describes as a Love Ethic.

Her story illustrates something important:

Discovering your gifts doesn’t always mean abandoning everything you’ve already done. Sometimes it means finding a new way to integrate it.

In our conversation with Rozella, we explore her journey from theologian to entrepreneur and coach, the role of love in her work and how her previous experiences became part of the work she does today.

Not Sure What Kind of Coaching Fits Your Strengths?

If coaching has crossed your mind but you’re wondering:

“Okay…but what would I actually coach people on?”

That’s a different question.

Your coaching niche sits at the intersection of several things, including your strengths, interests, lived and professional experience, the people you want to serve and the problems they’re seeking help solving.

IGC Coaching School created a free Coaching Niche Quiz to help aspiring coaches begin exploring those possibilities.

Take the Free Coaching Niche Quiz → HERE.

Your spiritual gifts don’t determine your niche.

But the things you’ve experienced, learned, overcome, developed and become deeply interested in can all provide useful clues.

Spiritual Gifts Test FAQ

What is the best spiritual gifts test?

There isn’t one universally accepted “best” spiritual gifts test. Different assessments use different theological frameworks and categories. A useful assessment should encourage reflection rather than claim to definitively determine God’s calling for you.

Consider taking more than one assessment and comparing your results with Scripture, experience, service and feedback from trusted people in your community.

Is there a Romans 12 spiritual gifts test?

Yes. Many spiritual gifts assessments are built partly or entirely around the gifts described in Romans 12:6–8: prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and mercy.

Other assessments also incorporate gifts discussed in 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and other biblical passages.

How many spiritual gifts can a person have?

The New Testament discusses a variety of spiritual gifts but doesn’t provide a modern assessment system or prescribe that every person must receive a particular number of gifts.

Many contemporary spiritual gifts inventories therefore identify several stronger areas rather than assigning one permanent label.

Are spiritual gifts the same as talents?

Not necessarily.

Natural talents generally describe abilities or aptitudes, while spiritual gifts are understood within Christian theology in relation to serving and contributing to others through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The two can certainly overlap.

What if my spiritual gifts test results don’t feel accurate?

That’s completely possible.

Self-assessments depend partly on how you perceive yourself, and no questionnaire can capture every aspect of a person’s life, faith or calling.

Use the result as a hypothesis to explore rather than a verdict you have to accept.

Can I use my spiritual gifts outside of church?

Many Christians understand spiritual gifts as something expressed throughout life rather than only within formal church roles.

Leadership can appear at work.

Encouragement can appear in friendships.

Mercy can influence how you respond to people who are struggling.

Teaching can appear in a classroom, company, community or family.

Service can happen almost anywhere.

The setting may change while the underlying way you contribute remains remarkably consistent.

Your Gifts Are a Starting Point, Not a Box

Finding language for your strengths can be powerful.

It can help explain why certain work energizes you, why people consistently come to you for particular things and why some forms of contribution feel deeply meaningful.

But don’t let an assessment become another set of rules about who you’re allowed to be.

Take the test.

Study the results.

Pray about them.

Talk about them.

Experiment.

Serve.

Pay attention to what happens.

And then ask the bigger question:

How do I want to use what I’ve been given?

That question may lead you deeper into your faith, your community, your relationships, your leadership, your career — or somewhere you haven’t considered yet.

And sometimes, discovering your gifts isn’t about finding an entirely new version of yourself.

It’s about finally recognizing the strengths that have been showing up all along.