How do I interpret and understand my spiritual gifts assessment results?: Spiritual Gifts FAQs
Question:
I just completed the GodGiftsYou online spiritual gifts assessment. How do I interpret and understand my results?
My Response:
When you look at the results of your GodGiftsYou spiritual gifts assessment, you should divide those results into
Top-scoring ones (usually 3-5 gifts score a bit higher than the rest). Look for the first break in scores. For example, three 14’s followed by two 12’s. Your gifts would be those three 14’s. See below for more examples with explanation.
Middle-scoring ones (usually not gifts but perhaps behaviors that have resulted from spiritual disciplines or walking closely with Jesus). Continuing the above example, if your gifts are the three 14’s, the middle-scores might be 8’s through 12’s.
Low-scoring ones (not your gifts—at least not in this season). These might be anything 0 to 7 for the example above.
The actual score numbers will vary from person to person. Someone might have gifts that score 15* at the top of their list, whereas you might have gifts that score 12 at the top of your list. Each of you is simply looking at the top tier of gifts, not comparing score number with one another.
Let’s take another few examples to help provide clarity:
Person A’s assessment results were as follows:
· Discernment: 12
· Exhortation: 12
· Hospitality: 12
· Administration: 11
· Mercy: 11
· Faith: 10
· Giving: 10
· Wisdom: 10
· Helps: 8
· Craftsmanship: 7
· Evangelism: 7
· Shepherding: 7
· Miraculous Powers: 7
· Leadership: 6
· Teaching: 6
· Prophecy: 5
· Intercession: 4
· Apostleship: 3
· Knowledge: 3
· Healing: 3
· Interpretation of Tongues: 1
· Artistic Expression: 0
· Tongues: 0
Looking at this list, Person A should consider Discernment (12), Exhortation (12), and Hospitality (12) his top gifts. He might also include Administration (11) and Mercy (11) in that top tier—that is, if he feels the definitions of those two additional gifts is true of him most of the time AND if others can see and affirm those gifts of his.
His middle group would be Teaching (6) through Faith (10). Either not his gifts (or not gifts in this particular season) or things for which he was unable to respond in the affirmative on the assessment. Perhaps he has never had the opportunity to teach or lead? In any case, focusing on this middle group is not nearly as helpful as spending time and energy using the top tier group that ARE his gifts.
The bottom tier for this person would be Tongues (0) through Prophecy (5). This person is likely not starting new ministries/endeavors (Apostleship) nor creating things through the fine arts (Artistic Expression) nor the first person to sign up for the Prayer Ministry (Intercession).
Person B’s assessment results were as follows:
· Faith: 15
· Teaching: 15
· Discernment: 14
· Exhortation: 13
· Giving: 13
· Helps: 13
· Healing: 13
· Knowledge: 12
· Artistic Expression: 11
· Evangelism: 11
· Leadership: 11
· Prophecy: 11
· Wisdom: 11
· Miraculous Powers: 11
· Administration: 10
· Apostleship: 10
· Hospitality: 10
· Shepherding: 9
· Tongues: 9
· Intercession: 7
· Mercy: 7
· Craftsmanship: 5
· Interpretation of Tongues: 1
Looking at this list, Person B should consider her top gifts to be Faith (15), Teaching (15), and Discernment (14), and likely might also include Exhortation (13), Giving (13), Helps (13), and Healing (13) in that top list. Again, as with Person A—the affirmation of others experiencing her use of these tied gifts (four at 13) will be useful.
Her middle tier would include everything from Hospitality (10) to Knowledge (12). Her non-gifts would be Interpretation of Tongues (1) through Shepherding (9).
Again, the focus for Person B should be her top 3-7 gifts.
Person C’s assessment results were as follows:
· Administration: 13
· Helps: 13
· Giving: 10
· Craftsmanship: 9
· Faith: 9
· Miraculous Powers: 7
· Exhortation: 6
· Hospitality: 6
· Mercy: 6
· Apostleship: 5
· Knowledge: 5
· Healing: 5
· Discernment: 4
· Intercession: 4
· Leadership: 4
· Prophecy: 4
· Evangelism: 3
· Shepherding: 3
· Wisdom: 2
· Teaching: 1
· Artistic Expression: 0
· Tongues: 0
· Interpretation of Tongues: 0
Person C’s top tier of gifts includes Administration (13), Helps (13), Giving (10), and probably also Craftsmanship (9) and Faith (9). Then, her scores drop to 7…and her middle group would include Prophecy (4) through Miraculous Powers (7). Her low-scoring (non gifts) are Interpretation of Tongues (0) through Evangelism (3).
For all respondents:
Your top-scoring three or four or five are the gifts to focus on in this season. Feel free to look at all the available (at no cost) resources: https://godgiftsyou.com/resources including definitions of each gift.
Additional reading that can assist you as you interpret your scores and continue on this journey of understanding and using your spiritual gifts:
https://godgiftsyou.com/blog/2021/4/29/spiritual-gifts-faqs-11
https://godgiftsyou.com/blog/2021/3/1/spiritual-gifts-faqs-7
https://godgiftsyou.com/blog/2022/7/24/jesusour-inviterour-identity
https://godgiftsyou.com/blog/2022/7/13/your-gifts-are-a-way-to-steward-what-god-has-entrusted-to-you
*On the GodGiftsYou online spiritual gifts assessment, there are three questions for each of the 23 gifts. Respondents can give each question a score from 0 to 5, meaning that the lowest a gift can score is 0 (i.e. 3 questions x a rating of 0 each) and the highest a gift can score is 15 (3 questions x a rating of 5 each).
Important resources:
Take this free spiritual gifts assessment or this free Spanish language spiritual gifts assessment.
Purchase the six-week workbook in English or Spanish:
Downloadable Resources--See Sample List of Interest Areas; Your Spiritual Gifts—A Study Guide; Knowing Your Unique Calling and Purpose Study Guide; Whole-Life Ministry: A Form of Worship, Grace-Giving, and Living into Your Calling.
Shirley Giles Davis, author of God's Affirmations For You: A Book of Encouragement—A 12-Week Devotional Practice, the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, DIOS. DONES. TÚ.: Tu llamado y diseño único (Spanish Edition), and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with hundreds of faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and executive leaders in a diversity of fields for four decades. She currently serves as Catalyst for Equipping at her church.
Photo © Shirley Giles Davis.
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Additionally, the contents of these blog posts may not be used to train generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies without the author's express permission